Faith For All

Did Jesus Really Say That? ep 6 "Everything happens for a reason"

 
The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.    He makes me lie down in green pastures,he leads me beside quiet waters,    he refreshes my soul.He guides me along the right paths    for his name’s sake.Even though I walk    through the darkest valley,I will fear no evil,    for you are with me;your rod and your staff,    they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me    in the presence of my enemies.You anoint my head with oil;    my cup overflows.Surely your goodness and love will follow me    all the days of my life,and I will dwell in the house of the Lord    forever.
Psalm 23   New International Version
 
  
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
Romans 8:28   New International Version
 
 
 
When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.”
1 Corinthians 15:54   New International Version

Did Jesus Really Say That? ep5 "God is color blind"

After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. And they cried out in a loud voice:
“Salvation belongs to our God,who sits on the throne,and to the Lamb.”
 
Revelation 7:9-10   New International Version

Did Jesus Really Say That? ep 4 "Love the sinner, Hate the sin"

To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else, Jesus told this parable: “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’
“But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’
“I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”
Luke 18:9-14   New International Version
 
 
 
Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”
Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
Matthew 22:34-40   New International Version
 
 
 
“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you"
 
Matthew 5:43-44   New International Version
 
 
 
“Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.
“Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.
Matthew 7:1-5   New International Version
 
 

Did Jesus Really Say That? ep 3 "God wants you to be Healthy, Happy, and Wealthy"

I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
John 10:10b    New International Version
 
 
Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.
1 Timothy 6:17-19    New International Version

Did Jesus Really Say That? ep 2 "God never gives you more than you can handle"

 
No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.
1 Corinthians 10:13.      New International Version
 
BUT WAIT...
 
The Lord is close to the brokenhearted
    and saves those who are crushed in spirit
Psalm 34:18     New International Version
 
God is our refuge and strength,
    an ever-present help in trouble.Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way    and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,though its waters roar and foam    and the mountains quake with their surging.
Psalm 46:1-3    New International Version
 
I lift up my eyes to the mountains—    where does my help come from?My help comes from the Lord,    the Maker of heaven and earth.
Psalm 121:1-2    New International Version
 
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
Matthew 11:28-30   New International Version
 

Did Jesus Really Say That? ep 1 "God helps those who help themselves"

One day Jesus was teaching, and Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting there. They had come from every village of Galilee and from Judea and Jerusalem. And the power of the Lord was with Jesus to heal the sick. Some men came carrying a paralyzed man on a mat and tried to take him into the house to lay him before Jesus. When they could not find a way to do this because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and lowered him on his mat through the tiles into the middle of the crowd, right in front of Jesus.
Luke 5:17-19  New International Version
 
So he said to the paralyzed man, “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.” Immediately he stood up in front of them, took what he had been lying on and went home praising God. Everyone was amazed and gave praise to God. They were filled with awe and said, “We have seen remarkable things today.”
 
Luke 5:24b-26 New International Version

Transition: Moving forward in prayer

Transition
Dictionary
Definitions from Oxford Languages
 
tran·si·tion
 
noun
noun: transition; plural noun: transitions
the process or a period of changing from one state or condition to another.
"students in transition from one program to another"
 
Similar:
change move passage transformation conversion adaptation adjustment alteration metamorphosis shift switch jump leap progression progress gradation development evolution transfiguration flux mutation transmutation vicissitude
 
 
the process by which a transgender person permanently adopts the outward or physical characteristics that match their gender identity, as opposed to those associated with the sex registered for them at birth. The process may or may not involve measures such as hormone therapy and gender reassignment surgery.
"she had been living as a woman for eight years at that point and had completed her transition in 2001"
 
MUSIC
a momentary modulation from one key to another.
 
PHYSICS
a change of an atom, nucleus, electron, etc. from one quantum state to another, with emission or absorption of radiation.

Rerun: Welcoming Everyone, Reconciling In Christ

 
From time to time we will be rerunning previous episodes. This is the busy time of summer so we are rerunning an episode first published on May 15, 2023.
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Cross of Glory's Welcome Statement:
We recognize the importance of worshiping with a diverse group of people of any color, age, creed, ethnicity, physical and mental abilities, addictions, legal record, economic status, station in life, life circumstances, marital/family status, heterosexuals, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender people, their partners and their families. We welcome all into full participation in the church life, ministry of the congregation, sacraments, and rites of the church. We are all one in God’s eyes, and everyone has a place in the family of God. It is with love and in celebration that we affirm this position.“There is no longer Jew nor Greek, there is no longer slave nor free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus.”  (Galatians 3:28)

Dealing With Doubt Part 2

 
On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord.
Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”
Now Thomas (also known as Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!”
But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.”
A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.”
Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!”
Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.
John 20:19-31          New International Version

Disscussion: LGBTQIA+ Family Members

Illinois PFLAG Website:
https://pflagillinois.org/