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Pray For the Peace of Jerusalem Character Studies From The Bible Peter (The Gospel According to Matthew) 10 Jesus called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out impure spirits and to heal every disease and sickness. 2 These are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon (who is called Peter) and his brother Andrew; James son of Zebedee, and his brother John; 3 Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; 4 Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him. 5 These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions:...

Pray For Our American Heroes and Our Nation Stand Firm Ephesians 3:14-19 “My response is to get down on my knees before the Father, this magnificent Father who parcels out all heaven and earth. I ask him to strengthen you by his Spirit—not a brute strength but a glorious inner strength—that Christ will live in you as you open the door and invite him in. And I ask him that with both feet planted firmly on love, you’ll be able to take in with all followers of Jesus the extravagant dimensions of Christ’s love. Reach out and experience the...

April 14, 2016 Thursday of the Third Week of Easter Reading 1 Acts 8:26-40 The angel of the Lord spoke to Philip,“Get up and head south on the roadthat goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza, the desert route.” So he got up and set out. Now there was an Ethiopian eunuch,a court official of the Candace,that is, the queen of the Ethiopians,in charge of her entire treasury,who had come to Jerusalem to worship, and was returning home.Seated in his chariot, he was reading the prophet Isaiah.The Spirit said to Philip,“Go and join up with that chariot.” Philip ran up...

April 13, 2016 Wednesday of the Third Week of Easter Reading 1 Acts 8:1b-8 There broke out a severe persecution of the Church in Jerusalem,and all were scatteredthroughout the countryside of Judea and Samaria,except the Apostles.Devout men buried Stephen and made a loud lament over him.Saul, meanwhile, was trying to destroy the Church;entering house after house and dragging out men and women,he handed them over for imprisonment. Now those who had been scattered went about preaching the word.Thus Philip went down to the city of Samariaand proclaimed the Christ to them.With one accord, the crowds paid attention to what...

Righteousness lifts up a nation, but sin is a disgrace in any society. . . Let us test and examine our ways, and return to the LORD! (Prov. 14:34; Lam. 3:40) …even now,” declares the LORD, “return to Me with all your heart—with fasting, crying, and mourning.” Joel 2:12

April 12, 2016 Tuesday of the Third Week of Easter Reading 1 Acts 7:51—8:1a Stephen said to the people, the elders, and the scribes:“You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears,you always oppose the Holy Spirit;you are just like your ancestors.Which of the prophets did your ancestors not persecute?They put to death those who foretold the coming of the righteous one,whose betrayers and murderers you have now become.You received the law as transmitted by angels,but you did not observe it.” When they heard this, they were infuriated,and they ground their teeth at him.But Stephen, filled with the Holy Spirit,looked...

Genesis 14:20 Praise be to God Most High, Who Delivered your Enemies into your Hands.

The primary reason for this article is to make those who do not know of the prayers written by Jane Austen. Below are some links to the full text of her prayers. The comments that follow are mere pedestrian commentary and do not hold a candle to the beauty and sublimity of her prayerful words.These prayers were probably written when Jane was a young woman, perhaps even in her teenage years. They are all “night” prayers, said at the end of day before retiring.Decades ago, good catholic elementary school students learned that prayer had four major themes or goals:...

April 11, 2016 Memorial of Saint Stanislaus, Bishop and Martyr Reading 1 Acts 6:8-15 Stephen, filled with grace and power,was working great wonders and signs among the people.Certain members of the so-called Synagogue of Freedmen,Cyreneans, and Alexandrians,and people from Cilicia and Asia,came forward and debated with Stephen,but they could not withstand the wisdom and the Spirit with which he spoke.Then they instigated some men to say,“We have heard him speaking blasphemous wordsagainst Moses and God.”They stirred up the people, the elders, and the scribes,accosted him, seized him,and brought him before the Sanhedrin.They presented false witnesses who testified,“This man never...

April 10, 2016 Third Sunday of Easter Reading 1 Acts 5:27-32, 40b-41 When the captain and the court officers had brought the apostles inand made them stand before the Sanhedrin,the high priest questioned them,“We gave you strict orders, did we not,to stop teaching in that name?Yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teachingand want to bring this man’s blood upon us.”But Peter and the apostles said in reply,“We must obey God rather than men.The God of our ancestors raised Jesus,though you had him killed by hanging him on a tree.God exalted him at his right hand as leader and...

April 9, 2016 Saturday of the Second Week of Easter Reading 1 Acts 6:1-7 As the number of disciples continued to grow,the Hellenists complained against the Hebrewsbecause their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution.So the Twelve called together the community of the disciples and said,“It is not right for us to neglect the word of God to serve at table.Brothers, select from among you seven reputable men,filled with the Spirit and wisdom,whom we shall appoint to this task,whereas we shall devote ourselves to prayerand to the ministry of the word.”The proposal was acceptable to the whole community,so...

When Johnny Comes Marching Home - A Song Of The American Civil War What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? James 4:1 (NIV) ----

April 8, 2016 Friday of the Second Week of Easter Reading 1 Acts 5:34-42 A Pharisee in the Sanhedrin named Gamaliel,a teacher of the law, respected by all the people,stood up, ordered the Apostles to be put outside for a short time,and said to the Sanhedrin, “Fellow children of Israel,be careful what you are about to do to these men.Some time ago, Theudas appeared, claiming to be someone important,and about four hundred men joined him, but he was killed,and all those who were loyal to himwere disbanded and came to nothing.After him came Judas the Galilean at the time...

April 7, 2016 Memorial of Saint John Baptist de la Salle, Priest Reading 1 Acts 5:27-33 When the court officers had brought the Apostles inand made them stand before the Sanhedrin,the high priest questioned them,“We gave you strict orders did we not,to stop teaching in that name.Yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teachingand want to bring this man’s blood upon us.”But Peter and the Apostles said in reply,“We must obey God rather than men. The God of our ancestors raised Jesus,though you had him killed by hanging him on a tree.God exalted him at his right hand as...

A real good man who was on my staff in Iraq, an Iraqi national, left the country recently. He received repeated threats from local Al Qaeda and later ISIS for helping the US Army during OIF. There was always something special about this guy and we shared a bond of friendship that still endures. I believe the Lord put him on my heart for prayer and salvation. He made it to Sweden about eight months ago and is awaiting a ruling for asylum as a refugee. My prayers continued. Today I received what I thought was the answer to that...

April 6, 2016 Wednesday of the Second Week of Easter Reading 1 Acts 5:17-26 The high priest rose up and all his companions,that is, the party of the Sadducees,and, filled with jealousy,laid hands upon the Apostles and put them in the public jail.But during the night, the angel of the Lord opened the doors of the prison,led them out, and said,“Go and take your place in the temple area,and tell the people everything about this life.”When they heard this,they went to the temple early in the morning and taught.When the high priest and his companions arrived,they convened the Sanhedrin,the...

April 5, 2016 Tuesday of the Second Week of Easter Reading 1 Acts 4:32-37 The community of believers was of one heart and mind,and no one claimed that any of his possessions was his own,but they had everything in common.With great power the Apostles bore witnessto the resurrection of the Lord Jesus,and great favor was accorded them all.There was no needy person among them,for those who owned property or houses would sell them,bring the proceeds of the sale,and put them at the feet of the Apostles,and they were distributed to each according to need. Thus Joseph, also named by...