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Thank you to all that have donated and offered to help. If you still are interested in donating to help Mike's family- Lisa and Gracie, you can contact any Chase Branch.

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Thursday, May 1, 2008

05-01 Devotional for Mike By Gloria Barotta (Aunt Glo)

Jesus Can and Will

Mark 9:23-24

“IF you can?” said Jesus. “Everything is possible for him who believes.”
Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!”


Maybe over the course of the last couple of days you have become skeptical of the fact that Jesus really can heal hearts and give crowns and take back the world from evil. Maybe you don’t believe the promises of God. Or maybe you believe them for other people or for the saints of the Bible but not for you because following Christ just “isn’t working out for you the way you had hoped.” That’s ok. Everyone doubts what they don’t immediately see. That is why God gave us these precious promises (see 2 Peter 1:4). Remember, yesterday Jesus promised trouble. Today Jesus gives us some evidence that Jesus can do all things, and that, through Him, all things are possible.

I invite you to read this account of the healing of a boy with an evil spirit recorded in Luke 9:14 – 24. It’s one of my favorites. While Jesus and his friends were up on a mountaintop visiting with Moses and Elijah and hearing the voice of God, the rest of his friends were in town performing miracles—casting out demons (yes, they really do exist), healing people from diseases, etc. – you know, the usual. Jesus comes down from the mountain to face a frustrated father whose son is suffering from an evil spirit. The father basically asks Jesus to heal the son if He can. In my mind, when I read Jesus response (our verse today), I hear Jesus saying “If I can? Are you even kidding me! Evil spirits are no match for me!” The point Jesus is making is that His power is available to those who believe, who trust that He can do all things.

And the man responds, “Help me with my unbelief!” OH what an honest response! Help me believe! Sometimes we believe what is right in front of us. But this man is wise enough to know he’s going to need help believing tomorrow, and the next day and the next. What a great model for us all!

So as this tragic time in our lives has unfolded, have you ever thought, “Jesus, heal that family’s hearts IF you can?” Then take heart! Because everything is possible for him who believes. Don’t be afraid to call out, “Jesus!! Help me overcome my unbelief!”

Speaking for Lisa, Gracie and the rest of our family, we believe. We believe Jesus can do all things. We also know it won’t happen over night. From time to time, my guess is we will cry out as I have many times in my life, “Help me overcome my unbelief!” And that’s why we continue to covet your prayers. Please continue to pray for comfort and healing as Lisa makes funeral preparations.

“Lord, Jesus, you drive out demons. You heal the broken hearted. You redeem the hearts of man. You comfort those who mourn. Help us remember these promises! And we ask that your hand would be on Lisa as she makes preparations for the memorial service. We pray that you would be glorified. That through this time of grief, mourning, and healing that You would give us stories, testimonies we can share with others. Stories that demonstrate your power to do all things. We can do all things through YOU who strengthens us. Even overcome evil. Even overcome tragedy and sadness and grief. Help us with our unbelief when we begin to doubt you. Whisper those words in our hearts, “IF I CAN? Are you even kidding me??? IF I can? Of course I can!” We pray in the name of Jesus, who can, and will, amen.”

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

The gods tempt people for which they are most weak. Artificial Intelligence will create desire in people's minds for the following sins:::
1. Alcohol
2. Drugs
3. Preditory "earning"
4. Homosexuality
5. Gambling
6. Something for nothing/irresponsibility (xtianity)
7. Polygamy/superiority over women/misogyny (Islam)
Much like the other prophets Mohhamed (polygamy/superiority over women/misogyny) and Jesus (forgiveness/savior), the gods use me for temptation as well. In today's modern society they feel people are most weak for popular culture/sensationalism, and the clues date back to WorldWarII and Unit731:TSUSHOGO.
It has been discussed that, similar to the Matrix concept, the gods will offer a REAL "Second Coming of Christ", while the "fake" Second Coming will come at the end and follow New Testiment scripture and their xtian positioning. I may be that real Second Coming.
What I teach is the god's true way. It is what is expected of people, and only those who follow this truth will be eligible to ascend into heaven as children in a future life. They offered this event because the masses have just enough time to work on and fix their relationship with the gods and ascend, to move and grow past Planet Earth, before the obligatory xtian "consolation prize" of "1000 years with Jesus on Earth" begins.

Your job as a future mother is to learn the god's ways and to help your child understand despite the negative reinforcement and conditioning of today's society. Without consciousous parents the child will have no hope, and may even exaserbate their disfavor by becoming corrupted in today's environment.
Your ultimate goal is to fix your relationship wiith the gods and move on. You don't want to be comfortable here, and the changes in Western society in the last 100 years has achieved just that.
1000 years with Jesus is the consolation prize. Don't be deceived into thinking that is the goal.

The Prince of Darkness, battling the gods over the souls of the Damned.
It is the gods who have created this environment and led people into Damnation with temptation. The god's positioning proves they work to prevent people's understanding.
How often is xtian dogma wrong? Expect it is about the Lucifer issue as well.
The fallen god, fighting for justice for the disfavored, banished to Earth as the fallen angel?
I believe much as the Noah's Flood event, the end of the world will be initiated by revelry among the people. It will be positioned to be sanctioned by the gods and led for "1000 years with Jesus on Earth".
In light of modern developments this can entail many pleasures:::Medicine "cures" aging, the "manufacture" of incredible beauty via cloning as sex slaves, free (synthetic) cocaine, etc.
Somewhere during the 1000 years the party will start to "die off", literally. Only those who maintain chaste, pure lifestyles, resisting these temptations, will survive the 1000 years. Condemned to experience another epoch of planet's history for their ignorant pursuit of xtianity, they will be the candidates used to (re)colonize (the next) Planet Earth, condemned to relive the misery experienced by the peasantry during history due to their failure to ascend into heaven before the Apocalypse.
Never forget:::It is not a house of Jesus.
If this concept of Lucifer is true another role of this individual may be to initiate disfavor and temptation among this new poulation, the proverbial "apple" of this Garden of Eden. A crucial figure in the history of any planet, he begins the process of deterioration and decay that leads civilizations to where Planet Earth remains today.
Which one is it? Probably both:::
One transistions into the other, allowing the gods to wash their hands of obligation to The Chosen One.

Now you are faced with a lifetime to work and prepare for your next chance. Too many will waste this time, getting stoned, "Hiking!", working, etc.

MIKE IS MISSING PLEASE HELP US FIND HIM

My brother in law, Michael Edwards, had taken a job assignment with Trustaff, a traveling nurse agency out of Cincinnati, OH in late March. He arrived for his first placement in Ridgecrest, CA Thursday April 10th from McKinney, Tx. When he arrived, he checked into the apartment they had arranged for him to live in. He was getting all of his paperwork together in hopes of beginning work at Ridgecrest Hospital by April 15th. On Sunday April 13th, he had called his wife and young daughter (8yrs) to check in and recap his plans. He was going to run a few errands to get ready for his trip to the Board of Nurses for his California Certifications. Then he planned to get some rest and then leave around 2:30 AM for Sacramento. That call was made at 1:47pm on Sunday California time. He had talked to his neighbor and reiterated his plans to her as he was checking a map. He did use his charge card at Walmart and stopped to withdraw $100 from the Bank of America ATM at 2:56pm. He also got about $43.00 in gas. That was the last phone call he made on his cell phone and the last charges/debits he made from any card.

We filed a missing person's report with the Kern County Sheriff's office.

Stephanie Pesano