For I Am Your God

After Isaiah 43:1-7

The One who created you speaks,
The One who formed you opens his mouth with good tidings:

Do not fear your God,
Your sins do not crush you in my judgement;

For I have redeemed you,
I have called you by name, and you are mine;

You may feel overwhelmed,
Your problems may seem insurmountable;

But though the waters press down upon you, you shall not be drowned,
Though the fire burn all around you, you shall not be burned;

For I am your God,
The Holy One, your Savior;

I overturn kingdoms and empires for your sake,
I make the darkness light to comfort and deliver you;

Because you are precious in my sight,
I love you, and you stand in honor among my servants;

Do not fear, for I am with you,
I will rescue your children from distant lands,
And the prisons of men shall not hold them from you;

I will ransom every one who is called by my name,
Whom I created in glory,
Whom I formed and made.


May Love, Peace and Grace Reign About You

-LE

"Wait, Wait, Cancel That, I guess it says 'helf'"

There is a Gary Larson cartoon that I won't replicate here because of copyright, but it shows a helicopter pilot circling a small desert island. On that island a man is hopping up and down, and waving his arms next to the word HELP,

....except that the edge of the P has been trampled out, and now it looks like it says HELF.

The pilot in the cartoon says: "Wait, Wait, Cancel That, I guess it says 'helf.'"

On the right, you should see a 'donate' button from PayPal.

It is there because, in our challenging economy, I need HELP, not HELF.

Help to stay in my house.
Help to pay my bills.
Help to have time to blog on occasion.
Please give generously.

Yours,
LE

Struggling With Matthew 5

Why should we feed the wolves,
When our sheep go hungry?

How can we abandon our houses to criminals,
And live in the street, when the wintry winds blow?

Why should we forfeit our shoes to those already shod,
And walk the stony ground with bare feet?

Why do you ask us to do so, Lord?

Why should we labor and struggle to enrich the evil,
When we have not two coins to press together?

Why must we give our time and talent to Satan,
And keep nothing but our souls for the family of God?

Should we hold back nothing from the grifter,
The thief, the con artist?

Why do you ask us to do so, Lord?

(Strugging with Matthew 5)