Traveling with a Special Needs Child

This article infuriates me on so many levels.

A couple of years ago we had a similar experience, though not as bad. Still irks me!

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Did the TSA Harrass Us Because of Our Special Needs Son?
by Marla Murasko

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/marla-murasko/did-the-tsa-harrass-us-because-of-our-special-needs-son_b_3085495.html

3D Printing of Human Tissue

This is amazing stuff, and it appears to bypass the ethical and theological issues raised through alternative methods.

"Oxford University researchers create new 3D printed 'soft material' that could replace human tissue" http://feedly.com/k/YAHXkr

Why do You Seek the Living Among the Dead? HE IS RISEN!

What a glorious morning to celebrate the Event which changed the course of all history for all people for all time!

CHRIST IS RISEN! HE IS RISEN INDEED! ALLELUIA!

The death of Jesus meant forgiveness of all my sins, reconciling me to God.

The resurrection of Jesus means I get to live in that restored and reconciled relationship for all eternity!

CHRIST IS RISEN! HE IS RISEN INDEED! ALLELUIA!

That means that all the fifth and muck no longer dirty me. It means all the disobedience and shame no longer hold me. It means that all the schemes of my flesh and the Devil no longer rule over me!

CHRIST IS RISEN! HE IS RISEN INDEED! ALLELUIA!

What joy! What victory! What relief!

All my hardships, heartaches, and haughtiness are no longer counted against me!

CHRIST IS RISEN! HE IS RISEN INDEED! ALLELUIA!

My pains are only for a time. My struggles are only temporary. My worries are only fleeting.

CHRIST IS RISEN! HE IS RISEN INDEED! ALLELUIA!

Now is the time to stop "looking for the living among the dead." It's time to stop giving credence to the accusations of the Devil. It's time to stop believing our sins and struggles are bigger than His victory, won this Day for us!

CHRIST IS RISEN! HE IS RISEN INDEED! ALLELUIA!

I praise You, Lord; now and forever!

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Luke 24

Happy Birthday, Son!

Happy 14th birthday (in a half hour) to my amazing son, Daniel!
I am so proud of the young Christian man you are!
I love you more than you know.
Love always,
Dad

I Tremble

Good Friday is one of my favorite worship services of the year. I'm not saying I "enjoy" it, but it so moving and focuses me on My Lord and His Passion more than any other service. It reminds me of the cost of my sins and the tragedy those sins cause. It reminds me that alienation from God (in sin, hypocrisy, apathy, disobedience, etc.) is ugly. It's painful. It's downright horrific.

And yet in the crys of pain and suffering; amidst the blood, sweat, and tears; within the thunder, ripping of curtains, and the quaking of the earth; beyond the darkness and death; there is the stillness of His heart, not in death, but in eternal, unfathomable love. For me!

Though the year I forget that level of sacrifice and love. I forget the enormity of the Day that changed history. I lose sight of the paradox of God dying because of a love for sinners.

"Were you there when they cricified my Lord? Oh, sometimes it causes me to tremble."

The fact is, I was there. The fact is, I am there.

When I sin, I place myself at that Day of Death. When I stumble in following the Lord, it lays me at His proped up, bloodied feet.

I tremble.

I tremble.

Lord, let Sunday come quickley. I need You. I love You. I want only You.

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ISAIAH 53

¹ Who has believed what he has heard from us? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? ² For he grew up before him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground; he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him. ³ He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. ⁴ Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. ⁵ But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. ⁶ All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. ⁷ He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth. ⁸ By oppression and judgment he was taken away; and as for his generation, who considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of my people? ⁹ And they made his grave with the wicked and with a rich man in his death, although he had done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth. ¹⁰ Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for guilt, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the Lord shall prosper in his hand. ¹¹ Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities. ¹² Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors.

PSALM 22

¹ My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning? ² O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer, and by night, but I find no rest. ³ Yet you are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel. ⁴ In you our fathers trusted; they trusted, and you delivered them. ⁵ To you they cried and were rescued; in you they trusted and were not put to shame. ⁶ But I am a worm and not a man, scorned by mankind and despised by the people. ⁷ All who see me mock me; they make mouths at me; they wag their heads; ⁸ “He trusts in the Lord; let him deliver him; let him rescue him, for he delights in him!” ⁹ Yet you are he who took me from the womb; you made me trust you at my mother’s breasts. ¹⁰ On you was I cast from my birth, and from my mother’s womb you have been my God. ¹¹ Be not far from me, for trouble is near, and there is none to help. ¹² Many bulls encompass me; strong bulls of Bashan surround me; ¹³ they open wide their mouths at me, like a ravening and roaring lion. ¹⁴ I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint; my heart is like wax; it is melted within my breast; ¹⁵ my strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to my jaws; you lay me in the dust of death. ¹⁶ For dogs encompass me; a company of evildoers encircles me; they have pierced my hands and feet— ¹⁷ I can count all my bones— they stare and gloat over me; ¹⁸ they divide my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots. ¹⁹ But you, O Lord, do not be far off! O you my help, come quickly to my aid! ²⁰ Deliver my soul from the sword, my precious life from the power of the dog! ²¹ Save me from the mouth of the lion! You have rescued me from the horns of the wild oxen! ²² I will tell of your name to my brothers; in the midst of the congregation I will praise you: ²³ You who fear the Lord, praise him! All you offspring of Jacob, glorify him, and stand in awe of him, all you offspring of Israel! ²⁴ For he has not despised or abhorred the affliction of the afflicted, and he has not hidden his face from him, but has heard, when he cried to him. ²⁵ From you comes my praise in the great congregation; my vows I will perform before those who fear him. ²⁶ The afflicted shall eat and be satisfied; those who seek him shall praise the Lord! May your hearts live forever! ²⁷ All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the Lord, and all the families of the nations shall worship before you. ²⁸ For kingship belongs to the Lord, and he rules over the nations. ²⁹ All the prosperous of the earth eat and worship; before him shall bow all who go down to the dust, even the one who could not keep himself alive. ³⁰ Posterity shall serve him; it shall be told of the Lord to the coming generation; ³¹ they shall come and proclaim his righteousness to a people yet unborn, that he has done it.

Thank You, precious Savior.

Thank You.

A Worthy Manner for a Worthy Matter

For Maundy/Holy Thursday - Part III

1 Corinthians 11:23-29
"27 Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord. 28 Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. 29 For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself."

Tonight is Daniel's first communion after the congregational Seder Meal.

When I was the primary confirmation teacher, I would teach my students these six questions because of the tremendous blessings and import of this amazing, Sacred Meal.

1. Do I believe in the Triune God?
2. Have I sinned?
3. Do I repent?
4. Do I trust in the atoning sacrifice of Jesus for the forgiveness of my sins and for eternal life?
5. Do I promise that I will amend my sinful life, with the help of the Holy Spirit?
6. Do I trust by faith that in the Sacrament I am receiving the very Body and Blood of Jesus Christ?

These are not exactly the ones I learned from my pastor, nor are they identical to the ones I know other pastors teach or use. But I have found them helpful and I hope you do, too.

May your day be richly blessed!

Take: This is My Body; This is My Blood

For Maundy/Holy Thursday - Part II

Mark 14:12–26 (ESV)
12 And on the first day of Unleavened Bread, when they sacrificed the Passover lamb…16 the disciples set out and went to the city and…they prepared the Passover. 17 And when it was evening, he came with the twelve. 18 And as they were reclining at table and eating…22 And as they were eating, he took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to them, and said, “Take; this is my body.” 23 And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, and they all drank of it. 24 And he said to them, “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many. 25 Truly, I say to you, I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.” 26 And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.

Blessed Are You If You Do These Things

For Maundy/Holy Thursday - Part I

John 13:3–5, 12–17 (ESV)

³ Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going back to God, ⁴ rose from supper. He laid aside his outer garments, and taking a towel, tied it around his waist. ⁵ Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around him.

¹² When he had washed their feet and put on his outer garments and resumed his place, he said to them, “Do you understand what I have done to you? ¹³ You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am. ¹⁴ If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. ¹⁵ For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you. ¹⁶ Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. ¹⁷ If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.

PSALMS of THANKSGIVING: Psalm 40

PATIENCE - ENOUGH ALREADY!!

I am not always a patient man. In many areas I have gotten better at it - quite good, actually. But in some areas, well, not so much.

Many times it is in the area of "waiting for the Lord" where I still struggle.

The root of that, I suspect, is never fully trusting that He will come through. When I am not patient, I fear He has forgotten me or doesn't care about my struggles.

Of course, nothing is further from the truth!

The fact is, the Lord knows what I need and when I need it well before I do and His love for me assures that all will be done in the best way possible.

So, then...I will wait...

"Grant me patience and joy, dear Lord, as I wait on You. I praise and thank You for this glorious day of Yours and pray I will it as You desire and not as I desire. Especially, Lord, on this wonderful day of Thanksgiving, I praise and thank You for the countless blessings, bounty, and grace You continue to show me. I am thankful beyond words to express; so those words, too, I will wait for as Your Spirit wills. Amen."

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PSALM 40 – To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. (esv)

¹I waited patiently for the Lord; he inclined to me and heard my cry. ²He drew me up from the pit of destruction, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure. ³He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God. Many will see and fear, and put their trust in the Lord. ⁴Blessed is the man who makes the Lord his trust, who does not turn to the proud, to those who go astray after a lie! ⁵You have multiplied, O Lord my God, your wondrous deeds and your thoughts toward us; none can compare with you! I will proclaim and tell of them, yet they are more than can be told. ⁶In sacrifice and offering you have not delighted, but you have given me an open ear. Burnt offering and sin offering you have not required. ⁷Then I said, “Behold, I have come; in the scroll of the book it is written of me: ⁸I delight to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart.” ⁹I have told the glad news of deliverance in the great congregation; behold, I have not restrained my lips, as you know, O Lord. ¹⁰I have not hidden your deliverance within my heart; I have spoken of your faithfulness and your salvation; I have not concealed your steadfast love and your faithfulness from the great congregation. ¹¹As for you, O Lord, you will not restrain your mercy from me; your steadfast love and your faithfulness will ever preserve me! ¹²For evils have encompassed me beyond number; my iniquities have overtaken me, and I cannot see; they are more than the hairs of my head; my heart fails me. ¹³Be pleased, O Lord, to deliver me! O Lord, make haste to help me! ¹⁴Let those be put to shame and disappointed altogether who seek to snatch away my life; let those be turned back and brought to dishonor who delight in my hurt! ¹⁵Let those be appalled because of their shame who say to me, “Aha, Aha!” ¹⁶But may all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you; may those who love your salvation say continually, “Great is the Lord!” ¹⁷As for me, I am poor and needy, but the Lord takes thought for me. You are my help and my deliverer; do not delay, O my God!

PSALMS of THANKSGIVING: Psalm 34

I WILL BLESS THE LORD AT ALL TIMES!

Pastor Duerr will be discussing tonight this concept of thanking the Lord for all things and in all times. This is along the same vein: blessing and praising Him at all times! All times! Blessings and praising!

Have you ever noticed that smiles and laughter are contagious? What makes it interesting (to me, anyway) is that seeing someone smile and/or laugh can actually cause someone else to do so, even if they were in a foul mood. What we often see as as resulting behavior (laughing or smiling) can actually be the cause as well!

I wonder, if we started blessing, praising, and thanking God "at all times" and "continually," would that be contagious, too? I suspect so. At the very least, when we do so, it has another awesome effect: we can't help but want to get others involved (verse 3)! Our excitement drips off of us and wants to soak up others with that same blessing, praising, and thanksgiving!

May we all be excited for and with others as we praise, bless, and thank the Lord, today and always!

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Psalm 34 – Of David, when he changed his behavior before Abimelech, so that he drove him out, and he went away. (esv)

¹I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth. ²My soul makes its boast in the Lord; let the humble hear and be glad. ³Oh, magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together! ⁴I sought the Lord, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears. ⁵Those who look to him are radiant, and their faces shall never be ashamed. ⁶This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him and saved him out of all his troubles. ⁷The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and delivers them. ⁸Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him! ⁹Oh, fear the Lord, you his saints, for those who fear him have no lack! ¹⁰The young lions suffer want and hunger; but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing. ¹¹Come, O children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord. ¹²What man is there who desires life and loves many days, that he may see good? ¹³Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking deceit. ¹⁴Turn away from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it. ¹⁵The eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous and his ears toward their cry. ¹⁶The face of the Lord is against those who do evil, to cut off the memory of them from the earth. ¹⁷When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles. ¹⁸The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit. ¹⁹Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all. ²⁰He keeps all his bones; not one of them is broken. ²¹Affliction will slay the wicked, and those who hate the righteous will be condemned. ²²The Lord redeems the life of his servants; none of those who take refuge in him will be condemned.

PSALMS of THANKSGIVING: Psalm 32

THANKS for FORGIVENESS!

How often, when list the plethora of things we are thankful for, do we list (or even think of) the forgiveness of sins which comes through the suffering, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Christ?

What would our life look like without the Lord's mercy shown through forgiveness? As David writes, our bones would waste away and our strength would be dried up.

Praise God we don't have to live that way! Praise God that, rather than having a vengeful God, seeking our destruction because of our sins, we have one who pursues us in love to become our hiding place and deliverer! Praise God that we now get counsel and instruction from the Lord and not damnation and judgement. "Be glad," "rejoice," and "shout for joy," for your sins and mine are forgiven!

Thank You, Lord, from the bottom of my now-cleansed heart!

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PSALM 32 – A Maskil of David. (esv)

¹Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. ²Blessed is the man against whom the Lord counts no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit. ³For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. ⁴For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer. Selah ⁵I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not cover my iniquity; I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,” and you forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah ⁶Therefore let everyone who is godly offer prayer to you at a time when you may be found; surely in the rush of great waters, they shall not reach him. ⁷You are a hiding place for me; you preserve me from trouble; you surround me with shouts of deliverance. Selah

⁸I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you.

⁹Be not like a horse or a mule, without understanding, which must be curbed with bit and bridle, or it will not stay near you.

¹⁰Many are the sorrows of the wicked, but steadfast love surrounds the one who trusts in the Lord. ¹¹Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, O righteous, and shout for joy, all you upright in heart!

PSALMS of THANKSGIVING: Psalm 18

I love You, O LORD, my strength.

What a wonderful way to begin the Psalm! Would that all our conversations with the LORD begin and end that way! He is our shield, our fortress, our horn of salvation, our savior. How could we not love Him? How can we not adore Him!

God never promises we won't suffer or have to face enemies. He never promises life will be easy. But He does promise to be our Rock, our Refuge, our Strength. He promises to not only walk with us through the difficult times, but fight for us and bring us triumphantly through them!

What a reason to give thanks to the LORD! What a great reason to praise Him! What a great reason to love Him!

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Psalm 18:1–6,16-19,27-36,46,48-50 (ESV)
I love you, O LORD, my strength. The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. I call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies. The cords of death encompassed me; the torrents of destruction assailed me; the cords of Sheol entangled me; the snares of death confronted me. In my distress I called upon the LORD; to my God I cried for help. From his temple he heard my voice, and my cry to him reached his ears...He sent from on high, he took me; he drew me out of many waters. He rescued me from my strong enemy and from those who hated me, for they were too mighty for me. They confronted me in the day of my calamity, but the LORD was my support. He brought me out into a broad place; he rescued me, because he delighted in me...For you save a humble people, but the haughty eyes you bring down. For it is you who light my lamp; the LORD my God lightens my darkness. For by you I can run against a troop, and by my God I can leap over a wall. This God—his way is perfect; the word of the LORD proves true; he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him. For who is God, but the LORD? And who is a rock, except our God?— the God who equipped me with strength and made my way blameless. He made my feet like the feet of a deer and set me secure on the heights. He trains my hands for war, so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze. You have given me the shield of your salvation, and your right hand supported me, and your gentleness made me great. You gave a wide place for my steps under me, and my feet did not slip...The LORD lives, and blessed be my rock, and exalted be the God of my salvation—...who delivered me from my enemies; yes, you exalted me above those who rose against me; you rescued me from the man of violence. For this I will praise you, O LORD, among the nations, and sing to your name. Great salvation he brings to his king, and shows steadfast love to his anointed, to David and his offspring forever.

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• https://www.youversion.com/notes/9369761
• HYMN: "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God"