It was perfect timing when I got the email from Rhonda at The River Food Pantry. I used to volunteer there since it opened 15 years ago, but lately my back issues prevent me from helping those who need our help in person. That is why Rhonda’s email was perfect timing because it reminded me (and you in turn) that we CAN help those in need by helping The River help them! Donations to the River are certainly needed as they are serving more people than ever before.  If you can’t help in person (by volunteering), please consider joining me to help them using their new monthly donation program with a BIG BONUS. Yes, I said BIG BONUS! When you sign up to donate monthly a GENEROUS somebody will donate $500 to the River. Yes, $500 for EVERY SINGLE PERSON who signs up for automated monthly donations, even just $20 per month. But this needn’t be an “Either Or” choice … it can be “Both And” because you can both volunteer AND donate (which what I did for a decade). And I know that The River is truly grateful in all cases!

Let’s start the new year being grateful and generous ourselves. Let’s start with a little less for us and a little more for someone else. Let’s start the new year acknowledging what Jesus told his followers, when they wondered why he said that they had helped him when he was hungry (after all, they may never have even met him!). Here is what they said … and how Jesus replied:

Lord, when did we see you hungry and give you food?… I tell you this: whenever you saw a brother or sister hungry or cold, whatever you did to the least of these, so you did to Me. (Gospel of Matthew 25:37-40)

So … let’s help our neighbors who need our help. And just in case you are wondering just how much help that really amounts to … take a look back at the summary for last year (click it to zoom):

Oh … in case you forgot … this is the impact that The River Food Pantry made right here with our neighbors in Dane County! Here is a way to remember how we can help help others:

Now, let me share the Email from Rhonda at The River with you:

Continue reading “Start the New Year with Less (and More)” →

First, before reading this, be sure to read my prior article (or this won’t make much sense):

=> 20 Years With The Presence of God

OK … now let’s look at a Scripture that I just read … one that made me think of my prior article:

²⁷ But when she came to the man of God at the mountain, she fell to the ground before him and caught hold of his feet. Gehazi began to push her away, but the man of God said, “Leave her alone. She is deeply troubled, but the Lord has not told me what it is.” (2Kings 4:27-28 NLT)

When I saw that it jumped out at me! That is what it is like to always be in close contact with God, feeling his presence all around you all day (what God tole me was normal) and then all of a sudden… NOTHING!

Just so you can place this in context, here is the entire passage that leads up to that NOTHING:

Gehazi called out her name, and she came and stood at the entrance to the room.

¹⁷ But that time next year, the Shunammite woman did conceive and deliver a son, just as Elisha said she would. ¹⁸ When the child was older, he walked out to his father, who was harvesting the fields with the reapers.

²⁰ The servant brought the child inside to his mother; and about noon, while the boy was sitting in his mother’s lap, he died. ²¹ She took his lifeless body and laid him down on Elisha’s bed. She then closed the door and went away.

²⁴ She prepared the donkey and gave instructions to her servant.

²⁵ She rode quickly toward the man of God who was staying about a day away on Mount Carmel. As she approached, Elisha saw her at a distance.

²⁷ When she approached the man of God at the mountain, she fell to the ground and hugged his feet. Gehazi approached to pull her away, but the man of God stopped him.

Walking with God is simple, yet it is hard to continually do so. I don’t know if I will have a “tombstone” or not, but, if so, I’d like it to truthfully say, “He walked with God“.

Acknowledging God is simple, yet at times around others I get nervous and not know what to say (or simply chicken out)! I need to keep practicing!

God is always with us (hence the URL for this website), yet Scriptures tell us that WE must come near to him.

Perhaps I need to continually PRACTICE being in the presence of God.

Perhaps I need to CHOOSE to be “normal” as God has defined it to me!

And today it struck me… I have been TRYING to walk, acknowledge and practice… so has it finally become a way of life for me? Is a way of life a bit more than just a set of habits? Yet, those “habits” I think are PART of this way of life!  Writing prayers for someone benefits me as well as them. I have made many websites for someone where I post my written prayers. I have printed and mailed prayers to people. I have even collected my prayers prayed over time for someone into a book:

God has told me that I am living my life as a prayer … so that is how I am able to pray continuously! And walking with God for decades has provided me with PLENTY of stories! Sharing my stories helps me remember my choices, my habits, my walk! And now, over the past two years, I have collected just SOME of the stories as part one of my Legacy Bible Companion book(s):

If you know me and were part of my journey, please send me an email or txt message with stories we shared… please help me to remember those times, those stories!

This PDF is nicely formatted=> A Psalm (by Len)

A Psalm (by Len) 

All mighty are You O Lord
. Awesome are the works of Your hands

Blessed is Your name in all the earth
. Beauty flows wherever You go

Caring is Your heart for all men
. Compassion is in Your eyes

Defender of the orphan and the widow
. Delighting over Your every child

Eternal God, creator of all things
. Encouraging those who trust in You

Fortress when we are weak
. Father of Lights, we praise Your holy name

Glory is before us everywhere we look
. Gracious are Your ways

Healer, helper, everything wonderful
. Holy, holy, holy – God of heaven and earth

I am, You say, and so it is
. Immanuel, God is with us this day

Joyful, just, glorious are You Lord
. Jesus, Your name we lift on high

Keeper of Your promises
. Kindness is ever on Your mind

Loving and laughing You listen to our stories
. Life and light are Your gifts always

Majestic are the heavens, created just for us
. Marvelous and amazing are Your deeds

Never forsaking us, You answer when we call;
.New, You made us, when You called us Your own

Orchestrator of miracles, unending they seem
. Only good are Your plans for those who cling to You

Patiently You watch over us all the day and through the night
. Powerful, all powerful and wonderful You are

Quick to respond to our calls for Your help
. Quieting the storms with just a word

Refuge for the oppressed, shelter in times of need
. Reveal more of Your glory to us, disclose bits more this day

Surely our hope is in You O Lord
. Secure and safe are we on this journey with You

Teach us Your ways, show us Your truth
. Triumphant let us walk with You.

Until our last breath we praise Your name
. United in Christ, we encourage and support each other

Victory is ours, for we read the end of the book
. Visit with us, meet with us, carry us as needed

Walk with us, run with us, sit with us today
. Welcome, we welcome You. Come Lord, be near

Yesterday, today, tomorrow, unchanging in Your love
. Young or old, Your mercy flows o’er us

Zion is Your mountain, set us up high with You
. Zealous for Your holy name, we give the glory all to You.

For all mighty are You O Lord
. And awesome are the works of Your hands.

Read about it in their Short Article: Apollo 8 Christmas Message

Heavenly Father, good evening! Thank you for being with us. Thank you for being in our midst. Thank you for those NASA astronauts that chose to read from God’s Word as their message to everyone on earth. Thank you for the images from space that they sent along with their audio message. Thank you for the enormous impact those three men had then and how it reverberates even today! As they orbited the moon and saw the earth from afar … it was the Genesis creation that came to their minds. How fitting that they could intertwine the highly technical advances of man with the truth of how God created it all. And let’s re-read what those astronauts read from space to us:

William Anders

We are now approaching lunar sunrise, and for all the people back on Earth, the crew of Apollo 8 has a message that we would like to send to you.

In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep.
And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.
And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.

James Lovell

And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.
And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.
And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so.
And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day.”

Frank Borman

And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so.
And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it was good.
And from the crew of Apollo 8, we close with good night, good luck, a Merry Christmas – and God bless all of you, all of you on the good Earth.

Lord, it’s me again. I’m back. Just like the three astronauts that were a light to millions of people who they had never met, so too let us be a light, but to those we DO meet. Lord, I ask that you stay close to each of us. We need you now. Oh, how we need you now! Be there for us not only when we pray to you, but be there throughout the day. Let us feel your presence all around us. Fill us with your joy and let that joy be our strength this day. And together we will give you the glory. The glory is all yours. GLORY! I pray this in the name and authority of Christ Jesus, King of kings. Amen.

[Originally posted on October 10, 2020 … reposting 14 months later on December 9, 2021 because it is still the case… it is still true!]

I don’t think that Jesus gave us the option of sitting at a distance and doing nothing. Jesus didn’t want us to be silent and say NOTHING. Jesus wanted us to say something! And more than that, Jesus wanted us to DO SOMETHING. Jesus wants us to DO THE RIGHT THING!

Christianity revolves around two commands that Jesus said encompass everything! (Matthew 22:36-40)

First … Love God!

Second … Love Others!

Loving others means placing their needs and well-being before our own. In Romans 12:10 Paul even went so far as to imply that we should look at it as a contest to see which of us can best place the needs of others before our own! Of course, Paul was writing in Greek, and his words need to be translated into English. There are a variety of ways of phrasing what Paul said … here are a few translations (which ALL are saying the same thing but with different words):

• Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. (ESV)
• Be devoted to one another with mutual love, showing eagerness in honoring one another. (NET)
• Live in true devotion to one another, loving each other as sisters and brothers. Be first to honor others by putting them first. (Voice)
• Love each other like brothers and sisters. Give each other more honor than you want for yourselves. (NCV)
• Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other. (NLT)

As Christians, we should not need others to PLEAD with us to do the right thing, as the health workers and medical community are pleading for public cooperation (which they say is as simple as wearing a face mask whenever around others and adhering to the 6 foot social distancing recommendation).  Months ago, our churches should have imprinted face masks for all their congregation to wear when out in the public. Face masks that say “I place your well being before my own“.  Face masks that say, “Others Before Self” or even using the funky urban style messaging: “Others B4 Self“.

Our health workers are PLEADING with us (see the headline in the photo at the top of this article) … will any church step up and get masks for EVERYONE in their church to wear … face masks that boldly say WHY they are wearing them? Why? Because they are CHRISTIAN … and that’s what a Christian does … place others well-being before their own (yes, it is proven that face masks work to protect OTHERS – see source => PBS scientific explanation video).  Why not advance the kingdom by advancing the well-being of those around us? Don’t spout off a Bible verse at others while not wearing a mask. Instead, silently serve others and let the face mask speak for itself!

Others Before Self

There are many many many places that can make a custom imprinted face mask for you and your church. I will offer one company as an example, only because I have used their services in the past and found them to be excellent. The company’s name is “4Imprint”. You can call them at 877-446-7746 or visit their website to see their custom imprint face masks available … some even with 24 hour rush shipping! Click => Custom Imprinted Facemasks

Ask your church if they would be willing to give out “Others Before Self” face masks … and if so please let me know – I WANT ONE TOO! Face masks are NOT a political statement! They are a Christian statement placing others before self!

UPDATE: A few hours after I posted this article, it seemed that I should rethink having the word “Christian” on the face mask.  Perhaps back at the end of February or first week of March it may have been OK. But now our country has seen too much of how various people are behaving that it may come off as arrogant or hypocritical.  So … just having a face mask that says Others Before Self is sufficient, because if anyone asks you about it, you then have the opportunity to explain why!

I personally wrote this and grant permission to copy or use any of this for your own articles or posts – Len Lindsay (God Is In Our Midst) [second image is courtesy of ThinkDivinely.com ]

The Twelve Tribes of Israel
Who’s First, Who’s Last, Does it matter?

Does it matter?
“Of course it matters,” I hear some of you say.

Um… yeah.  We just might want it that way today – at least here in America! Perhaps we’d say: List them all, list them in order, list them properly.

But what does God think about it? We can get an inkling by looking at how GOD refers to the twelve tribes. When I saw this I was excited … I hope you are too!

I wondered about those twelve tribes.  They were very important to God – they were His People, the Israelites. So I wondered how He referred to them in Scriptures.  So I looked for all the places that the twelve tribes are referenced. As I found each reference I got more and more excited (they are referenced 27 times, so that’s lots of excitement). I made a chart to show the order that God reference the tribes and link to it at the end of this article. As an example, let’s compare how God listed the tribes in just THREE of the TWENTY SEVEN times:

The order that the tribes are listed is different each time. God managed to list them in a different order 25 times. Actually it actually is quite tricky to arrange the twelve tribes differently that many times! It is almost like God went out of his way to always list them differently! The only time that the order was listed exactly the same was in Numbers, when the tribes marched out and that is because our God is a God of order. Anytime the tribes had to march, they would march in the same order! If not there would be chaos!

And did you notice that when Moses gave his blessings to the tribes, Simeon is missing in the list? And in Revelations, did you notice that Dan and Ephraim are missing? In the last column of my chart at the end of this article I reference any tribes that are “missed”.

Somehow, this seems to me like God letting us know that we should quit being so concerned about who is first, second and third … and even not to worry if everyone is mentioned equally all the time!  Don’t get hung up on this perhaps.  Don’t worry about the order … just enjoy the journey! I know this is quite comforting to me! One person even let me know that knowing that some of the tribes were “left out” of the list a few times was helpful to her because she often felt “left out”. She was encouraged knowing that entire tribes were “left out” at times!

My Chart

I made a full color large print chart of all 27 ways the tribes were listed. I use the first letter of each tribe in the chart to indicate the tribe. Thus I can present the entire ordered list each time all in one row. You will notice the three rows from Numbers that start with J (for Judah) are the three times the tribes are referenced by marching order (rows 8, 9 and 10).

It would be best to view the chart as a PDF so you can zoom and choose how to print), but I also am providing a PNG image of the chart in case you can’t view PDF files.

Click=> Twelve Tribes as God Lists Them chart

PNG image:

The video performance is lost (it was a slide show) … but here is the full audio for the award winning dramatization of Habakkuk from Intervarsity (from over four decades ago):

=> Habakkuk Dramatization (51 minutes)

Is “Be Kind” your word for this year? If so, why not support this fine young autistic lady who is making very soft comfy T-Shirts that compassionately say “Be Kind To Everyone“. There are several styles. The one I got (Jordan style) was so soft and felt so nice I ordered three more! She ships it right away and sends you tracking updates. She signs a card thanking you, includes a photo card with her “team” (family I am guessing), rolls the shirt and keeps it rolled with a free BeKindToEveryone wristband (which I now have four of).

Here is the link to her website where you can order your own BE KIND shirt:

https://BeKindToEveryone.com/

I personally wrote this and grant permission to copy or use any of this for your own articles or posts – Len Lindsay (God Is In Our Midst)

Being skeptical can be a good thing. These are my magazines from the 1970’s that I was reading just after graduating from St. John’s University. I have the very first issue of Skeptic: The Forum For Contemporary History (note that this magazine was published for less than a decade and later another magazine was started, also called “Skeptic” but it was by a totally different group of people).

Note that I purposely included the word “proper” in the title to this article because it is a critically important aspect of skepticism. You won’t have a problem finding plenty of conspiracies and theories of how something may have happened or may happen in the future. But remember that a theory is not evidence, and many (most?) of these theories tend to have no proper evidence.

And that was what was so good about the Skeptic magazines that I was reading 40 years ago. The magazine included reprints of articles from reputable news sources like New York Magazine, New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Harper’s, Science, Natural History, Harvard Magazine, Congressional Quarterly, Smithsonian, The Economist and US News & World Report. Articles were by respected authors such as Alexander Hamilton (yes!), George Will, Senator George McGovern, Arnold Toynbee, Isaac Asimov, Harry S Truman, James R Schlesinger, Arthur Schlesinger Jr, Henry Kissinger and Eric Hoffer (see below).

Being a proper skeptic means doing research and reading from reputable sources and authors that would report on issues from all sides and viewpoints. Being a skeptic who only reads things from one view point from questionable sources is not something I would suggest because if you only hear the same viewpoint over and over you lose perspective and can be misled and deceived.

Another critically important aspect is to also have a good understanding of our past history and it’s implications.  For example, all of a sudden being afraid that our country is becoming fascist or socialist or communist needs some historical background PLUS an understanding of just what “fascism” is … just what “socialism” is (and is NOT). There is a noted political historian (Heather Cox Richardson) who has authored many books and decided when the pandemic struck to host hour long video’s twice a week to help people who are staying at home have something meaningful to watch. She has presented a history of the Republican Party (in 17 hour long segments), a history of our country (called American Paradox in 10 segments) and is now in the midst of a series about the Reconstruction after the Civil War. She also has a history and politics chat session once a week that talks about what is currently happening in our country. She reads and researches A LOT.  She also writes a daily “Letters From An American” newsletter that sums up what she sees happening for that day. These “letters” have a lengthy list of resources at the end that you can click on to read the full information for more details or to verify that her summary was accurate.

NOW…… what is interesting is that right when I started researching and praying about this article she had a very interesting current history and politics chat that covered many issues that people have on their minds. She noted that we are NOT becoming a Fascist country, we are NOT moving towards Socialism (and definitely NOT towards Communism) … she talked about sedition, secession, authoritarianism, oligarchy, the pandemic and how our election is over and was secure. But what surprised me is that she highly recommended a book by Eric Hoffer … yes, the SAME Eric Hoffer that I was reading back in the ’70’s in Skeptic magazine (see above).

Here is a link to that hour long history and politics chat (on her facebook page):

And here is a link to the Eric Hoffer book that she was highly recommending (The True Believer):

Now … for some resources for you to keep your skepticism proper:

• Trusted Truthful News Sources
• Letters From An American (click the Let Me Read It First button to read for free)
• History of the Republican Party (17 segments)
• American Paradox (10 segments)
• History and Politics Chat (weekly with over 1 million followers)

And finally … just to set your minds at ease … our country is NOT going to become socialist as this one article in a very reputable newspaper (with 8 Pulitzer Prize Winners over the past decade): So much for “Biden the socialist”

I personally wrote this and grant permission to copy or use any of this for your own articles or posts – Len Lindsay (God Is In Our Midst)

If your assumptions are faulty, your conclusions likely will be as well. You likely have heard that before, but now is the time for you to put it into practice. If your sources of information are flawed, no matter how diligent you are in analyzing them to come up with your own conclusions, they will be flawed as well. That said, some of my friends were wondering how to decide what sources are trustworthy, what sources are truthful.

First, you may wish to have a reputable newspaper as your source and to READ the news rather than WATCH the news (reading it online is easy on your smartphone or computer). This will give you time to actually think about what they are saying and ask yourself if they are writing opinions or commentary, or if they are relating facts to you. You can even pause to Google things that they are referring to! Everyone can have their own opinion, but we need truth to be our guide as to the facts.

With that in mind, I suggest that you read online news from newspapers with Pulitzer Prize winners on their staff. The Pulitzer Prize is a mark of excellence and a good sign that the newspaper has excellence in truthful factual reporting at it’s core. You can refer to who won the Pulitzer Prize for each of the past ten years below (I list the winners of Public Service Reporting, Breaking News, Investigative Reporting, Explanatory Reporting and National Reporting)

First the summary of the eight newspapers/news outlets that received 2 or more Pulitzer Awards in the past ten years (with a link to their website):

1. New York Times (8 awards) [list of awards won]
   Washington Post (8 awards) [list of awards won]
   
2. Seattle Times (3 awards)
   ProPublica (3 awards)
   Los Angeles Times (3 awards)
3. Associated Press (2 awards)
   Wall Street Journal (2 awards)
   Sarasota Herald Tribune (2 awards)
   

Next, a Year by Year list (with a link to the years list) :

1. 2020 – Anchorage Daily News / Courier Journal (Louisville, KY) / New York Times / Washington Post / Seattle Times
2. 2019 – South Florida Sun Sentinel / Pittsburgh Post Gazette / Los Angeles Times / New York Times / Wall Street Journal
3. 2018 – New York Times (2) / New Yorker / Press Democrat (Santa Rosa, CA) / Washington Post (2) / Arizona Republic / USA Today 
4. 2017 – New York Daily News / ProPublica / East Bay Times (Oakland, CA) / Charleston Gazette Mail / Miami Herald / Washington Post
5. 2016 – Associated Press / Los Angeles Times / Tampa Bay Times / Sarasota Herald Tribune / ProPublica / Washington Post
6. 2015 – Post and Courier (Charleston, SC) / Seattle Times / New York Times / Wall Street Journal / Bloomberg News / Washington Post
7. 2014 – Guardian US / Washington Post (2) / Boston Globe / Gazette (Colorado Springs, CO) 
8. 2013 – Sun Sentinel (Fort Lauderdale, FL) / Denver Post / New York Times (2)
9. 2012 – Philadelphia Inquirer / Tuscaloosa News / Associated Press / Seattle Times / New York Times / Huffington Post
10. 2011 – Los Angeles Times / Sarasota Herald Tribune / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / ProPublica

FYI … you can see a fairly comprehensive list of all the newspapers that have won Pulitzer Prizes: Wikipedia Article: Pulitzer Prize Winning Newspapers

Side note: Over the years I have found the BBC to be a good news source. They seem to be one of the few remaining fairly neutral news reporting sources! You can find their news reporting articles online as well as video clips of their TV reporting in YouTube and Facebook.

However, if you wish to WATCH the news, my suggestion is to watch a news source that includes Pulitzer Prize winners, such as these from MSNBC (with a link to their online videos):

1. Deadline: White House with Nicole Wallace (White House Communications Director during the presidency of George W. Bush and in his 2004 re-election campaign as well as a senior advisor for John McCain’s 2008 presidential campaign) Weekdays 4-6pm ET
2. The Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell (an aide to U.S. Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan, Staff Director for the Senate Finance Committee and writer for The West Wing) Weekdays 10pm ET
3. The Rachel Maddow Show (doctorate in political science from Oxford University) Weekdays 9pm ET

Special Note: Yes, it is true that MSNBC is left leaning in their reporting. That does NOT mean that they are making up their own facts or stories. Most news sources tend to lean to one side or the other, and it is my experience with news from both sides that the left leaning sources tend to be truthful and factual but often will ignore certain news stories that do not fit into their perspective. The right leaning news sources, however, tend to fabricate their own fact or state assumptions or opinion or commentary as if it were factual reporting. That is misleading and deceptive and can even be dangerous. So, I contemplated removing item 2 and 3 in my MSNBC list because they were left leaning – but chose to leave them on the list because they WERE FACTUAL and had high level reputable sources for their news including Pulitzer Prize winners!

Finally … remember that Fox News is not really news. True! There have been several court cases revolving around untruths being aired on Fox News and Fox News themselves admitted in those court cases that they are a commentary and opinion channel and that everyone knows this! (so, they expect YOU to know that they are not a factual news source too!). And, yes, you CAN verify this yourself. Just look at their online contract which in the beginning of the second paragraph specifies that Fox New is Entertainment and not news reporting:

FOX News furnishes the Site and the FOX News Services for your personal enjoyment and entertainment.

And then further in the contract:

FOX News makes no warranty that your use of the FOX News Services will be uninterrupted, timely, secure or error• free or that any information obtained by you on, through or in connection with the FOX News Services or Third Party Services (including but not limited to, through User Content or third party advertisements) will be accurate or reliable.

I personally wrote this and grant permission to copy or use any of this for your own articles or posts – Len Lindsay (God Is In Our Midst)

[photo used with permission from Digital Buggu]

The Greatest Words Ever Spoken 
– a book by Steven K Scott

This is a fantastic book, so I typed out the 8 page Table of Contents. Since categorizing the things Jesus said is a hard task and likely no two people would come up with exactly the same categorization of the nearly 2,000 statements made by Jesus (or even just the same list of categories) I thought that looking at how Steven Scott categorized them might help you decide to buy the book or not. If you’d like a copy of the book but your finances are tight, just contact me and I will gladly send you a copy (I already have an extra copy here at home to give out to anyone who drops by and is interested). Here is how I preface the Table of Contents to his book that I typed out:

There are over 1,900 things that Jesus said within Scriptures. This book attempts to categorize them into about 200 categories (some passages are just 1 verse while some are literally dozens of verses). Looking at this LONG list (while typing out the table of contents to the book) it was immediately obvious that Jesus did not have a ONE ISSUE focus (so neither should we!) But he did focus on some things more often, so I boldfaced the 36 topics that came up in things he said at least TWENTY TIMES. I will present these top 36 topics first, followed by the complete list of over 200 topics!

I am including a PDF of this that you can download and save for future reference … it is a long list, so having a digital copy will let you search for a topic)

Click=> Greatest Words Ever Spoken (PDF)

Topics that Jesus spoke about at least 20 times:

1. Commands of Christ (100)
2. Claims Jesus Made About Himself (93)
3. Jesus’ Words in Parables, Metaphors, and Allegories (82)
4. The Promises of Christ (62)
5. Jesus’ Death, Resurrection, and Second Coming (59)
6. Following Christ (Discipleship) (58)
7. Jesus’ Identify (56)
8. The Judgment, Hell, and Eternal Punishment (55)
9. The Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of Heaven (55)
10. Jesus’ Missions (54)
11. The Mission of a Christian (54)
12. Jesus’ Relationship with God the Father (52)
13. Eternal Life (Salvation) (48)
14. God the Father (47)
15. Spiritual Priorities (47)
16. Belief and Faith in Christ (45)
17. Heaven (36)
18. Prophesied Events and Fulfilled Prophecy (32)
19. Obedience and Good Works (29)
20. Faith (Examples of) (28)
21. Wisdom and Understanding (27)
22. The Heart (27)
23. Anxiety, Worry, and Fear (26)
24. Healing (26)
25. The Worth of an Individual (26)
26. Honoring and Glorifying Christ; the Glory of Christ (25)
27. Prayer (25)
28. Unbelief and Motives of Unbelievers (25)
29. Abiding in the Words of Christ (22)
30. Forgiveness (22)
31. Sin (22)
32. The Shepherd and His Sheep (Jesus Leading and Providing for His Followers) (21)
33. The Laws of God (21)
34. Hypocrites, Hypocrisy, and Self-Righteousness (20)
35. Eternal Laws (20)
36. Repentance (20)

The complete list:

Continue reading “What Jesus Said Matters 2” →

What Jesus Said Matters – Matthew (next do What Jesus Did Matters)

The title can be taken two ways …. first that everything that Jesus said actually matters! Second, that the things Jesus talked about were important, they were things that mattered to Him!

Want to help make a list summarizing what Jesus talked about? Send me an email (or use the contact page) if you can help. Thanks.

Here is all that is needed … verse by verse, what Jesus said summarized in a few words (one or two if possible).

I am working on Matthew first … here is my start at this project (NOTE: each verse reference is a LINK to all the translations for that verse on BibleGateway):

Mat 3:15 Righteousness

Mat 4:4 God’s Word is Life

Mat 4:7 Don’t Test God

Mat 4:10 Worship and Serve only God

Mat 4:17 Repent

Mat 4:19 Follow Me (for the people)

Mat 5:3 Poor in Spirit, Humble-minded are blessed

Continue reading “What Jesus Said Matters” →

One of my best friends mentioned (actually typed it all out) in her Feb 11, 2008 email the prayer on page 200

God wants to bless everyone at The River Food Pantry … over and over and over and over! A new blessing every Friday evening!

40BlessingsForEveryone.wordpress.com

The Handwritten Bible was prominently displayed inside the State Capitol – Twice!

Wonderful Video from years ago … still just perfect!

The Lego Movie got it right … they just weren’t aware that it was GOD who was so Awesome!

Make sure to click the small YouTube link under this 2 1/2 minute video so you can see it large enough to read the text as it slowly scrolls by!

Watch this Fullscreen so you can read their signs!

Make sure to watch this FULL SCREEN. You will SMILE watching this 3 minute video … especially if you know about GMail, Amazon, Wikipedia, Facebook, Twitter, FourSquare, Google Earth and touch screen cell phones :)

Click the button at the bottom right (with the four arrows in it) to watch the video full screen)

Blessings to you this Christmas Season … God With Us