Saturday, May 3, 2014

Turning Tasteless Water into Timeless Wine of Gladness

 
 
At 9:00 a.m. (CST) every Shabbat (Saturday, in Greek and American vernacular) Bruce and I watch the internet television show "Dinosauers and Creation" - on God's Learning Channel - with Dr. John Pendleton, a chemist. At the end of his show -- in which he refutes Evolution using Biblical examples in Creation -- he does a "magic" trick. This morning's "trick" utilized three water glasses. Picture three water glasses on a kitchen counter; the one in the middle is empty, the two on each end are full of clear water. When Dr. Pendleton poured the glass of water on the right  into the middle empty glass, the poured water turned rosy red!(which reminds me of the punchline to an old joke.."well, how do it know," but I digress.)  
 
 
Dr. Pendleton explained that this "magic" was a chemical solution he placed into the empty water glass which caused the clear water to turn rosy red. But he didn't stop there! He poured the clear water from the glass on the left into the rosy red water, and the water became clear again. Huh? It's a chemical reaction.
Suddenly, the Holy Spirit imparted to me that this is what happens when we ask Jesus, Yeshua, into our hearts and lives. Omigosh, can you hear me shout??? WOW!!! Here is His example from The Book of John 2 come to life (if you'll pardon the pun.)! Yeshua takes the old, tasteless, dull, lifeless water of our lives (in the spiritual sense) and pours Himself into our 'empty' vessels.  He changes our spiritually lifeless life into a life filled with the wine of gladness! We can then serve others with this wine of gladness!!! It's a spiritually 'chemical reaction.'
 
In 1987, when I received Jesus into my life, I attended one of Christian singer/songwriter, Michael Card's, classes at The Koinonia Bookstore and Fellowship Hall in Nashville. Michael's class was "Christ and the Creative Process." As a brand new Christian, I was introduced to a plethora of new (to me) authors: Dietrich Bonhoeffer and his book The Cost of Discipleship (hence, Eric Metaxas' New York Times Best-Seller, Bonhoeffer) Dorothy Sayres (The Mind of the Maker) C.S. Lewis (Mere Christianity.....) and others. 
 
Jesus turned the lifeless water of my life into this wine of gladness. And my cup runneth over to this day!
 
Below is a link to Michael Card's song The Wedding. Check it out! You'll be glad you did.
 
 

Passover April 12, 2014


Friends, Don't ask me why we didn't include the word "presents" under Messiah Songs Ministries. We looked at it so many times we didn't 'see' it. But I digress...

     Bruce and I were invited to conduct a Passover Seder at First Baptist Church Donelson, April 12, 2014. It was a privilege to show -- through the Passover Seder -- the order through which the Holy Spirit reveals Jesus,Yeshua (His Hebrew name) --  and how He brought us (ALL of us - John 3:16;Galatians 3:13) out of bondage and slavery to a cruel pharoah in Egypt (symbolizing this sin-filled world into which we're born because of the sin (nature) of Adam and Eve, our first parents. Selah. We had close to one-hundred people in attendance. It was good to see old friends and make new friends. It was a blessing to share our Passover music!

Please scroll back through my previous interesting, informative blog entries and read about the wonderful way God, the Creator of the universe, shows us Jesus the living Torah. (Zephaniah 3:17.) I share a delicous assortment of Passover foods and recipes for foodies. Praying, Shabbat Shalom (Sabbath Peace) be unto you.