Thoughts on Luke - Day 30

                                                 Luke 7:18-28

 John’s disciples told him about all these things. Calling two of them, ¹⁹ he sent them to the Lord to ask, “Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?”
²⁰ When the men came to Jesus, they said, “John the Baptist sent us to you to ask, ‘Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?’”
²¹ At that very time Jesus cured many who had diseases, sicknesses and evil spirits, and gave sight to many who were blind. ²² So he replied to the messengers, “Go back and report to John what you have seen and heard: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor. ²³ Blessed is anyone who does not stumble on account of me.”
²⁴ After John’s messengers left, Jesus began to speak to the crowd about John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed swayed by the wind? ²⁵ If not, what did you go out to see? A man dressed in fine clothes? No, those who wear expensive clothes and indulge in luxury are in palaces. ²⁶ But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. ²⁷ This is the one about whom it is written:

“‘I will send my messenger ahead of you,
    who will prepare your way before you.’

²⁸ I tell you, among those born of women there is no one greater than John; yet the one who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.”

 

       Doubt. I guess it's normal. The greatest man ever - John the Baptist had doubts. I don't think I have struggled with this much. I believe the Bible is true and have based my life on its truths. True confession is that I do doubt that when I pray, God will intervene. How many people have I prayed for dying of cancer that God has healed? Maybe zero? Yet I do pray because I am commanded to and I know without a shadow of doubt that there is a God in Heaven, seated to the left of Jesus, who hears my prayers and is able to heal - I just doubt He will. That is the doubt I wrestle with. But to doubt, like John, that Jesus was and is the Son of God, always shocks me somewhat. What caused that?

 

      Maybe the thing that caused it was difficult circumstances. John was arrested, languishing in prison for calling a sin a sin, and not knowing his future, sensing his purpose for life was over, and maybe like a child actor - wrestling with the fact that he was no longer relevant or desired, or esteemed. Besides that, this person Jesus, who was doing all these mighty deeds like even raising the dead, can't get His main man and cousin out of jail? Maybe He really isn't who I thought He was.  I think this may be why Jesus says that people fall away on account of Him - He doesn't act like we think He should. He doesn't heal the people we think He should. He lets the "innocent" suffer. He doesn't stop natural disasters. He doesn't deliver us from what we are going through. He just doesn't act like we think God should act sometimes. (thankfully or we would all go to Hell) It could be that the reason I haven't experienced these kind of doubts in my life is that I have lived a charmed life. I have never been in John's sandals.

     What is the cure for doubt? I see 2 things. First and foremost the word of God. Jesus quotes scripture and says basically that when the Messiah comes, these miraculous events will identify Him and these events are indeed happening. Maybe you are having doubts because you are filling your mind with secular thinking rather than Biblical thinking. When is the last time that you got into God's word and soaked it in. Col. 2:8 TLB says
 "Don’t let others spoil your faith and joy with their philosophies, their wrong and shallow answers built on men’s thoughts and ideas, instead of on what Christ has said."
This verse says that if you are struggling with your faith, maybe you are spending too much time filling your mind with the empty philosophies of this world. We should rather fill our minds with the words of Christ. Let God's words lift you and build you up. Let Him encourage you.

      The second cure for doubt is to surround yourself with fellow believers. When doubting, John called for his boys to share with him the words of Christ. Maybe you are doubting because you aren't spending time in fellowship or if you are having fellowship, it isn't the kind that occasionally talks about spiritual things. I've had a lot of football watching parties at my house with friends from church, but I'm not sure any of them had a time where we brought Christ into the mix. I'm not saying that is bad, I'm just saying that my faith wasn't strengthened by those parties. The number one faith strengthening exercise - go out witnessing with a brother or sister.

      Lord, thank You for the hope, which is confident assurance, that You have given me that You are who You said You were, that You have saved me, and that You are coming back for me. Help me to encourage others with this hope. Amen

Thoughts on Luke - Day 29

                                                    Luke 7:11-17
Soon afterward, Jesus went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a large crowd went along with him. ¹² As he approached the town gate, a dead person was being carried out—the only son of his mother, and she was a widow. And a large crowd from the town was with her. ¹³ When the Lord saw her, his heart went out to her and he said, “Don’t cry.”
¹⁴ Then he went up and touched the bier they were carrying him on, and the bearers stood still. He said, “Young man, I say to you, get up!” ¹⁵ The dead man sat up and began to talk, and Jesus gave him back to his mother.
¹⁶ They were all filled with awe and praised God. “A great prophet has appeared among us,” they said. “God has come to help his people.” ¹⁷ This news about Jesus spread throughout Judea and the surrounding country.

     I once heard a pastor give a challenge to name the 7 times people rose from the dead in the Bible. Here is one in Luke 7. Jesus resurrecting is an obvious 2. Lazarus in John 11 is 3. Both Elijah and Elisha rose children from the dead in 1 Kings 17:22 and 2 Kings 4:32-35 - that's 4&5. We will get to the 6th account in Luke 8 with Jairus' daughter. The last (although I would argue that Paul was dead and came back to life after being stoned and Eutychus who fell asleep and fell out a window was dead and brought back to life by Paul) is an obscure episode in 2Kings 13:21 where a dead man was thrown into Elisha's tomb and came back to life on touching his bones.

     The point is that God wants to make it perfectly clear to us that He has power over death. Death is not the end. If it were, we would be without hope like the widow in this passage who lost her only child... until Christ steps into the scene. Despite our momentary grief here, Jesus offers life beyond the grave! How can He do that - because He is God. The people missed the point and called Him a great prophet. If He was a great prophet like most unbelievers claim He is, He could not raise the dead or if he could, he could not promise life beyond the grave. He could not say, "I am the resurrection and the Life, he that believes in me, though he be dead, yet shall he live - and whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die." God is telling us over and over again that death is no big deal. It is nothing to fear. God has power over death. God has defeated the grave.

    How should that effect us? In this passage I see 3 things - shocker! First of all it says "don't cry". The greek word implies inconsolable wailing without hope. When you look at how this word is used throughout the New Testament, it relates to those who are living for this world. When Jesus weeps in John 11:35, it is a different word. It means shedding tears. As Christians we shed remorseful, compassionate, heart - wounded tears but as Paul would say, we don't grieve like those who have no hope. I read a story about a media crew that went into a town to interview the family members of 10 people who, because they were Christians, were removed from a town and beheaded by ISIS. To the shock of the media, there was no anger, wailing, vengeful accusations, but rather joy that their loved ones had stood the test without failing and now were seated with Christ in Heaven. This can only happen because Christ has power over death.

     Secondly, Christ interrupted their procession. Have you ever been in a Church service or a meeting where someone stands up unexpectedly and interrupts the program. It is memorable and always dumbfounding. The other night on Dancing With the Stars, some hecklers came out of the stands to insult and confront Ryan Lochte for his lying in the Olympics. It was fascinating seeing the reaction of people when the scripted became interrupted by an unexpected person asserting their agenda. Christ comes into our routine, mundane, scripted, lives, often in the midst of tragedies, weeping, humbling, hopeless circumstances and begs to be reckoned with. He says, "This procession through life and death here on Earth is not what you were made for. You were made for eternity and I am here to give you life if you break free and follow me." The question is, will you stop, turn the other direction (repentance) and follow Him? He can give you eternal life because He has power over death.

      Lastly, when the man came alive, he talked. When the people saw it, they talked. If Christ really conquered the grave, this is something to talk about. It is an issue that everyone thinks about because God has set eternity in the hearts of man. We who know Christ, have the secret that defeats death. If I had the cure for cancer and kept it a secret, what kind of person would I be - the worst sort of monster. Yet we as believers hide this truth for fear of rejection or mocking. Shame on us. Talk about it. Christ has conquered death and the grave!

     Lord, thank You that I am going to live forever. Thank You for a life of hope. Thank You far a life without fear. Help me to share this good news with other people. Amen

Thoughts On Luke - Day 28

                                            Luke 7:1-10

When Jesus had finished saying all this to the people who were listening, he entered Capernaum. ² There a centurion’s servant, whom his master valued highly, was sick and about to die. ³ The centurion heard of Jesus and sent some elders of the Jews to him, asking him to come and heal his servant. ⁴ When they came to Jesus, they pleaded earnestly with him, “This man deserves to have you do this, ⁵ because he loves our nation and has built our synagogue.” ⁶ So Jesus went with them.
He was not far from the house when the centurion sent friends to say to him: “Lord, don’t trouble yourself, for I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. ⁷ That is why I did not even consider myself worthy to come to you. But say the word, and my servant will be healed. ⁸ For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”
⁹ When Jesus heard this, he was amazed at him, and turning to the crowd following him, he said, “I tell you, I have not found such great faith even in Israel.” ¹⁰ Then the men who had been sent returned to the house and found the servant well.

      Wouldn't you want to hear Jesus say of you, "Here is a woman or man of great faith"? Like Job being singled out, "Consider my servant Job." Like Daniel being told by an angel, "You are highly esteemed." Unfortunately, most of us are more concerned with being highly esteemed or being "considered" here on Earth. Heavenly praise is something we want to hear when it is all over. It's not tops on our priority list now. You can see in this passage the earthly perspective by what was said about him by the elders of the Jews. They said that he deserved healing because he is a friend to the nation of Israel and if not for him, the synagogue would not even have been built. These were good and commendable things, I'm not knocking that. I, myself have won several humanitarian awards which I am extremely grateful for and honored that people think that highly of me.

     But what does God think of me - that is the question that matters. We had just seen in chapter 6 where Jesus says, "woe unto you when all men speak highly of you because that's what they did with the false prophets." What did Jesus think of the centurion? He thought that he had the greatest faith that He had seen to this point. What was so great about this faith and how can I have it? I want it more than anything! First of all his faith enabled him to see people from a divine perspective. Here he was a Roman leader of many men and very important in the world's eyes. Yet he was traumatized by the illness of his servant. He treated the Jewish people with respect and honor while most Romans despised them. And he considered a young Jewish rabbi, Jesus, as so much better than him, that he didn't even deserve to come into his presence. I've got to ask myself, as a doctor, who is respected for the most part in the community, with wealth, people under me - do I consider myself better than other people? Or do I look at everyone as equally valuable in the eyes of God and equally loved? Am I tainted by earthly ranking of importance or do I view people with heavenly eyes. A mind directed by, or eyes that see from a Heavenly view of things is the first step to great faith.

    Secondly, something we just discussed in our last blog - putting ourselves under the authority of Jesus, making Him our Lord, recognizing that He is our master and submission to Him is the other prerequisite of great faith. Technically this is probably point "B" of the first point because a heavenly view of the world not only affects our view of people, status, worth, importance, but it also should affect our view of who is running our life. Are we in control or is God in control? Do we answer to ourselves and "always be true to yourself" or do we answer to a God who made us and owns us? How we see those things determines our faith. The centurion saw himself under the authority of Jesus. He saw sickness, disease, life, death under the authority of Jesus. Do I see everything that happens to me, whether good or bad, as something that God is in control of? Do I rest in that and find comfort in that or do I fret, get angry, anxious, depressed, proud, conceited, etc. in response to the good and bad in my life. Does God get the glory regardless in my life - in your life. That is great faith.

      For further reading on great faith look to Hebrews 11 and the beginning of 12 and end of 10 and count the illustrations of faith that related to looking to or fixing their minds on heavenly things rather than earthly things. I count 7. How many do you see?

      Lord, fix my eyes on You today. Let me live for eternity. Increase my faith!
             Turn your eyes upon Jesus
              Look full in His wonderful face
             And the things of Earth will grow strangely dim
             In the light of His glory and grace.

Thoughts From Luke - Day 27

                                        Luke 6:46-49

Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say? ⁴⁷ As for everyone who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice, I will show you what they are like. ⁴⁸ They are like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built. ⁴⁹ But the one who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete.”

        Here in the Bible Belt, you can ask anyone, "Have you been saved?" or "Are you a Christian?", and 9 times out of 10 you will get a "Yes" response because they have had ample opportunities to pray the prayer at Sunday School, VBS, Music Camp, Summer Camp, Backyard Bible Clubs, etc. However, when you look at their behavior, as I discussed fruit inspecting - not judging- in the previous passage, they aren't any different from the rest of the world. What happened in their salvation experience? I think this passage addresses it somewhat.

       First of all, they never called Him Lord. (vs.46) What is a "Lord"? It is a master - it is someone who you are under their authority or responsible to. It is someone who determines how you live your life that day and throughout the course of your life. It is like a slave master only Jesus is the kind of master who cares for His servants and loves them so much that they willingly give up their freedom and become bond-servants.(Ex.21). Somehow, with the gospel we present in the Bible Belt, people get the impression that salvation is saying a prayer, which gets you a "Get out of Hell Free" card, and then you go back to living your life occasionally incorporating God into it on a Sunday morning if nothing else is going on. There is no surrender, no obedience, no change of behavior, just a date written in a Bible. Nothing could be further from the truth. Salvation means there is a new sheriff in town and you have become the deputy, Barney.

     Secondly, Jesus says, "everyone who comes to me". Salvation is relational. The closest it gets to that for most people in the Bible Belt is a memorized prayer at supper or bed time once you have children. Where as point one on its own can come across as rules, religion, legalism, point two clarifies that and says we obey because we love Him. How do we get to love Him? How did you get to love your spouse? By spending time with him (her). At first you were infatuated but the more you got to know your spouse, the deeper your love became. My wife and I often laugh when we look back 35 years to when we were married and think about how little we knew each other at the time we said "I do". Salvation takes you from the point of infatuation with God - you were moved in a moment to go forward , to a love relationship with the Living God who walks with you, talks with you, instructs you, weeps with you, picks you up, directs you - basically He becomes Who you live for. (John 6:68)

     Lastly, it is necessary to dig down deep. A changed life with a new master who we willingly serve and obey out of a love relationship, doesn't happen without digging deep. I am often amazed at how many lives are changed by something like Bible Study Fellowship, or home group Bible studies, verses Sunday School or attending Church, revivals, crusades, etc. Why the difference? Bible studies are causing you to dig deep - to get into the Word yourself and hear from the Holy Spirit. They allow you to hear the voice of God speak to you personally rather than being spoon fed in an audience of hundreds. These quiet times don't disappoint. The Word of God does not return void. It is how you get to know God.

      When the storms of life come, a life surrendered to, in love with, and built up on The Rock withstands. It doesn't get divorces. It doesn't require nerve or anti-depression medication. It produces Godly children. It gives away wealth rather than hoards. Are you the house on the rock or the house on the sand? Get off the sand - get on the Rock.

Thoughts From Luke - Day 26

                                                 Luke 6:37-45
“Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. ³⁸ Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”
³⁹ He also told them this parable: “Can the blind lead the blind? Will they not both fall into a pit? ⁴⁰ The student is not above the teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like their teacher.
⁴¹ “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? ⁴² How can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when you yourself fail to see the plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.
⁴³ “No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. ⁴⁴ Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thornbushes, or grapes from briers. ⁴⁵ A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.


        What is a judge? Isn't it someone who observes actions, evidence, data and compares it to a standard and then decides the fate of the person on display? I'm pretty sure that's what judge Judy does. I'm pretty sure that's what Olympic diving or skating judges do. So how does this relate to us as Christians? Why are we told not to judge?

         We all, whether we are saved or unsaved, are in God's courtroom. We are not judges - He is. We do not figure out or declare someone's fate - God does. However we are told to be fruit inspectors in verses 43-45. We can tell by people's actions and words whether they are following God or not - whether they are being good or evil. Our job is in humility to come alongside them and offer encouragement, warning, help to them almost with tears in our eyes, fearing for their eternal future. While doing this, we could ask for their help to keep us accountable in areas we are struggling.

       The fact is that we as the church do have an enormously big plank in our eye. We have a divorce rate similar to the world's. We have 70% of youth leaving the church when they go to college. We have teens getting pregnant and getting abortions. We have pastors of mega churches having heterosexual and homosexual affairs. We give unbelievers lots of ammunition against us.

       Rather than speaking out against things like homosexuality, lets volunteer at AIDS clinics. Lets give money to AIDS research. Lets give post-abortion counseling, support groups for drug and alcohol addiction. Let's feed the hungry, house the homeless, help immigrants whether legal or illegal, fight racism. Lets be known for that. Lets be known for what we are for, rather than what we are against. Will people then love us and accept our message? No. But at least they will be ashamed when they call us judgmental.

      Lord, help me not to be judgmental. I have certainly been accused of this probably because of the way I distance myself from people. Help me to genuinely care and love people so I can get into their lives and we can help each other, not judge each other. Amen

Thoughts From Luke - Day 25

                                              Luke 6:27-36

“But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, ²⁸ bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. ²⁹ If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn to them the other also. If someone takes your coat, do not withhold your shirt from them. ³⁰ Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. ³¹ Do to others as you would have them do to you.
³² “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. ³³ And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that. ³⁴ And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, expecting to be repaid in full. ³⁵ But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. ³⁶ Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.

      How do we shine in a dark world? How do we look different than the rest of the world? The Bible gives us some different ways so the one I'm giving today isn't exclusive but the one in this passage is pretty powerful. Ready? Here it goes - How do you respond to people that dump on you?

     This happens all the time, doesn't it. It happened to me a bunch this weekend. In the context of this passage it refers to enemies mistreating you, and mine certainly weren't enemies, but, yes, I got dumped on and I didn't always pass the tests. The latest incident was at 11PM last night when I was called in to the ER to see a patient in writhing pain with a large dermoid ovarian cyst. The thing about dermoids is that they are there for years. They don't acutely happen like most cysts and sometimes they twist and cause pain. Another doctor in town saw her 4 years ago and even though the CT scan showed this cyst, he told her he couldn't find it and she was fine. So now, since I am on call, I get to come in and handle the problem when I should be sleeping, on a patient without healthcare insurance so I won't get paid anything. How did I respond? Part good - part bad. The good was that I really wasn't visibly upset, I got to pray with the patient, I got to talk to one of the nurses about Jesus - a little, I was kind to the OR staff and prayed before I operated... so it was good. The bad was I made sure the significant other knew the other doctor should have taken care of this in 2011. So close to handling things well yet so far away.

      Then there was another case similar to the above except the patient wasn't kind, was demanding, didn't have health insurance, was on suboxone for narcotic maintenance, has hepatitis C so I could get it if I poked myself with a needle - and I had to take care of her because my partner who has operated on her in the past was out of town. I operated on her, fixed her, and she left angry that we weren't keeping her in the hospital on IV morphine and sending her home with hydros instead of Roxicet. She was going to go to a hospital that doesn't treat people like s###. My response to her - well, I didn't pray with her. I didn't kill her with kindness. I bad mouthed her behind her back. How was I different than any other unbeliever in the world? How did I shine? Not at all.

      Then I got a call on my cell phone at 1230AM from a patient who went to my partner with previous pregnancies but since has been using a midwife. The midwife told her she was going to have a miscarriage, gave her medicine to help it happen and when it did she came into the ER, saw a huge crowd and long wait and called me to see if I could get her seen quicker. I could have (should have) come in and helped her out but at 1230AM for someone who had rejected us, all I could do was muster a call to the front desk asking them to move her up. It didn't work. She waited 2 1/2 hours.

     Before you judge me, which I fully deserve BTW, how do you respond when someone at work calls in "sick" on your day off and you have to come in to work? How do you act when someone at work always gets spring break week off so you have to work while your kids are out of school? How do you act when someone cuts in front of you driving? How about you are waiting in line at a grocery store and they open a new line and even though you were there much longer, everyone cuts in front. I was at Weigels the other day and there were two cashiers so there was kind of a middle line waiting for the first available, when someone just stood in line behind a person checking out bypassing the long center line. Maybe at work you feel you are the one always taking out the garbage, closing up, cleaning up messes, etc. People are constantly dumping on you. How do you respond? If you respond well it will distinguish you as a unique follower of Christ. You will shine. People will see the difference. It will give you an opportunity to share Christ with them. Let's do this - you and me! My new T-shirt slogan - Dump On Me!

        Lord, help me to enjoy being dumped on, knowing that it is an opportunity to die to self and distinguish myself as a follower of Christ. This is not in me at all - I need your help! Amen

Thoughts From Luke - Day 24

                           Luke 6:17-26

He went down with them and stood on a level place. A large crowd of his disciples was there and a great number of people from all over Judea, from Jerusalem, and from the coastal region around Tyre and Sidon, ¹⁸ who had come to hear him and to be healed of their diseases. Those troubled by impure spirits were cured, ¹⁹ and the people all tried to touch him, because power was coming from him and healing them all.
²⁰ Looking at his disciples, he said:

“Blessed are you who are poor,
    for yours is the kingdom of God.
²¹ Blessed are you who hunger now,
    for you will be satisfied.
Blessed are you who weep now,
    for you will laugh.
²² Blessed are you when people hate you,
    when they exclude you and insult you
    and reject your name as evil,
        because of the Son of Man.

²³ “Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven. For that is how their ancestors treated the prophets.

²⁴ “But woe to you who are rich,
    for you have already received your comfort.
²⁵ Woe to you who are well fed now,
    for you will go hungry.
Woe to you who laugh now,
    for you will mourn and weep.
²⁶ Woe to you when everyone speaks well of you,
    for that is how their ancestors treated the false prophets.

 

      Jesus has just picked his 12 disciples and he is going to start giving them some heads up on what they are in for. First of all he says that they are going to be poor. As opposed to those that have everything on this planet and are so comfortable that they don't need Jesus and don't live for eternity, the disciples will have nothing. They won't have a home, they will share all money, they won't carry a suitcase, but that is okay because when this life is over they will have access to everything in Heaven and direct access to the King not only then, but now. Makes me ask myself, how much effort am I putting into making money versus getting to know God and using the money to make a difference eternally? That is so much better than being rich now. I think of the old song by Jim Reeves, I'd Rather Have Jesus...

 

I'd rather have Jesus than silver or gold,
I'd rather be His than have riches untold;
I'd rather have Jesus than houses or land,
Yes, I'd rather be led by His nail-pierced hand.

Than to be the king of a vast domain
And be held in sin's dread sway
I'd rather have Jesus than anything
This world affords today.

 

       Secondly, Jesus says that they are going to be hungry. I think we forget this aspect of discipleship. They didn't have a home, they had little money.. where would they get food? They were at the mercy of people's generosity to feed them. Their very existence would rely on people being kind to them. How humbling is that? How scary is that? Next time you see someone needing food, think of the disciples. If you feed them picture feeding the disciples. I know exactly where my next meal is coming from and I need to miss a few. Jesus tells the disciples, "I'm going to build your faith and trust by depending on me for your very existence." I remember my last mission trip to Honduras, I packed so much food for myself that I didn't finish it all.

 

      Third, Jesus says that they are going to weep now and laugh later as opposed to those who are laughing now and weeping later. Jesus was a "man of sorrows, acquainted with grief". What does that mean? I think we get some insight from early in the passage when we see the crowds coming. They were there because of desperation. Things weren't going well in their lives. They had diseases, they were demon possessed and were so desperate that they pushed through the crowd just to maybe touch Him. Where were all the other people? They were relaxing at home, eating, partying, laughing, oblivious both to the pain of people all around them and the presence of God just minutes away from them close enough to touch. I think Jesus is telling the disciples, your life is from now on going to be consumed with needy people. Like the dementors on Harry Potter, they are going to suck you dry. But be of good cheer because there is a party waiting for you at the end that is beyond imagination and well worth the wait.

     Lastly He tells them that people are going to dislike them, speak badly of them, exclude them, mock them and we see that today. We claim to know the truth and that there is Truth out there. There is one way to get to God and people need to come to Jesus to be saved. No matter how we try to sugar coat it or be winsome, intellectual, accepting, non-exclusive, the fact of the matter is that mankind is sinful, separated from God and on their way to Hell unless they repent and call on God for mercy. That is an offensive, narrow message and if you believe that, you can forget ever winning a popularity contest no matter how hard you try. Jesus told the disciples, you picked the losing team - that is if the score was finalized here on Earth. You are on the winning team actually but you don't win till you die. How's that for a pep talk? The rest of the song goes...

I'd rather have Jesus than worldly applause,
I'd rather be faithful to His dear cause;
I'd rather have Jesus than worldwide fame,
I'd rather be true to His holy name.
Than to be the king of a vast domain
And be held in sin's dread sway
I'd rather have Jesus than anything
This world affords today...

   Is this true of you? Is it true of me?

 

 

Milwaukee Brewers Top Prospects 2017

                                 Milwaukee Brewers Top Prospects 2017

   Here are my list of top prospects for the Milwaukee Brewers based on 2016 stats. I haven't seen most of them play, so these are based simply on the line stats on MiLB.com. I apologize to all those statistic geeks who know so much more than me. I'm old school and still think RBIs are good and K's are bad. Haha .I will list my best per position and try to come up with a 25 man roster. 

 

 

 

SP

 

 This has been a tough year for my future hopes for starting pitchers/ long relievers. Only 1 of 9 of my 2016 picks has panned out, that being Josh Hader. I hadn't included Zach Davies because I already considered him a major leaguer and Junior Guerra caught me totally by surprise. The biggest disappointment of the year has to be Jorge Lopez although I did mention that his AA year last year came out of nowhere so in the financial field, they would call 2016 a "correction". Jorge Ortega also lost ground and Bubba Derby proved to have inflated trade numbers as did Willingham, although what can you tell from Colorado Springs numbers. So here goes with the rest.

 

Johan Dominguez - 20y/o 6'4" RH from DSL  2.78ERA 58IP  37H .180AVG. First year in the minors. My DSL hope for last year was Benoit and he stunk this year although he was in Helena so who knows? I'm pretty sure, the good Dominican players can have their choice of teams to sign with and they aren't picking Milwaukee. Have we produced a major leaguer from the DSL? I don't think so. What a waste of money, but need a presence there.

Corbin Burnes - 21y/o RH Low A 2.02 ERA AVG. .181 35IP 41K  4th Round draft pick from St. Mary's

Brandon Woodruff 23 y/o RH AA 2.68 ERA 159 IP 173K AVG. .209 WHIP 1.02  Probably our minor league pitcher of the year

Marcos Diplan 19 y/o RH at Low A 1.80 ERA AVG. .191 70IP 89K  Didn't make a great transition to High A but at 19, we will cut him some slack

Josh Hader  22y/o RH at AAA 3.29ERA (Colorado Springs is not friendly) 126IP 161K


RP

Alberto Paulino 25y/o DSL ERA 0.38  AVG. .193 WHIP 0.97   Obvious red flags are 25y/o and first year of professional ball and only 23IP. But hey, Dennis Quaid and the rookie? Junior Guerra and the Brewers?

Wilson Adams 22y/o RH ROK 2.16 ERA AVG. .205  WHIP .80  25IP 1BB 23K

Aaron Myers 23 y/o RH High ROK  1.65 ERA AVG. .160 WHIP .78 49IP/62K

Colton Cross 23 y/o RH High ROK  1.90ERA  AVG.195 WHIP 1.05 9 saves

Nate Griep  22y/o Low A RH 2.02 ERA Avg. 209 WHIP 1.04 23 saves

Stephen Kohlscheel 27 y/o RH AA 2.54 ERA  AVG. .225 49IP 67K 23 saves

I'm still hoping Daniel Missaki acquired in the Adam Lind trade, will come back strong from his Tommy John surgery.

Inf

 1B - Gabriel Garcia 18y/o RH  at ROK .300/.393/.500

         Ronnie Gideon 21 y/o RH at High ROK  .315/.365/.625/.994 16HR in abbreviated season but 60K also.

2B - Trey York  22y/o RH  at High A .289/.393/.407  15SB/1CS

3B Lucas Erceg 21 y/o LH Low A .327/.376/.518 9HR 51 RBI  2nd round pick. My minor league hitter of the year.

      Weston Wilson 21 y/o RH at High ROK  .326/.399/.513

SS  Isan Diaz 20 y/o RH Low A .264/.358/.469 20HR 75 RBI 148K, unfortunately but 72BB. Much better second half so hopefully adjusting well at 20y/o

     Mauricio Dubon  22y/o RH AA  .339/.371/.538/.909  Great trade!

C  This is where we are really weak. We shouldn't have traded Lucroy without an answer here. I'm sure they were hoping Nottingham would be our future but he struggled at AA.
   Maybe Carlos Leal, who missed all of 2016 can come back strong?

     Mitch Ghelfi  23 y/o SH High A  .303/.356/.408 Listed as a catcher but I'm not sure he is projected as one.

OF  OK, this is where we are really weak. Remember Tyrone Taylor, Victor Roach, Logan Schaefer, Caleb Gindl, Mitch Haniger, etc. Haniger we swapped basically for Davies and had success at AAA and got promoted to Arizona with minimal success. But the rest of those guys never panned out. I'm sure Corey Ray is a big hope but c'mon .315 at Louisville with aluminum bat? I'm sure Louisville had a few patsies on their schedule too. Trent Clark, Monte Harrison didn't progress this year. And Phillips - wow is he overrated!

Clint Coulter - Career minor leaguer at age 23 put himself back on the radar with an undeserved promotion to AA and surprisingly hit .330/.378/.440 in 27 games. Due to our lack of OF prospects, he makes the list

Kyle Wren 25 y/o LH AAA .322/.410/.412 GREAT OBP. Compares favorably to Elmore. (That puts things in reality doesn't it?)

Lewis Brinson 22 y/o RH AAA traded to Brewers from Texas to Colorado springs where he went from .237/.280/.431 to .388/.393/.635/ 1.029 in 22 games which makes me leery yet optimistic


That makes 22 prospects. The other 3 could be filled in with any combination of Ortiz, Perrin, Leal, Missaki, Clark, Ray Yamoto, Grist, Orf, Burgos, Demuth, Cooper, Segovia, Olczak, Cordell. When you look at the guys that have changed this organization - Braun, Fielder, Yount, Molitor, Sheets, Gallardo, Higuera, Lucroy -  I don't see those guys in our minors. I predict years of misery. Go Brewers!!

Thoughts from Luke - Day 23

                                              Luke 6:12-16
 One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God. ¹³ When morning came, he called his disciples to him and chose twelve of them, whom he also designated apostles: ¹⁴ Simon (whom he named Peter), his brother Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, ¹⁵ Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Simon who was called the Zealot, ¹⁶ Judas son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.

      Don't you wish you were there and your name was on that list? It is sort of like trying out for a team and the coach lists on the wall the dozen who made the team. Or, you are on the bachelor and you are one of 12 to get a rose. Or you are at a reverse raffle for $10,000 and you are in the final 12 whose number hasn't been picked. Ummm, no. This isn't quite like that. I mean, yes, in a sense it is if they could see far into the future.

The wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. Rev. 21:14   In the New Jerusalem, the apostles names are engraved on the walls of the city. How cool is that. It's like having a street sign or a building named after you - only better!

Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. Matt. 19:28 In the distant future, the disciples would be honored with thrones and leadership positions. It's like, "when I become president, you will be secretary of defense, you will be secretary of state,..."

      However, in the immediate, which is all what we live for and in, unfortunately, here is what it meant. "I am calling you 12 to leave everything you have for the rest of your life and die for me. Peter, you will leave your wife and kids and be whipped many times, live in fear for your life, and eventually be caught and crucified upside down. John, you will be boiled in oil but that won't kill you so you will live the rest of your life exiled on an island living in a cave. James, have you seen those videos of ISIS beheadings? Yah, unfortunately that's your future. Matthew, you are going to Africa and someone is going to stab you and you will die. Bartholomew, you are going to be flayed to death with a whip in Turkey. Sorry about that. Thomas, you are going to be speared to death in India. Remember those holes in my side you wanted to feel? Yep, you will have one of those. Andrew, you are going to be whipped and then crucified on an "X" shaped cross in Greece and Matthias, I know you are a second choice so your death will be quick - you will be stoned to death and then be beheaded post - mortem."

     Obviously, I'm putting words in Jesus' mouth which is not what I should ever do, but you get the point. These men were called to die. Yet when we are called to follow Christ we see a blessed life from then on. The fact of the matter is that quite often, we prove the validity of the gospel in how we deal with adversity, with suffering, with death. These men proved the truth of the resurrection because they never denied it even at the cost of their lives. The call to Christ is twofold - come and dine (Rev.19:1-10) and come and die. You can't have the first without the second. Have you counted the cost? Or are you about ready to give it up because things aren't a picnic like you thought they would be when you came to Christ? If so, you heard the wrong call.

      Lord, It's easy to forget that we were called to die to ourselves and expect to be on top both here and in Heaven. Thank you for the great cloud of witnesses who went before us and didn't back down even though it cost them their lives. With that example and the power of the Holy spirit help me to live a sold - out life for You. Amen