The Way, the Truth, and the Life His Holy Word Blog 2023

[Boston Red Sox]

Finally, the season starts today! As bad as waiting for Christmas when I was young! But it's here and we are primed for another great year in this great league. And as years past, I commence my daily Holy Word blog. Hopefully daily, with a minimal amount of double headers. Each week I will have a theme. And each day will have a piece of related scripture from the Message Bible. This week: prayer! We all need to do it everyday. Make it your daily bookends. Start your day and finish it by talking to the Great I Am! Best of luck to you all! 

[Boston Red Sox]

Day One Week One;

Becoming a Christian is as simple as "A' "B" "C." 1) Admit you are a sinner. We all are. 20 Believe that Jesus Christ is who He said He was: the Son of God, who died for our sins. 3) Commit to following his ways. Easy peasy? Not at all, but it's a process, not a light switch. You'll have good days and not so good ones. Keep at it and He will see you through.

Message Bible: John 14:6 "Jesus said, "I am the Road, also the Truth, also the Life. No one gets to the Father apart from me."

[Boston Red Sox]

Day 2 Week 1

I start my day the same way most (I rarely miss, but it happens during unusual circumstances) days. 6:00 AM "Hark the Herald Angels Sing" is our wake-up tune. 6:05 cross the house to my office. Face/teeth, pants, turn on my computer. Cross to kitchen, put the cat's food out on the porch. Back to the bedroom 6:08 pick out a T-shirt (maybe 50 different Pelican shirts) then let the "Sheila" dog out of her crate, greet her in the living room, let her out back to do her necessaries. Then greet Sheila #1 (wife Nancy) who is now up. Fix her coffee or tea. Back to my office to check my email and the results of yesterday's fantasy results. By then it's 6:45 and the Sheila dog is reminding me it's time for her walk. She is VERY punctual. Shoes on, phone, check the radar to see if we have any approaching storms. Umbrella if necessary, poop bag, hat, and then we are ready to head out the door. This routine is locked in. And is probably similar to lots of other opening moments. But as soon as we leave the house, the important part begins.
And again, this is always the same. Talk to the Man. "Good Morning, God. Thank you for this day, for this life, for this world. For this God-stuffed world, for this God-stuffed life. I come thirsty, Lord. I come to drink and receive. I receive the work Your Son did on the Cross, and in His resurrection, my sins are forgiven, and my death is defeated. I receive your energy. Empowered by Your Holy Spirit, I can do all things through Chris who strengthens me. I receive Your Lordship. I belong to You. There is nothing I've gotten in my life that hasn't come from You. And I receive Your Love. Nothing can separate me from Your Love and Amazing Grace. (Sung) Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound, to save a wretch like me. I once was lost, but now I'm found. Was blind but now I see my chains are gone, I've been set free. My God, my Savior has ransomed me. And like a flood, His mercy rains, unfailing Love, Amazing Grace. This little light of mine, I'm going to let it shine, this little light of mine, I'm going to let it shine. This little light of mine, I'm going to let it shine, let it shine, let it shine, let it shine." And that is my opener. From there I list all the people in my life. As I walk along with Sheila in the morning darkness, we go about a mile. Before I get home, I've lifted up all my family, friends, and those in special need of prayer. The Pelicans are last, then myself (nobody needs it more than me) followed by my dog, Sheila, the cat, Kastor, and all Your Blue jays. Keep them all healthy and safe. I ask all these things in the name of Your Precious Son, my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen" All in all it takes about 30 minutes. And when I'm done, I'm ready to meet the day. This may be a little TMI for some of you, but let me encourage you, to start your day in prayer.

Message Bible: 1 Chronicles 16:11 " Study God and his strength, seek his presence day and night."

[Boston Red Sox]

Day 3 Wk 1

Prayer is like anything good for you. Make it habitual. They don't have to be long or flowery. A simple "Jesus, I need you" will do nicely and takes no preparation. And truth be told, they don't even need to be out loud. He knows what you're thinking. Think about Him.

Message Bible: 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 16 Be cheerful no matter what;
17 pray all the time; 18 thank God no matter what happens. This is the way God wants you who belong to Christ Jesus to live.

[Boston Red Sox]

Day 4 Wk 1

We live in an age of high anxiety. Everywhere you go you meet people on the edge. Unsure of what to do, or when to do it. They will talk to you constantly seeking your advice. My advice is always the same. Let go and let God. It's what He wants most. To be relied upon. Called upon. Trusted. When you are lost He will find you. Seek Him out in prayer. And when things get confusing, recite this.

Message Bible: Philippians 4:6 "Don't fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns."

[Boston Red Sox]

Day 5 Wk 1

A father knows what a child needs without the child having to ask. Those of us who have children will concur. The father also knows that it is his power to do what the child asks of him. And he wants to be asked. He wants to hear the voice of his child and hear their deep dependency. This is how it is with earthly fathers, so it is also with our Heavenly Father.

Message Bible: Matthew 7: 7-11 "7 "Don't bargain with God. Be direct. Ask for what you need.
8 This isn't a cat-and-mouse, hide-and-seek game we're in.
9 If your child asks for bread, do you trick him with sawdust?
10 If he asks for fish, do you scare him with a live snake on his plate?
11 As bad as you are, you wouldn't think of such a thing. You're at least decent to your own children. So don't you think the God who conceived you in love will be even better?"

[Boston Red Sox]

Day 6 Wk 1

We are instructed to pray. Steadfast prayer relates to persistence and perseverance in prayer. Too often we give up or become discouraged when God doesn’t answer our prayer the way we think He should or as quickly as we want Him to. I learned a long time ago that God answers all prayer. He answers all prayer and He answers our prayers in one of four ways:

1. He sometimes answers directly our prayers. Those we remember. Wow! I prayed and He answered!

2. He often delays in answering our prayers. Still praying, Lord. Are you listening?

3. Because God is sovereign He occasionally answers our prayers differently. You have to always remember: His ways are higher than our ways. He knows what He's doing and why. We rarely do. Dumber than dirt. That's us.

4. And He sometimes denies our prayers. We don’t always get what we want. Because we often don't know what we need. Sometimes the answer is just a simple "No." But don't stop. And pray for everything.

Message Bible: Mark 11:24 "That's why I urge you to pray for absolutely everything, ranging from small to large. Include everything as you embrace this God-life, and you'll get God's everything."

[Boston Red Sox]

Day 7 Wk 1

Many Christians experience problems with the discipline of prayer. They reason that if God is omniscient, it's not necessary. He knows what I need and will provide it or not. What's the point? The point is a relationship. He's not a genie. He's your Hevenly Father. Be personal with Him. It's what He wants. Talk. He listens.

Message Bible: Jeremiah 33:3 "Call to me and I will answer you. I'll tell you marvelous and wondrous things that you could never figure out on your own."

[Boston Red Sox]

Day 8 Wk 1

When everything seems to be going wrong, refuse to get discouraged. Remember: our God is a God of surprises. He is not limited by the way things are or by the paltry possibilities that we can see. He is infinitely creative and powerful. With God all things are possible. The longer you wait for your prayers to be answered the closer you are to a breakthrough. Meanwhile, waiting for Him, aware of His loving presence is a blessed way to live.

Message Bible: Lamentations 3:25-26 "God proves to be good to the man who passionately waits, to the woman who diligently seeks.
It's a good thing to quietly hope, quietly hope for help from God."

[Boston Red Sox]

Day 9 Wk 1

Here's the thing. We only need to do two things: 1) Trust 2) Obey. Trust that He knows what He's doing and that He has our best interests at heart. He loves us beyond measure. Obey by following His word. Read it. Daily. When you are feeling weighed down by your circumstances, change your perspective from looking at your problems to looking up to Him. Muster the courage to pray "Lord, I humble myself under Your mighty hand." Trust that He will lift you up and relieve your difficulties in His perfect, wisely appointed time.

Message Bible: Ephesians 6:18 "In the same way, prayer is essential in this ongoing warfare. Pray hard and long. Pray for your brothers and sisters. Keep your eyes open. Keep each other's spirits up so that no one falls behind or drops out."

[Boston Red Sox]

Day 10 Wk 1

Often people will conclude their prayer (me included) with "In the name of Jesus Christ, my Lord and Savior." People have taken the hint in John 14 "And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.” Some misapply this verse, thinking that saying “in Jesus’ name” at the end of a prayer results in God’s always granting what is asked for. This is essentially treating the words “in Jesus’ name” as a magic formula. This is absolutely unbiblical. Praying in Jesus’ name means praying with His authority and asking God the Father to act upon our prayers because we come in the name of His Son, Jesus. Praying in Jesus’ name means the same thing as praying according to the will of God.
It is not the words in the prayer that matter, but the purpose behind the prayer. Praying for things that are in agreement with God’s will is the essence of praying in Jesus’ name.

Message Bible: 1 Peter 3:12 "God looks on all this with approval, listening and responding well to what he's asked; But he turns his back on those who do evil things."

[Boston Red Sox]

Day 11 Wk 1

Today is very appropriately a triple sticks day - 11/1 - Father, Son, Holy Ghost. He is risen! He is risen, indeed! Having spent my life in the theater, it is easy for me to imaginatively transport myself through time and space to witness the six ladies (Joanna (wife of Chuza, Mary Magdalene, Mary (mother of Jesus, widow of Joseph of Nazareth), Mary (mother of James and Joses/Joseph), Mary (wife of Clopas), and Salome (mother of James and John) approaching the tomb with their burial spices intent on dressing Jesus' body. They must have discussed on the way over how they planned on persuading the guards to allow this. I'm sure Mary Magalene had planned on using her alure. But as they approach, no guards in sight. Moreover, the gigantic stone covering the tomb had been rolled away. What courage it must have taken to enter the tomb, but it was why they had come, so they did. And inside...it was empty. Minds racing, tongues conjuring possibilities. And then....they must have beamed in... two angels with the truth. Just as He promised. He had risen! The women raced back to the disciples who were all in hiding, and they, of course, didn't believe them.

Message Bible: Luke 24" 1-11 "1 At the crack of dawn on Sunday, the women came to the tomb carrying the burial spices they had prepared. 2 They found the entrance stone rolled back from the tomb,
3 so they walked in. But once inside, they couldn't find the body of the Master Jesus.
4 They were puzzled, wondering what to make of this. Then, out of nowhere it seemed, two men, light cascading over them, stood there. 5 The women were awestruck and bowed down in worship. The men said, "Why are you looking for the Living One in a cemetery?
6 He is not here, but raised up. Remember how he told you when you were still back in Galilee
7 that he had to be handed over to sinners, be killed on a cross, and in three days rise up?"
8 Then they remembered Jesus' words.
9 They left the tomb and broke the news of all this to the Eleven and the rest.
10 Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them kept telling these things to the apostles,
11 but the apostles didn't believe a word of it, thought they were making it all up."

DON'T BE LIKE THE APOSTLES! BELIEVE!! HAVE A GREAT, GLORIUS EASTER. TELL EVERYONE! HE HAS RISEN!

[Boston Red Sox]

Day 12 Week 2

One week down and only 18 more weeks to go until the playoffs begin on August 21. Twenty teams started off with high expectations for a perfect season and already all but nine teams have had those hopes dashed. Tied for first place in order of Points For (PF) Royals (14), Padres (13.5), Dodgers/White Sox (13), Cubs (11), Mets (9), Cards (8), Giants/Astros (7.5) Tied for tenth place with the season's first "sister kiss." Braves/Mariners (7) Everybody else took the big "L" and you know who you are. And I am 100% certain they are all planning on rebounding in week two climbing to that lofty .500! Squeakers of the week: a tie: Giants hung on by tying the Astros in "Ks" at 19 a piece. One more K for the Yankees and they would have "Kissed the Sister" and the Astros squeaked by the Marlins by a single SV. All together now: "Oh, the humanity!" Stat leaders for week 1: Hrs - Mariners (23) Runs - Padres (66) RBI - Mariners (67) SB - Diamondbacks (11) AVG - Cubs (.312) K's- Padres (115) ERA - White Sox (.208) WHIP - White Sox (1.103) (the new stat for this year) W+QS - Padres (15) SVh - Royals (16) Key matchups this week: The Undefeateds: Mets/Padres, Dodgers/Royals. Somebodies will be disappointed. You have to hope your team will continue with their winning ways, or find that first "W" My poor Bosox, after a promising Spring totally forgot where they put their bats. No fewer than eight starters BELOW the Mendoza line. Are you kidding me? That is some stinky cheese. I hope they find them this week. There: I Wrote it again. "Hope." Gotta be this week's focus.

Message Bible: Psalm 42:5 "5 Why are you down in the dumps, dear soul? Why are you crying the blues? Fix my eyes on God - soon I'll be praising again. He puts a smile on my face. He's my God."

[Boston Red Sox]

Day 13 Week 2

Hope is for dopes? Nah. Where my hope stems is from remembering Who is driving the bus. What gives me the most hope every day is God's grace; knowing that His grace is going to give me the strength for whatever I face, knowing that nothing is a surprise to God.

Message Bible: Jeremiah 29:11 "I know what I'm doing. I have it all planned out - plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for."

[Boston Red Sox]

Day 14 Week 2

Hope is an active verb. It is not a passive noun. Go after hope. Seek it out and it will accompany you during your day, week, month, year, life.

Message Bible: Jeremiah 29:13 "When you come looking for me, you'll find me."