I will be out of the country for the next 10 days.  Thank you Ken and MM for the Cruise!   This will be the honeymoon that Mrs Bubble and I never had!  I will try to keep a diary and post

Thanks Jeff

 
Yesterday, on my way to lunch at Applebee's, I passed
one
of those homeless guys in the area with a sign that
read, "Vote Obama, I
need the money!."

Once in Applebee's, my waiter had on a "Obama 08" tee
shirt. When the
bill came, I decided not to tip the waiter and explained
to him while he
had given me exceptional service, that his tee shirt
made me
feel he obviously believes in Senator Obama's plan to
redistribute the
wealth, so I told him I was going to redistribute his
tip to someone
that I deemed more in need--the homeless guy outside. He
stood there in
disbelief and angrily stormed away.

I went outside, gave the homeless guy $3 and told him to
thank the
waiter inside, as I had decided he could use the money
more than him.
The homeless guy looked at me in disbelief, but seemed
grateful.

As I got in my car, I realized this rather unscientific
redistribution
of the wealth experiment had left the homeless guy quite
happy for the
money he did not earn, but the waiter was pretty angry
that I gave away
the money he did earn.

Well....I guess this redistribution of wealth thing is
going to take a
while to catch on with those doing the work !!

Have a great week everyone!   I am heading out tomorrow to join Ken on the cruise !!!!!!!!    btw.  MANY THANKS TO KEN !!!!       Jeff

Key Passage: Matthew 27:32-44

Topic: Pain/Suffering; God's Love; Jesus

So also the chief priests, with the scribes and elders, mocked him, saying "He saved others; he cannot save himself. He is the King of Israel; let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him. He trusts in God; let God deliver him now, if he desires him. For he said, 'I am the Son of God.'" (Matthew 27:41-43, ESV)

This morning I prayed with some coworkers. One request was for someone's mother who was having heart problems and other difficulties. About a half hour later, I learned that she died yesterday. One request was for a family who had just given birth to a son...who died an hour later. These were Christian people faithfully serving the Lord.

I confess, I don't understand the purpose of pain like this. I don't understand how God glorifies Himself through circumstances like this. I'm sorry if you're looking for answers, I don't have those.

What I do have is Truth.

True: God is in control. He has all these situations well in hand. Nothing happens that He doesn't allow and nothing happens without a purpose.

True: God loves you. He doesn't put you through pain and suffering just to watch you squirm. He doesn't allow hardships because He doesn't notice or care. Just because we can't see the purpose or the greater good in a situation, doesn't mean that it's not there. Consider for a moment that God has a better handle on things than you do.

True: God is with you. He understands your situations and your pain.

As He was crucified, Jesus endured incredible physical pain. The crowds around Him made fun of Him, challenging who He was and saying that God didn't care about Him. He also endured emotional pain: betrayal, grief, loss, humiliation.

As Jesus took your sin upon Himself, He experienced the spiritual pain of being separated from God the Father for the first time in all of eternity.

He had the power to end this, but He didn't. He endured the pain and humiliation because His love for you is greater than the pain. And Jesus understands your pain better than you do. In fact, Isaiah describes Him as "a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief" (Isaiah 53:3, ESV).

Give Him your life. Give Him your pain. He loves you, understands you and will care for you better than you ever could. Does that mean that you won't experience pain anymore? No. But it does mean that you won't go through it alone.

Key Passage: Matthew 27:62-66

Topic: Jesus

So they went and made the tomb secure by sealing the stone and setting a guard. (Matthew 27:66, ESV)

Why did the Romans seal and set a guard at the tomb where Jesus' dead body lay? Because the religious leaders were afraid Jesus' disciples would steal His body and then tell everyone that Jesus had risen from the dead.

These men knew Jesus claimed He would rise from the dead after three days. The religious elite of that day were evidently so sure it was a lie that they wanted precautions taken against His followers, preventing them from removing Jesus' body so they could claim He'd been resurrected.

It's sad that the chief priests and Pharisees who asked Pilate for these soldiers didn't have open hearts, hearts that waited to see if Jesus could and would actually rise from the dead.

But the fact is that they did us a great favor. They proved that Jesus' resurrection was an act of God. Guards were posted outside the tomb, guards whose lives were at stake should anyone steal Jesus' body. Guards who would make it humanly impossible for that body to disappear.

So, when the guards found Him gone, it had to have been God's doing. And we have the testimony of the guards--who weren't followers of Christ--that His body did not stay in that tomb. That He rose from the dead!

Key Passage: Matthew 28:1-10

Topic: Salvation

But the angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay." (Matthew 28:5-6, ESV)

Imagine walking in a graveyard where the tombs bear the names of those who founded the world's religions. As you walk among them, wondering about the men and women buried there, you come upon a tomb that's open. The inside is empty except for some neatly folded grave cloths and a single set of footprints leading away from the tomb. You look for a name and finally find it: Jesus.

While there's no graveyard that holds all these men and women, they all have graves. Someplace in the world, everyone who can be labeled as a "religious founder" has a grave--but only one grave is empty.

In today's passage, Mary and Mary went to Jesus' tomb to mourn, but they became witnesses to the greatest miracle ever performed. The tomb was empty just like the angel claimed. And when they rushed to tell the others who loved Jesus, they came face-to-face with the resurrected Christ. He's alive!

Many people today are "shopping" for a religion. They're looking for a set of beliefs that will bring them a measure of comfort in life. But unless they're looking to Jesus, all they're doing is touring a graveyard.

Jesus promised that those who believe in Him would have not only peace and security in this life but also a future with Him in heaven for all of eternity. His resurrection proved He has the power to keep this promise, as many people discover every day.

If you're searching for answers, stop by the empty tomb and let Jesus personally lead you out of the graveyard and into eternal life with Him.