Requiem for a heavyweight

Gentle Reader,

I interrupt my explanation of "the Jesus that the Apostle Paul preached", (see Dr Denis says... http://drcallahan.bravejournal.com) to bring you some sad news. While most of you know that my wife Marti has been bedfast for half a dozen years and her best friend and closest companion was her little Chihuahua ChiFawn PI.

Fawn as she was known to her friends, mostly birds and our Lhasa Apso, Patrick Tis Himself (Paddy) was an unusual dog.

She never left Marti’s side or her bed except to eat and drink and to play occasionally with one or two of our birds from time to time.

Certified as a service animal under the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act which is governed but the U.S. Department of Justice. Fawn never demanded her "rights" under the law.



Dogs have souls, don’t they?

I remember bringing you home. You were so small and cuddly with your tiny paws and soft fur. You bounced around the room with eyes flashing and ears at attention. Once in a while you’d let out a little yelp just to let us know this was your "territory"!

There is a belief that Chihuahua’s have the ability to absorb the illness of their owners (whether that is true I cannot say, however when I was sick in bed with the loss of a lung Fawn crawled up on my chest and lay there until I was able to get up and get around).

But it was Marti who received most of Fawn’s attention. Fawn never left Marti’s side

When Marti was confined to bed Fawn was there, providing companionship, love, support and therapy when medical doctors gave up.

Last night or rather at 6:53 this morning after a sleepless night of sitting up with this little angel she finely look up at Marti and then me and then into the air as if to say ("Well boys, I’m ready to come home now! Some one else will have to take over my watch" Those who don’t believe in God or love need to see man’s best friend who ask for nothing than to be of service.

The Gift of Love

4 Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant 5or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; 6it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. 7It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
8 Love never ends.... 12For now we see in a mirror, dimly,b but then we will see face to face. Now I know only in part; then I will know fully, even as I have been fully known. 13And now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; and the greatest of these is love.

So Gentle reader, let me leave you with these final thoughts



Just this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge.

When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge.
There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together.
There is plenty of food, water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable.
All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor; those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by.
The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing; they each miss someone very special to them, who had to be left behind.

They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. His bright eyes are intent; His eager body quivers. Suddenly he begins to run from the group, flying over the green grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster.

You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart.

Then you cross Rainbow Bridge together....

Author unknown...

Fawn gave us, especially Marti, that unconditional love that we attribute to God. Perhaps that’s why dog spelled backwards is God.

Denis

Chi Fawn PI (R.I.P. 2/20/2007)

Matthew 24!

Matthew 24:34 is one of the most interesting and most often twisted passages in the entire bible. It will help us to understand the verse, by looking at many of the various translations of the verse, especially regarding the word “fulfilled” in the KJV. I do not have all of the translations at my disposal, but of the ones that I have, it might be an indication that the KJV might be the only translation that has the Greek word “genetai” translated by the word “fulfilled.” Let us look at the KJV first, then some of the other prominent translations.

“Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled” [King James Version].

“Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass away, till all these things be accomplished” [American Standard Version].

"Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place” [New American Standard Version].



“Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away till all these things take place” [Revised Standard Version].



“Then at last this age will come to its close” [The Living Bible].



“Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place” [New King James Version].



“Remember that all these things will happen before the people now living have all died” [Today’s English Version].



“I tell you the truth, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened” [New International Version].



To any honest thinking individual, how can there be any doubt? What do the words “fulfilled, accomplished, take place, will come to a close, will happen, have happened” mean? Cannot a second grade student tell us old people what the words mean? Is there anything in these words in any of the translations that mean anything other than that all of the things that were listed between Matthew 24:1-33 happened in the 1st century AD? They all took place before the contemporary people with Yahshua (Jesus) had died biologically. They were all accomplished. They will not happen again. The things of Matthew 24 are not for our generation in the 21st century, nor for any future generation of people. That age came to a close, as The Living Bible stated it. This verse forever nailed it down that all of the other verses taught the same thing, i.e. that by 70 AD, everything that Yahshua (Jesus) had said in chapter 23 and thus far in chapter 24, happened and were completed in the 1st century AD. But for further surprises to some people, it does not stop with verse 34, for the remainder of chapter 24 and chapter 25 still deal with the same coming of Yahshua (Jesus) to destroy the rebellious Judahites between 66 AD and 70 AD. How can such a simple saying of the Son of God be twisted so much by so many people? And why?



There is no need to discuss further the meaning of “pass away,” for one of the translations even put it plainer, “have died.” Seven of the eight translations that were quoted above says “this generation,” not “some generation.” Read the translation from Today’s English Version again.



“Remember that all these things will happen before the people now living have all died.”

The boulder

The Obstacle in Our Path
In ancient times, a king had a boulder placed on a roadway. Then he hid himself and watched to see if anyone would remove the huge rock. Some of the king's wealthiest merchants and courtiers came by and simply walked around it. Many loudly blamed the king for not keeping the roads clear, but none did anything about getting the big stone out of the way. Then a peasant came along carrying a load of vegetables. On approaching the boulder, the peasant laid down his burden and tried to move the stone to the side of the road. After much pushing and straining, he finally succeeded. As the peasant picked up his load of vegetables, he noticed a purse lying in the road where the boulder had been. The purse contained many gold coins and a note from the king indicating that the gold was for the person who removed the boulder from the roadway. The peasant learned what many others never understand. Every obstacle presents an opportunity to improve one's condition.

Twelve or Sixteen Apostles?

A Thought From Scripture.

Jesus had twelve disciples, but we know a larger number of people, including some women (Mark 15:40; Luke 23:55), were associated with him in his work. Because Jesus was calling Israel back to its true faith in God, there had to be twelve designated apostles as a symbol of the fulness of the twelve tribes. But the membership in this group may have been a bit fluid, since we have as least fifteen names plus Matthias, who was enrolled after the Resurrection:
Simon (Bar-Johan, matt. 16;17, also called Peter)
Andrew, brother of Simon
James, son of Zebedee
John, son of Zebedee
Philip
Bartholomew
Thomas (called the Twin, John 20;24)
Matthew
James, son of Alphaeus
Thaddaeus
Simon the Cananaean (or Zealot, Luke 6:15)
Judas Iscariot
Levi (Luke 5;27,usually equated with Matthew)
Nathanael of Cana
Judas, son of James (Luke 6:16; "not Iscariot," John 14:22)
Matthias (replacing Judas Iscariot, Acts 1;26

God's Valentine

Valentine from God...

God thinks you are wonderful~!

It may be difficult
for you to believe
that God knows your name...
but He does.

Written on His hand
Spoken by His mouth
Whispered by His lips.
Your name.

"I have written your name
on My hand" Isaiah 46:16

"It is not our love for God;
its God's love for us
in sending His Son
to be the Way
to take away our sins."
1 John 4:10

If you want
to touch God's heart,
use the name He loves to hear.
Call him "Father"
He thinks you're wonderful!

From God...

A letter from the Lord

--Patience, Child!"

Can you hear Me, My child? Can you hear Me calling your name? Listen!

Listen! Can you hear the longings of My heart ringing out through the

heavens for you?

I have not forgotten you or mislaid My plans for your life. There is no

need for you to rush around so frantically. Don't you know that you are

not an embarrassment to Me? What are you trying to make up for? Am I not

your sufficiency?

Be still in your heart and mind and know that I Am God.

You cannot get on the ship until it docks, yet at times you become so

frantic for fear of missing what I am doing that you miss Me in the

stillness and quiet of your soul. This is a time of calm - a time of

preparation of heart - a time of just knowing Me and walking with Me. I

am not in a panic. I am not a whirlwind.

My Church is in a twilight time--a time of semi-light, because it hasn't

reached full maturity yet. But do not despise its immaturity, for it is

at this time that it is being awakened into the new, and ushered into

that which is only just beginning to come into being. Do not be impatient,

dear child, for it is only now the dawning of a new era where there will

be the awakening of many souls.

I will fill you and will make you ready for this new season, but each season

of the past had to take its place in turn, for the world you live in must

revolve completely and I do not cut corners to serve man's impatient heart.

There is a fullness of time and My plans will come to pass in this fullness

of time.

I am your covering like a blanket. I will not leave you unprotected and

vulnerable to the things which must come upon the earth. My arm will be

around you; My voice calling you hither and guiding you which way to go.

Come and shelter under My wings and know that your name is on My lips. Hear

Me whisper your name tenderly. Come and rest in My arms and be still in My

love and tender care. I am the guardian of your soul. Feel My heartbeat for

you and My breath on your face. My voice is like that of calm seas and

summer breezes refreshing your soul.

The world does not need more busyness and knowledge - it needs to feel

My heart and then it will be healed and made whole. Lean against Me and

feel My heartbeat and only then will it become your heartbeat also, for it

cannot be taught, but only experienced. Then take this and hold others in

your arms so that they too will feel My heartbeat, and then they will know

that they too can run into My arms without fear. I am the only safe place--

the only place of peace and assurance. So be still My child and let your

heart be re-ignited to My love.

About loss

Gentle Readers,
What has happened to the attitude of loss in association with Christianity and ministry? I myself fled the call of God, for in my mind and heart it meant sacrifice, loss of independence and a submission to the purpose of God over every other thing. This is what I had understood from my years of hearing about the call of God.




From years in the church, from Sunday School to the thousands of messages preached, I understood to obey the call of God meant I would lose everything. And in answering the call I did over time, I offered every relationship and source of pride on the altar of sacrifice and as I suspected they did not survive the fire of God's trying. As a young aspiring minister, I learned what it was like to give my last dollar, to see God give me a twenty. I was reminded the other day of giving my favorite bible away, and the next day I was given a very nice and much more costly bible.




I remember these times of living on the edge of survival, where I was constantly challenge to give it all away... and see that what I ended up with was more than I gave. I don't say this to brag, please understand my purpose. How many times have I given away my last 10, 20, 100 and even 1,000? Then to see the Lord return it to me literally pressed down and running over? I see in my own life and the spirit of things in general, ... let me just personalize this, the idea of Loss has been lost.




The idea of sacrifice has evolved into feeding the cattle and breeding them to have more cows, justifying in our mind that we could be a better blessing with a herd of cattle rather than sacrificing what God is asking.




Reminds me of Saul, when rather than obedience... he saved some... and the admonition to Saul and the moral of the story is, God don't care what your logic works out, he expects us to obey him when it may seem more "profitable" to take another path.




Or Ananias and Sapphira, wanted recognition for an offering, rather than giving all. When the Spirit was asking for sacrifice, they wanted to give out of convinience.... and acting like they were giving it all. It may seem rather harsh for them to die... yet in this, it demonstrates, there are times when half way obedience is not going to cut it.




If we are not careful we will begin to be satisfied with "managing" our affairs while giving God a piece, rather than giving God all and letting him manage His Affairs, our affairs are Gods if we belong to him.




The idea of loss, is an easy thing to lose.




If I had a song file, I would insert here,
I will give you all,
I will give you all,
if all is what you ask of me,
I will not withhold,
and if my sacrifice is less,
than giving you my very best,
let me remember calvary cross and be willing to say yes
Moses refused the wealth and prestige of the world and allowed himself to participate in the suffering and scorn of his people.
When we have reached the place of the Rich Man.... in that we consider building bigger barns and speaking peace and rest to our souls... are we not ensnaring ourselves to a camel that cannot get through the eye of the needle. When Jesus spoke of this, it smote the very mindset of being a Jewish person. The disciples cried out, Can anyone be saved? And Jesus said... With me, All things are possible.




I am en devouring to re dig the wells of thought and consecration that started me on this road of ministry, that I may recapture the Spirit of Ministry that I believe I must have.




Counting those things but loss, that I might gain Christ.... Easier said than done...

What If?

What if God couldn't take the time to bless us today because we couldn't take the time to thank Him yesterday?

What if God decided to stop leading us tomorrow because we didn't follow Him today?

What if we never saw another flower bloom because we grumbled when God sent the rain?

What if God didn't walk with us today because we failed to recognize it as His day?

What if God took away his messge because we failed to listen to the messenger?

What if God didn't send His only begotten Son because He wanted us to be prepared to pay the price for sin?

What if the door tof the church was closed because we did not open the door of our heart?

What if God stopped loving a caring for us because we failed to love and care for others?

What if God would not hear us today because we would not listen to him yesterday?

What if God answered our prayers the way we answer His call to service?

What if God met our needs the way we give Him our lives?

God's Coffee

Gentle Reader,

A group of alumni, highly established in their careers, got together to visit their old university professor. Conversation soon turned into complaints about stress in work and life.

Offering his guests coffee, the professor went to the kitchen and returned with a large pot of coffee and an assortment of cups - porcelain, plastic, glass, crystal, some plain looking, some
expensive, some exquisite - telling them to help themselves to the coffee.

When all the students had a cup of coffee in hand, the professor said:

"If you noticed, all the nice looking expensive cups were taken up, leaving behind the plain and cheap ones. While it is normal for you to want only the best for yourselves, that is the source of your problems and stress.

Be assured that the cup itself adds no quality to the coffee. In most cases it is just more expensive and in some cases even hides what we drink.

What all of you really wanted was coffee, not the cup, but you consciously went for the best cups... And then you began eyeing each other's cups.

Now consider this: Life is the coffee; the jobs, money and position in society are the cups. They are just tools to hold and contain Life, and the type of cup we have does not define, nor change the quality of Life we live.

Sometimes, by concentrating only on the cup, we fail to enjoy the coffee God has provided us."

God brews the coffee, not the cups.......... Enjoy your coffee!

"The happiest people don't have the best of everything. They just make the best of everything."


Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly. Leave the rest to God