A while ago I came across this wonderful prayer for Jerusalem.  I didn't write this but I use it to pray for Jerusalem from time to time. 

Psalms 122:6 says: "Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee."  Though the Jewish people, rejected Jesus as the Messiah, they are still God's chosen people.  There are those, as in Jesus time on earth, that have accepted the Lord as their personal savior but many more are not convinced that he has already come and will be coming again very soon.  We that know the truth need to pray for the Jewish people and love them as God loves them.  Just click the link below and you can also use the same prayer I use when I pray for Jerusalem.  According to Psalms 122:6, God has promised to prosper those that also love his people.

A PRAYER FOR THE PEACE OF JERUSALEM

Pistachio Ice Cream is one of my favorite things.  It's creamy, nutty and kinda buttery. It's the sort of ice-cream which you should try to eat on its own, without any toppings. Just a small serving, and take your time. Its flavour is both rich and delicate, and you don't want extra toppings to interfere with that.  On the rare occasions that I indulge myself and have a treat I get Pistachio Ice Cream on a sugar cone.  As far as tasty treats go, this one is hard to beat!

My Favorite Person is Christ

I thought it went without saying that my favorite person in all existence is Christ Jesus.  But I was with someone recently who spoke something that should have been so obvious was inappropriate.  To me it should have gone without saying for them not to say what they did.  But for some reason, in their mind, it wasn’t obvious.  That got me thinking  that maybe it wasn’t obvious to others where I stand on my favorite person.  So I wanted to make it perfectly clear today that my favorite person is Jesus.

Why is Jesus my favorite person?  Well for far too many reasons for me  to mention here.  Nevertheless I will mention a few reasons why Jesus is my favorite.  Let me start with the fact that he loved me.  And because he loved me he devised a way to save me from an eternity in hell and the lake of fire.  Even though that remedy necessitated the need for him to step into his creation and become a man himself, die a horrendous death on the cross, go to hell, then ascend back to heaven, he did all that for me.  He not only took my sins away, he actually became sin for me on the cross, that I might become the righteousness of God in him. 

He’s my favorite person because he looked past all my faults and saw my needs.  So many of us will see a person’s faults and decide ‘well your just too much for me’ and leave them to their devices.  But Jesus is acutely aware of all my faults, even now, and yet decided, he could still love me and save me and use me for his glory.  That is a lesson for all of us by the way.  The person we choose to throw away just might become the person that saves the day.  That one we find unredeemable may one day become one of God’s greatest soldiers in the army of the Lord. 

Think about the people who were so unlikely equipped or opposed to Jesus who became great ambassadors for Christ; Peter, an uneducated fisherman, Matthew, a tax collector, James, Jesus own brother who didn’t believe he was the Messiah until after his resurrection, and Saul, whom we have come to know as the Apostle Paul, who once persecuted the church of Christ, but became God’s ambassador to the Gentiles.

Mostly, I love the Lord and deem him my favorite person because of my relationship with him today.  Our relationship over these forty-plus years has had it’s ups and downs, but through it all, I’ve learned that I can trust him with my heart, my money, and my entire life.  He’s proven to me that his word is true, his motives are pure, his gifts and callings are without repentance (Rom 11:29).  He has shown me what it means to be a friend, and how I ought to love others as he has loved me. 

But mostly, He has completely overhauled my life.  I can’t even explain to you how selfish I used to be.  I was the only one I cared about.  Every decision I made revolved around how it would benefit me.  But Jesus changed all that.  I actually give away my time and money to help others now.  And that’s not me tooting my own horn, that’s me bragging on Jesus and the tremendous changes he’s made in me.  It was him that gave me a heart to care and do something about the good and welfare of others.

There is nothing about my old life that I miss.  I count it all lost for the excellency of my life in Christ Jesus today.  And that is why Christ Jesus, my Lord and Savior, is my most favorite person.

Indianapolis is where I call home these days.  And this is one of my favorite places to visit.  The Canal Walk.

I find it very peaceful and it inspires my artistic nerve as well.  It's a great place to 'people watch' or just sit and think.  There are shops and museums nearby.  You can also rent boats and bikes to further explore the canal. 

If you are ever in town drop by, you just might see me enjoying the view.

What can I say about Denver?

I can say it’s one of my favorite places.  How can you look at those beautiful mountains and still deny there is a God?  In my youth climbing the mountains was one of my favorite things to do.  I was about 12 then so I had endless energy.  Pikes Peak and Garden of the Gods completely satisfied my sense of adventure.  But if hiking the hills just isn’t your thing you can check out the Art Museum, Union Station, the Botanic Gardens, or the Zoo.  There is something for everyone in Denver.

I Like Kites

The kite was said to be the invention of the famous 5th century BC Chinese philosophers Mozi and Lu Ban. By 549 AD, paper kites were being flown — in that year a paper kite was used as a message for a rescue mission.

But when I was 11 years old I didn’t know anything about Mozi and Lu Ban, I just liked getting my kite in the air and keeping it flying in the sky longer than my friends.  For some reason I was great at flying my kite.  Just seeing it waving and dancing in the air against the background of the sky, the sun, or clouds was fascinating to me. 

When I got older, kites got fancier but I was still pretty good at flying them.  It was great exercise all that running around in the park.  I haven’t done it for a while, but yes I still have my favorite kite. 

I think there are more people who are enjoying flying their drones around these days.  Maybe one day I’ll buy one of those.  But in the meantime It makes me happy just thinking about my beautiful kite in the sky.

Voting  

It's  one of my favorite things.  Did you vote in this election?  I hope so.  I am glad to live in a country where we have the opportunity to elect the people who will govern and represent our country every four years.  And what an election this has become.  Thanks to all of you who participated in the process.  And I pray that during the next four years we will draw closer as a nation, and exhibit love and respect toward our fellow citizens.