A New Creature. . . an Apostolic Pentecostal blog

Yesterday, Father's day, Jackie and I and one daughter, SIL, and grandkids were in church together.  The Pastor was teaching/preaching on the role of fathers, and how this was an earthly role.  In heaven he said, quoting the Bible, that we're not married or given in marriage. A wave of great love washed over me, no we won't be legally bound by marriage anymore, but I still want to be with my wife.  I want to explore heaven, discover all the wondrous things with her . . . maybe explore the universe. . . spend eternity worshiping God with her. . . I have no idea what heaven is like, but if possible, I will seek out Jackie to be with her there also. . .  From Lazarus, and the rich man in the Bible, it seems like we will be able to recognize one another there.  I don't know which of us will get there first, but I'm going looking for her, or waiting for her when I get there.   I want to be able to comfort her, reassure her, help take away any fear she might...

  As most of you know, who follow my posts at all, I walk during my lunch break at work.  I walk about 2 miles each day.  I have type 2 diabetes, and walking is huge in helping to lower my blood sugar levels. Tuesday on my walk, I saw a lady at a local factory, out by the road smoking a cigarette.  I heard the Lord speak to me that I should witness to the lady, and pray for her to be delivered from her addiction to nicotine. Today on my walk, two ladies were out by the road smoking.  I again heard from the Lord, that I would witness to them and pray with them. . . At the same moment my headphones quit working, just as I was passing them by.  This is not usual.  They quit three times, as I walked by the ladies. This is not comfortable to me. . . I walked another 50 yards or so past them, before gathering up my courage, and turning around and approaching them. . .  I asked if they wanted to quit smoking.  Both of them said that "yes they did", ...

  Circumcision commanded by God: Leviticus 12:1-3 NKJV  Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,  2  "Speak to the children of Israel, saying: 'If a woman has conceived, and borne a male child, then she shall be unclean seven days; as in the days of her customary impurity she shall be unclean.  3  And on the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised. Came across this in my reading, from Google AI search: Performing circumcision on the eighth day is medically advantageous because vitamin K and prothrombin—essential for blood clotting—peak at their highest lifetime levels on that day, optimizing healing and minimizing bleeding risks. It also coincides with a surge in cortisol, offering natural anti-inflammatory benefits for quicker recovery. Medical and Biological Benefits: Optimal Blood Clotting: Studies indicate that vitamin K and clotting factors VIII and IX peak on the eighth day. Prothrombin levels are higher on day 8 than on any other day i...

I'm learning so much in our Wednesday morning Bible study.  We are looking at the gospel of Matthew line by line. In our latest meeting we studied Matthew chapter 7.  In it Jesus warns us: Matthew 7:15-16 NKJV  "Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.  16  You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? There will be those who dress in the clothing of sheep, but who are actually those whose purpose is to kill and devour sheep. In the immediately preceding passage, Jesus tells us: Matthew 7:13-14 NKJV  "Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it.  14  Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it. Narrow is the gate, and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are FEW who find it. ...

A compelling thought has been bouncing around my head for about a week or so. . . That anything and everything that damages my pride helps me to grow spiritually.  My pride is my worst enemy.  My pride kept me from worshipping God for the first 45 years of my life.  I was too proud to bend my knee. . . too proud to admit that there was a God superior to me in every way. . . too proud to admit that I was a sinful person who needed redemption. In my pride I thought that the few little good things that I did somehow outweighed the many terrible things that I did. . . giving a bag-lady $20 somehow counterbalanced the lies I told. . . the other awful shameful things I did. . .  Today I was listening to 2 Corinthians: 2 Corinthians 12:10 NLT  That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong. Insults. . . persecutions. . . other humbling troubles. . ....

Years ago a friend at work gave me my first bee hives.  I had always been interested in beekeeping, and when I found out that he, Milt Fair, had bee hives I was so intrigued.  I asked him so many questions, and began reading everything I could find about them. Sometime later he offered to give me a couple of beehives.  I lived in a residential neighborhood, north of Mishawaka.  We had a large 1¼ acre lot.  I chose a spot toward the back of the lot in a little grove of wild cherry trees in which to put the hives. My next door neighbor at the time,  was an older man, probably my age now.  He had an above ground swimming pool behind his house.  One day he came over and complained to me that my bees were landing on the swimming pool ladder, and his grandkids were getting stung. I told him that I thought that was unlikely, as I had a large oval shaped galvanized tub, filled with water right outside my hives, with bark floating on top for my bees to get...