My Divine Notes

Mark 15:42-47 It was now the evening before the Sabbath, and the Jewish people were getting ready for that sacred day. A man named Joseph from Arimathea was brave enough to ask Pilate for the body of Jesus. Joseph was a highly respected member of the Jewish council, and he was also waiting for God’s kingdom to come. Pilate was surprised to hear that Jesus was already dead, and he called in the army officer to find out if Jesus had been dead very long. After the officer told him, Pilate let Joseph have Jesus' body. Joseph bought a linen cloth and took the body down from the cross. He had it wrapped in the cloth, and he put it in a tomb that had been cut into solid rock. Then he rolled a big stone against the entrance to the tomb. Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joseph were watching and saw where the body was placed.

Mark 15:25-26, 33-34, 37-39 His crucifixion began about nine o’clock in the morning.  Over His head hung a sign that indicated the charge for which He was being crucified. It read, “THE KING OF THE JEWS.” At noon, the day suddenly darkened for three hours across the entire land.  Sometime around three o’clock Jesus called out in a loud voice.Jesus: Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?Jesus was speaking, as in the psalms, “My God, My God, why have You turned Your back on Me?”  Then Jesus cried out with a loud voice, and He took His last breath.  At that moment, the curtain in the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.  When the officer who stood facing Jesus saw how he gave up his spirit, he said, “Certainly, this man was the Son of God!”  Good Friday 

August 31, 2015 The greatest is love 1 Corinthians 13:13  But now faith, hope, and love remain; these three virtues must characterize our lives. The greatest of these is love. Two loved ones connected to friends and another person bonded to my heart by my ministry finished the circle of life and passed into eternity this month. Certainly when the calendar turned to August 1, 2015, their families never imagined they would be saying good-bye. We’re never ready to say goodbye. Death changes everything. The new normal never fits – it’s awkward, it’s painful, it’s stressful and it can bring regrets.   It is good to love well (1 Peter 4:8), forgive easily, be truly present and let loved ones know they matter.   Because. Once death arrives we no longer have a chance to love. We'll either have wonderful memories or deep regrets.  Choose love.

Psalm 119:76 Oh, love me—and right now!—hold me tight! Sometimes you just need The Message! Meet God at your deepest need. 

Until my last earthly breath, I will never stop telling what happened to me on May 2, 2006. That day changed my life and I finally knew what my important mission was. I knew at a very young age that there was something I was going to do, but I had no clue. Acts 16:13   On the Sabbath day, we went outside the city walls to the nearby river, assuming that some Jewish people might be gathering for prayer. We found a group of women there, so we sat down and spoke to them. 14 One of them, Lydia, was a business woman originally from Thyatira. She made a living buying and selling fine purple fabric. She was a true worshiper of God and listened to Paul with special interest. The Lord opened her heart to take in the message with enthusiasm. 15 She and her whole household were ceremonially washed through baptism.[a] On May 2, 2006 I saw the hand of God and it changed my entire life. Ask my friends and family. Ask my daughter – she can tell you how I really was! I am a sinner t...

Rethinking the familiar when God calls you out Joshua 5:12 Beginning after that Passover, the Israelites were no longer fed with manna, as they were in the desert. From the day they ate from the new land, the manna ceased. From then on they ate only the crops of the land of Canaan. It occurred to me how many people stay stuck on neutral in their life with God. It’s like they continue to do the things on auto pilot like the crowd who ate manna (which was life-sustaining) instead of venturing into exciting pastures of Canaan-like territory that might cause potential discomfort, but provide growth and new insights. How are you going to know if you like new crops if you continue to eat the familiar life-giving manna?  Is God just at church for you?  Is the Bible the book read by your priest, pastor or minister? Do you know God’s heart on an intimate level?  Have you tapped into delicious new crops available from the Holy Spirit?  Remember that God...

Psalm 118:24 This is the day that the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad today!  It's been a season of weather discontent. Too much snow, too much rain, too much gloom and on and on.  Lamenting the rain that gives life to greenery is now a pastime for many in my area. We forget the drought that killed vegetation and maimed our properties, park and public spaces.  Complain, complain, complain.  FaceBook, Twitter, in person or phone, we complain that we have no sunshine. Massive gray skies and clouds frame my daytime views most days, and I also ask for the sunshine. But I and countless others fail to see the beauty of the current moment. Seems like we should stop and thank the Lord that we're alive to see the day with its dreariness and all.  That's how I've decided to look at my days. Soon we'll see endless days ushering in soaring temperatures and humidity fit for a sauna spa.  Instead of lamenting out loud and in...