Every Knee

That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth . . .

                                                          Philippians 2:10

Both of my sons are involved in scouting.  Coming up through scouts, you learn a lot of silly songs and hear a lot of riddles.  I won’t torture you this morning with a song but let’s look at one of the old mainstays in the riddle department.

      Q:  What was the tallest mountain in the world before they discovered Mount Everest?

I’ll admit that this set my wheels to spinning the first time I heard it but, of course, the answer is obvious.

1. Mount Everest, they just hadn’t discovered it yet.

At this point, I pose another question:

1. Who is the Lord of your life?

In like manner, the answer is equally obvious:

1. Why Jesus Christ, of course.

But you may protest, “He is most certainly not the Lord of my life.  I want nothing to do with this Jesus or any other lord for that matter.  I am the captain of my own ship!”

But, that’s where you would be mistaken for Jesus is the Lord of all whether they recognize him as such or not.

He is the Lord of me and of you.

He is the Lord of the Christian and the Jew, of the Hindu and the Muslim, of believer, agnostic, and atheist alike.

He is the Lord of heaven and of earth.

He is the Lord of Satan and all his legions of demons.

Jesus is Lord of all.

We can ignore this fact about as easily as a Sherpa guide could ignore a mighty snow-capped peak which mounted up in front of him, impeding his travel.

Jesus is Lord.

Sooner or later?

Sure, every knee must bow;

Best call Him Lord now!

     Melkorios of Alexandria was an important prefect at the temple of Serapis.  He observed the stars and saw signs that an important king was to be born – someone very special indeed.  He decided to travel to Judea to see the newborn for himself.  As he tries to track down the exact location of the child's home, Melkior meets up with Balthazar and Caspar, leaders from other lands who also seek the new king.  The three men purchase special gifts in the marketplace for him, and eventually find little Yeshua, with Miriam his mother and Josef, his father.

     Author Kenny Kemp integrates historical figures, Biblical stories, and imagination to tell Melchior's story, lining up his life with the life of Christ.  When Jesus is a child in Egypt, Kemp develops a friendship between the young boy and Melchior, who teaches him many things.  Once Josef takes his family back home, Melchior misses them dearly but has his own wife and child to take care of, as well as his responsibilities in the temple.  Later on in life, Melchior finds himself again searching for Yeshua, wondering why he has not yet heard about him taking the throne of some far-away land.

     The book describes the spiritual journey that many of us are on.  The things of this world demand our attention, and yet for those of us who believe in Christ, we strive to seek Him out and to tread the right path to get closer to Him.  Melchior's character in this book provides a striking metaphor in this regard.  He always seems to be just a few steps behind . . . will he ever find peace?

     This novel was published in September, 2011 through Sweetwater Books.  While it does make a good story to read around Christmas time, for obvious reasons, it is also a story that can be enjoyed any time of the year.  It is quite well written, and the characters and events come to life in such a way that you can practically hear and smell the temple offerings or bustling marketplace around you as you read.  I was literally brought to tears at the description of the crucifixion of Jesus.  ISBN 978-1-59955-496-9.  Kenny Kemp is the author of a variety of other books, most of which seem to also deal with spirituality and belief.

January 28, 2012: Saturday Morning

Okay, Apparently in my last post I wrote there was some misunderstanding what I was trying point out what I was trying to say. My mind don't work perfectly...and maybe at times my words don't come out right to what I am trying to express or points I am trying to point out. By no means: trying to give God a bad rap, for He is my everything. There were many times I wanted to give up, times where I was at my lowest and to blue to pray. I been beaten, crucified and in agony from what people put me through but God brought me though it. I don't like going through agony no more than the next person or do I try to intentionally put no agony on nobody else. I do know I could never gotten through all the trials and tests I had to face without God. As I was going through the most triumph times of my life....what human beings put me through....the only one I actual could trust and go to is God. So God is my hero: He is my best of best friends. Maybe I am hard to understand what I trying to express but God knows my heart and He knows what I am trying to say.

It is not easy living day by day with a head injury that caused my Head Trauma Amnesia...and many people don't understand. God understands "Me. He understands "Me. That is what is more important. I don't use my head injury as an excuse or ask people to pity me or do I pity myself. I learn to live with it and learn to work with it and around it. So here I am again, trying to point out, How much my desires to be a faithful servant. Human being has left me down but God never leaves me or ever forsake me. Recent movies and books have presented us all with new kinds of hero's every day. Just turn on Tv. These hero's could be female or male playing a role as hero that is tough, violent, strong, and cunning. They use words, usually carrying weapons such as guns, arrow's, knives, etc, and these hero's playing a role model supposedly are very popular among our young generations. They show no mercy. Reasons for these hero's who played a role in a movie or you read in a book, hero's defend the meek, and they refuse to let the bad guys win. In other words: the hero's are trying symbolize the ideal that doing good will always triumph over evil.

Problem is, these hero's who play as hero's in the movies or you read in a book, is the good they offer is little better than the evil they destroy. Violence begets violence, one who shows no mercy shall receive no mercy. So ask yourself, what are these hero's who plays this role in movies or read in books, what really example are they setting before our young generation or anybody. It is written in the scriptures: very clearly quoted in the bible: "Vengeance Is Mine, sayeth The Lord," So it is not the right choice for men or woman to take the Law in their own hands. We are guided by a higher law: The Law Of God: Ten Commandments. The Beatitudes proclaim the virtues that God most respects. We are called to be loving people, people who has faith in a God who will provide perfect justice at the end of time. We, as followers of Christ, children of God as Christians, should take seriously the qualities that God wants us to have, truly "write them upon the table of our hearts.

My prayer today for all mankind and myself:

Dear God, I come to you this morning with all thine heart, pray you teach me to love, to love others in the same way you love us...with unconditionally love, a love that is real. God kindles in my heart a spark of love for those who are difficult to love at times. I thank you God for your unconditional love for me and my husband, for understanding me and forgiving me for my sins. I thank God, your forgiveness, your mercy, and your truth. God each day make Christ my one and true hero, and let me follow your ways all the days of my life. Heavenly Father, help my husband and I to accept what I do not understand, to believe what I can not see, and to trust that which is beyond our comprehension. Alone, we are nothing without you. With you, we will never fail. Heavenly Father, help us to realize our potential. Make us less a person-pleas-er, and more a God pleas-er. Grant us that we might discover our gifts and talents, then assist us to use those gifts and talents as you would have them used. Let us hear the instructions you know we should hear. Tell us what we must do to grow, and give us the acceptance to deal with those things we would rather avoid. Spare not the rod, but do what "You, know is best for us. AMEN! AMEN!