Mark 5:25-34, records the story of Jesus healing the woman who had an “issue of blood”. Her malady was one of a persistent hemorrhage, probably a “feminine” problem. She had this bleeding disorder for 12 years and had been to see many doctors and spent all her money trying to get a cure and instead of getting better she just got worse… continually worse.
Physically her symptoms would be the symptoms of blood loss anemia; weakness and hypoxia. Emotional symptoms would include depression not only because of her worsening condition but also because under Jewish law she would be “unclean” and anyone who even touched her would be “unclean”… socially stigmatized.
Most people who sought a cure from Jesus would just ask for the cure. Not this woman, she sought anonymity. She didn’t approach Jesus and ask that Jesus cure her feminine hemorrhage. She wanted to “disappear” in the crowd and just touch his shirt or clothing and be cured and not have her identity or her malady revealed. Such was her confidence in Jesus that, just by touching his garment, he could do more than the doctors had done in the past 12 years.
When she touched his garment she immediately ceased to bleed and she “felt in her body that she was healed of her plague”.
Most people who had been healed by Jesus rejoiced and expressed happiness and thanked him. Not this woman, she wanted to remain anonymous. Imagine her surprise and dismay when Jesus turned around and asked, “Who touched my garments?”
In the middle of the crowd the woman who didn't want any attention drawn to herself came forward and knelt down and recited her story in front of everyone. The scripture says she was full of “Fear and trembling” not joy and excitement.
What is to be learned from this? One thing is that not everyone is the same and not everyone expresses joy in the same way.
If I had been healed I probably would have gone around beating my chest and rejoicing and letting everyone know what God had done for me. If it had been Julie she probably would have gone home and in solitude thanked God in prayer. We each express joy and thanksgiving in different ways… that’s OK.
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
A Few Prayer Items
Linda Torno’s uncle passed away.
Vivian Meeker’s son-in-law passed away on Sunday – Darrell Whitely.
Julie Hickman’s mother-in-law is seriously ill with acute leukemia and pneumonia.
Emily Franks is recovering from ear surgery.
Vivian Meeker’s son-in-law passed away on Sunday – Darrell Whitely.
Julie Hickman’s mother-in-law is seriously ill with acute leukemia and pneumonia.
Emily Franks is recovering from ear surgery.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Jesus in Agony
Luke 22:39-46, records the account of Jesus and his disciples on the Mount of Olives just prior to Jesus being betrayed.
When they arrive at the mount, Jesus instructs the disciples to “Pray that ye enter not into temptation”. As they leave the mount he gives them the same instruction, to “Pray that ye enter not into temptation”.
In between these instructions, we see Jesus in “agony” and in need of “strengthening”. In fact his “agony”, which is usually an emotional condition, was so intense that it had a physical effect on him, he “sweated blood”.
Mark’s account said that he was “greatly amazed and sore troubled”. He told his disciples, “My soul is exceeding sorrowful even unto death.”
In this extreme condition, Jesus prayed.
Mark says he prayed this; “Abba Father, all things are possible unto thee; remove this cup from me: howbeit not what I will but what thou wilt.”
Matthew says he prayed this, “My Father if it be possible, let this cup pass away from me: nevertheless, not as I will but as thou wilt.”
“My Father if this cannot pass away, except I drink it, thy will be done.”
Luke records much the same, “Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine be done.”
With these prayers we see the cause of Jesus’ great agony. He was about to experience extreme cruelty and physical pain and he already knew every detail of it and had probably rehearsed the whole scene in his own head many times. In addition, the weight of all of humanities sins would rest upon his shoulders. That was the “cup” he would have to drink.
The solution to this great agony? Prayer. Prayer that God might find another solution and it there was no other solution, prayer that God might strengthen him. Although God did not change his plan he did help… he sent an angel to strengthen Jesus. Jesus left the mount in a state of composure.
I find it interesting that Jesus did not ask the disciples to pray on his behalf. Instead he asked them to pray for themselves that they might not be tempted to sin. How unselfish.
I have a feeling that if the disciples, like Jesus, could have foreseen the events that were about to unfold that they would not be sleeping in the garden but that they would also with great agony and anxiety be praying to God for strength. And perhaps even spare a prayer for the one who would suffer the most… the great and noble Jesus.
When they arrive at the mount, Jesus instructs the disciples to “Pray that ye enter not into temptation”. As they leave the mount he gives them the same instruction, to “Pray that ye enter not into temptation”.
In between these instructions, we see Jesus in “agony” and in need of “strengthening”. In fact his “agony”, which is usually an emotional condition, was so intense that it had a physical effect on him, he “sweated blood”.
Mark’s account said that he was “greatly amazed and sore troubled”. He told his disciples, “My soul is exceeding sorrowful even unto death.”
In this extreme condition, Jesus prayed.
Mark says he prayed this; “Abba Father, all things are possible unto thee; remove this cup from me: howbeit not what I will but what thou wilt.”
Matthew says he prayed this, “My Father if it be possible, let this cup pass away from me: nevertheless, not as I will but as thou wilt.”
“My Father if this cannot pass away, except I drink it, thy will be done.”
Luke records much the same, “Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine be done.”
With these prayers we see the cause of Jesus’ great agony. He was about to experience extreme cruelty and physical pain and he already knew every detail of it and had probably rehearsed the whole scene in his own head many times. In addition, the weight of all of humanities sins would rest upon his shoulders. That was the “cup” he would have to drink.
The solution to this great agony? Prayer. Prayer that God might find another solution and it there was no other solution, prayer that God might strengthen him. Although God did not change his plan he did help… he sent an angel to strengthen Jesus. Jesus left the mount in a state of composure.
I find it interesting that Jesus did not ask the disciples to pray on his behalf. Instead he asked them to pray for themselves that they might not be tempted to sin. How unselfish.
I have a feeling that if the disciples, like Jesus, could have foreseen the events that were about to unfold that they would not be sleeping in the garden but that they would also with great agony and anxiety be praying to God for strength. And perhaps even spare a prayer for the one who would suffer the most… the great and noble Jesus.
Know Your Parkway Members
Here is the Meyr family. From left to right; Matt, Kathy, Stan, Emily and Tyler.
Here is some information Kathy provided for me…
Matthew, 20 years, is finishing up with the Del Mar Fire Academy in May. Emily, 19 years, is looking forward to transferring out to A&M CC and Tyler, 16 years, is anxiously looking forward to finishing another year at Richard Milburn Academy and getting his driver's license. Look out Corpus Christi!
Stanley is becoming an avid farmer(on Farmville in Facebook) and enjoys going hunting (not at the grocery store though) and spending time on the deer lease. I am still working at Driscoll and attending Del Mar in the evenings where my pursuit of higher education may last longer than the Israelites wandered in the wilderness:)
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
A Prayer Request
From Jennifer Nuckles…
Well today my grandma (Mimmie) had emergency surgery and the outcome is not a positive one. Her small intestine was essentially dead and had to be removed, she is showing signs of being septic as well as other issues, low blood pressure, fluid in her lungs, etc. Please continue to pray for my grandma, Mildred Saunders, that she be kept comfortable and if God's will, her health restored. And I would like to request prayers for my family as we deal with this difficult situation, especially my mother Delmagene Storm. My Mimmie has very much enjoyed coming to service with us at Parkway, though not a very outgoing lady, she has appreciated and commented on everyones friendliness.
Well today my grandma (Mimmie) had emergency surgery and the outcome is not a positive one. Her small intestine was essentially dead and had to be removed, she is showing signs of being septic as well as other issues, low blood pressure, fluid in her lungs, etc. Please continue to pray for my grandma, Mildred Saunders, that she be kept comfortable and if God's will, her health restored. And I would like to request prayers for my family as we deal with this difficult situation, especially my mother Delmagene Storm. My Mimmie has very much enjoyed coming to service with us at Parkway, though not a very outgoing lady, she has appreciated and commented on everyones friendliness.
A Few Observations about Demons from Mark 5:1-20
Demons like to be in things. In this account they were in a man but they didn’t mind being in pigs, but pigs were not their first choice.
Which begs the question, why do demons want to be in people? Is it “fun” for them or do they need the relationship to “exist”?
Demons equated being cast out of a human with being “tormented” (v. 7). They didn’t want to be tormented, although that’s exactly what they were doing to the man… tormenting him. Hypocrites.
Demons can recognize deity. They called Jesus by name and correctly identified him as being the Son of God. I’ve got a feeling that everyone, the saved and the lost, will recognize Jesus on the day of judgment.
Demons have personality. Jesus asked their “name”. They can talk.
Even a demon possessed human can “worship” Jesus (v. 6). Worship does not equal spirituality.
The demons gave the man super human strength… he could break “chains and fetters”.
The “unclean” demons wanted to live in the “unclean” pigs. Demons aren’t very picky.
How many demons were in the man? The scriptures say “many”. I know there were enough to put in 2000 pigs. More if they shared a pig.
Are pigs smarter than humans? I don’t know. The pigs did commit suicide when they were inhabited by the demons (unless the demons caused the pigs to commit suicide so that Jesus would be invited to leave their country). The man just continued to live in misery. Which action is smarter? Would God condemn a man who drowned himself rather than live with a demon? I’ll have to think about that.
There aren’t very many places in the scriptures where Satan or his demons negotiate with Jesus, but one other is where Satan tempted Jesus after the 40 days of fasting. In that case Jesus didn’t do anything Satan wanted him to do. In this case Jesus granted the demons their wish.
Physically, the unclean spirits caused the man great pain. Spiritually, the cause of Satan does the same thing to us today… unless we have God’s “clean” Spirit on our side.
Which begs the question, why do demons want to be in people? Is it “fun” for them or do they need the relationship to “exist”?
Demons equated being cast out of a human with being “tormented” (v. 7). They didn’t want to be tormented, although that’s exactly what they were doing to the man… tormenting him. Hypocrites.
Demons can recognize deity. They called Jesus by name and correctly identified him as being the Son of God. I’ve got a feeling that everyone, the saved and the lost, will recognize Jesus on the day of judgment.
Demons have personality. Jesus asked their “name”. They can talk.
Even a demon possessed human can “worship” Jesus (v. 6). Worship does not equal spirituality.
The demons gave the man super human strength… he could break “chains and fetters”.
The “unclean” demons wanted to live in the “unclean” pigs. Demons aren’t very picky.
How many demons were in the man? The scriptures say “many”. I know there were enough to put in 2000 pigs. More if they shared a pig.
Are pigs smarter than humans? I don’t know. The pigs did commit suicide when they were inhabited by the demons (unless the demons caused the pigs to commit suicide so that Jesus would be invited to leave their country). The man just continued to live in misery. Which action is smarter? Would God condemn a man who drowned himself rather than live with a demon? I’ll have to think about that.
There aren’t very many places in the scriptures where Satan or his demons negotiate with Jesus, but one other is where Satan tempted Jesus after the 40 days of fasting. In that case Jesus didn’t do anything Satan wanted him to do. In this case Jesus granted the demons their wish.
Physically, the unclean spirits caused the man great pain. Spiritually, the cause of Satan does the same thing to us today… unless we have God’s “clean” Spirit on our side.
Monday, February 15, 2010
Know Your Parkway Members
Maggie and Manuel Perez
Manuel is a Deacon in the congregation. His responsibilities are maintenance of the classroom building and custodial duties. Maggie is active in our teaching program. In their spare time Manuel likes to do wood working and Maggie works a lot of crossword puzzles, they both enjoy their grandchildren.
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Sunday Evening Schedule
Sunday Evening Series (March - May)
Mar. 7 (Exo 1) God Protects Baby Moses. Raul C.
Mar. 14 (Exo 2) God Prepares Moses to Lead His People. Don
Mar. 21 (Exo 3:1-7:7) God Call's Moses to Deliver Israel. Rob
Mar. 28 (Exo. 7:10-8:32) God Sends Plagues on Egypt. Joey
Apr. 4 (Exo 9 - 10) God Sends More Plagues. Steve
Apr. 11 (Exo 11:1-13:10) God Passes over the Land. Jeff
Apr. 18 (Exo 13:11-14:31) God Delivers His People from Egypt. Shane
Apr. 25 (Exo 15:1-17:7) God Provides for Israel. Walker
May 2 (Exo 17:8-18:27) Moses Judges Israel. Raul C.
May 9 (Exo 19) God Visit's Mt. Sinai. Don
May 16 (Exo 20) God Gives Israel a New Law. Rob
May 23 (Exo 31-34) God Discipline's His People. Joey
May 30 (Exo 35-40) God's Glory Fills the Tabernacle. Steve
Mar. 7 (Exo 1) God Protects Baby Moses. Raul C.
Mar. 14 (Exo 2) God Prepares Moses to Lead His People. Don
Mar. 21 (Exo 3:1-7:7) God Call's Moses to Deliver Israel. Rob
Mar. 28 (Exo. 7:10-8:32) God Sends Plagues on Egypt. Joey
Apr. 4 (Exo 9 - 10) God Sends More Plagues. Steve
Apr. 11 (Exo 11:1-13:10) God Passes over the Land. Jeff
Apr. 18 (Exo 13:11-14:31) God Delivers His People from Egypt. Shane
Apr. 25 (Exo 15:1-17:7) God Provides for Israel. Walker
May 2 (Exo 17:8-18:27) Moses Judges Israel. Raul C.
May 9 (Exo 19) God Visit's Mt. Sinai. Don
May 16 (Exo 20) God Gives Israel a New Law. Rob
May 23 (Exo 31-34) God Discipline's His People. Joey
May 30 (Exo 35-40) God's Glory Fills the Tabernacle. Steve
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
A Few Prayer Requests
From Cindy Smith…
We took Paul to the ER yesterday since he was in much pain. He has an upper respiratory infection and severely strained his oblique muscles on his left side from coughing so much which feels like he broke a rib.
From Donna Morgan…
My mother is going back into the hospital. She didn’t have a very good night, feels dizzy, and her heart rate was down to 40. I’m leaving today for Ponca City, OK to see her.
Please ask everyone to keep us in their prayers, and send special prayers for my mother. She always said her greatest goal was to raise her children to love the Lord. She’s such a very special person.
From Stefanie Franks…
Prayers needed for little Emily. I took her to doctor and she was diagnoses with walking pnuemonia yesterday and then she had 2 asthma attacks last night. We came home from hospital today and she seems to be doing a little better. I followed up with her doc today and her oxygen level a little low but they are letting me treat her at home. We will recheck tomorrow.
From Donna and Chris Morgan…
Please keep Chris’s brother Chuck in your prayers. He’s been in and out of the hospital since October with heart trouble and H1N1 virus. He’s very sick right now. We’re very concerned about him.
From Bonnie Davis…
Gennie Washington. Bonnie Davis’ sister battling cancer and recovering from gall bladder surgery. Please pray.
We took Paul to the ER yesterday since he was in much pain. He has an upper respiratory infection and severely strained his oblique muscles on his left side from coughing so much which feels like he broke a rib.
From Donna Morgan…
My mother is going back into the hospital. She didn’t have a very good night, feels dizzy, and her heart rate was down to 40. I’m leaving today for Ponca City, OK to see her.
Please ask everyone to keep us in their prayers, and send special prayers for my mother. She always said her greatest goal was to raise her children to love the Lord. She’s such a very special person.
From Stefanie Franks…
Prayers needed for little Emily. I took her to doctor and she was diagnoses with walking pnuemonia yesterday and then she had 2 asthma attacks last night. We came home from hospital today and she seems to be doing a little better. I followed up with her doc today and her oxygen level a little low but they are letting me treat her at home. We will recheck tomorrow.
From Donna and Chris Morgan…
Please keep Chris’s brother Chuck in your prayers. He’s been in and out of the hospital since October with heart trouble and H1N1 virus. He’s very sick right now. We’re very concerned about him.
From Bonnie Davis…
Gennie Washington. Bonnie Davis’ sister battling cancer and recovering from gall bladder surgery. Please pray.
Who Wants a Foolish Child?
The first commandment with a promise was to “Honor your father and mother” (Ex. 20:12). The promised blessing was “that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth (Eph. 6:2).
Let me suggest this… it does not come naturally to a child to honor his father and mother… it requires some training.
Proverbs 29:15…
“The rod and reproof give wisdom: but a child left to himself brings his mother shame.”
Children need to be corrected with words (reproof) and punishment (the rod). Do that and the child will become wise… ignore him and he will become a fool and bring shame.
In my business I sometimes see clients bring in Rottweiler or Chow puppies who growl or exhibit other types of aggressive behavior and they think it’s funny. I always counsel them to punish that type of behavior when they are puppies because when they get to be 100 pounds or so… it’s not going to be that funny and chances are they are going to be unable or unwilling to take the measures necessary to correct those behaviors.
That’s true for children too; generally it’s easier to correct a behavior when a kid is little than when he’s a teenager.
Look for opportunities to correct your child and even create opportunities for correction so that your child can honor and respect you and God will make it well with the child and he may live long on the earth.
Who wants a foolish child?
Let me suggest this… it does not come naturally to a child to honor his father and mother… it requires some training.
Proverbs 29:15…
“The rod and reproof give wisdom: but a child left to himself brings his mother shame.”
Children need to be corrected with words (reproof) and punishment (the rod). Do that and the child will become wise… ignore him and he will become a fool and bring shame.
In my business I sometimes see clients bring in Rottweiler or Chow puppies who growl or exhibit other types of aggressive behavior and they think it’s funny. I always counsel them to punish that type of behavior when they are puppies because when they get to be 100 pounds or so… it’s not going to be that funny and chances are they are going to be unable or unwilling to take the measures necessary to correct those behaviors.
That’s true for children too; generally it’s easier to correct a behavior when a kid is little than when he’s a teenager.
Look for opportunities to correct your child and even create opportunities for correction so that your child can honor and respect you and God will make it well with the child and he may live long on the earth.
Who wants a foolish child?
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