July 10, 1925, the Scopes Monkey trial began in Dayton, Tennessee. High school teacher John Thomas Scopes was charged with violating Tennessee’s law against teaching evolution instead of the divine creation of man.

In 1958 the National Defense Education Act was passed with the encouragement of many legislators who feared the United States education system was falling behind that of the Soviet Union. The act yielded textbooks, produced in cooperation with the American Institute of Biological Sciences, which stressed the importance of evolution as the unifying principle of biology.

In 1963 God and prayer was removed from the public schools after 250 years of Christianity being both acknowledged and taught in our public schools  was removed by those who hate Christianity, and follow “other” gods.

in just ten short years, by 1973 several things happened, we started murdering our unborn children (yes that is the correct terminology for abortion… it is the taking of an innocent life by design), the drug culture was becoming well established in America and the prison population started to esculate. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scopes_Trial)

Also in 1973 the prison poplulation  which stayed on average with the rest of the world with app 105 people incarerated out of 100,000 poplulation. It started to rise, and has risen to over 700 people per 100,000 population which accounts for App 22% of all prisoners world wide being incarcerated in America…. it doesn’t take any effort to understand something went wrong with that 1963 decision.

It doesn’t take much too realize that something is wrong with out system when America which represents only 4.4% of the worlds poplulation accounts for most of those imprisoned.

We are attempting to send as many of these men and women back into society with a firm grounding in scripture, in how to live according to scripture (New Life Behavior) and how to defend the scripture (Christian Apologetics).

National Statistics on Recidivism

Bureau of Justice Statistics studies have found high rates of recidivism among released prisoners. One study tracked 404,638 prisoners in 30 states after their release from prison in 2005.[1] The researchers found that:

• Within three years of release, about two-thirds (67.8 percent) of released prisoners were rearrested.
• Within five years of release, about three-quarters (76.6 percent) of released prisoners were rearrested.
• Of those prisoners who were rearrested, more than half (56.7 percent) were arrested by the end of the first year.
• Property offenders were the most likely to be rearrested, with 82.1 percent of released property offenders arrested for a new crime compared with 76.9 percent of drug offenders, 73.6 percent of public order offenders and 71.3 percent of violent offenders.

Children of Prisoners

• There are more than 2.7 million children in the United States with an incarcerated parent (The Pew Charitable Trusts, 2010. Collateral Costs: Incarceration’s Effect on Economic Mobility, Washington, DC: The Pew Charitable Trusts).
• An estimated 7.3 million children have a parent in prison or under some form of state or federal supervision (FAMILIES Left Behind: The Hidden Costs of Incarceration and Reentry, The Urban Institute Justice Policy Center, June 2005).
• Some 10 million young people in the United States have had a mother or father—or both—spend time behind bars at some point in their lives (U.S. News & World Report, April 2002).
• One-third of the two million men in state and federal prisons have fathered two or more children (Bureau of Justice Statistics, April 2001).
• In general, more than 60 percent of offenders in state and federal prisons in the United States are incarcerated more than 100 miles from their last place of residence, cutting down opportunities for family visits (Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2000).
• 57 percent of fathers and 54 percent of mothers in state prison have never had a personal visit with their children during their imprisonment (Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2000).
• The average age of prison inmates’ minor children is eight years old. Black children are nearly nine times more likely to have a parent in prison than white children, while Hispanic children were three times more likely (Incarcerated Parents and Their Children, Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2000).
• More than 80 percent of the children of prisoners live with their other parent, while about 20 percent live with grandparents and other relatives and 2 percent live in a foster home, agency or institution. (Incarcerated Parents and Their Children, Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2000).
• While about 90 percent of incarcerated fathers report that their children live with their mothers, only 28 percent of female prisoners say their children’s father is the child’s caregiver (Incarcerated Parents and Their Children, Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2000).

The Effectiveness of Faith-based Prison Programs

• Participation by prisoners in multiple in-prison Bible studies conducted by Prison Fellowship reduced their recidivism by 66 percent (Justice Quarterly, Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences, March 1997).
• Inmates involved in a faith-based program at the Humaita prison in Brazil, which came under the leadership of Prison Fellowship in 1989, had a 16 percent rate of re-arrest, while those involved in the vocation-based Braganca program in Brazil had a 36 percent rate. Brazil’s recidivism average is 60 to 70 percent (Assessing the Impact of Religious Programs and Prison Industry on Recidivism, 2002).
• In a University of Pennsylvania study released in 2003, InnerChange Freedom Initiative graduates were 50 percent less likely to be re-arrested than the matched comparison group. The two-year, post-release, re-arrest rate among InnerChange Freedom Initiative program graduates in Texas was 17.3 percent, compared with 35 percent for the matched comparison group.

John Polkinghorne
One of the great minds of the 20th century (read his bio from Wikipedia below) yet as many do; he misses the point of creation. I would like to first start out stating that Jesus says if you can’t believe Moses, you can’t believe Him (John 5:46)… Moses stated the earth and cosmos were created in six days. God created a completed Earth and Cosmos in 6 days…. If He could do that, would it be out of His ability to create it with an appearance of being much older?
John is a believer in a long period for each day as so many others try to find a relationship between creation and evolution.
We can trust God’s word to be the truth, and there are so much evidence against an old earth is seems odd to me that such a man would not see it.
However the point is, he does not find contradiction between science and God, in fact science gives much more evidence to creation than evolution… thus the reason that I posted this video.

John Charlton Polkinghorne KBE FRS (born 16 October 1930) is an English theoretical physicist, theologian, writer and Anglican priest. A prominent and leading voice explaining the relationship between science and religion, he was professor of mathematical physics at the University of Cambridge from 1968 to 1979, when he resigned his chair to study for the priesthood, becoming an ordained Anglican priest in 1982. He served as the president of Queens’ College, Cambridge from 1988 until 1996.

Polkinghorne is the author of five books on physics, and 26 on the relationship between science and religion; his publications include The Quantum World (1989), Quantum Physics and Theology: An Unexpected Kinship (2005), Exploring Reality: The Intertwining of Science and Religion (2007), and Questions of Truth (2009). The Polkinghorne Reader (edited by Thomas Jay Oord) provides key excerpts from Polkinghorne’s most influential books. He was knighted in 1997 and in 2002 received the £1 million Templeton Prize, awarded for exceptional contributions to affirming life’s spiritual dimension.

What does Christmas mean to you? It means to me the birth of Christ. Jesus is God in the flesh and His Father is God.
John 10: 30 I and My Father are one.”
John 10:38 but if I do, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, that you may know and believe[a] that the Father is in Me, and I in Him.”
Jesus healed the sick, opened the eyes of the blind, raised the dead, and He laid down His life to save us all who will accept Him, He laid down his life to save us all who will accept Him, He intercedes on our behalf to God. He took all our sins upon His shoulders so we can be clean of sin to go to heaven. My Lord and Savior who laid down His life for me and you. Christ not only come down from heaven to save the world, but He came to wear our coats.
(Revelation 7:14 And I said to him, “Sir, you know. “So he said to me, “These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.)
We are all dressed in white, even the twenty-four elders.
Revelation 4:4 Around the throne were twenty-four thrones, and on the thrones, I saw twenty-four elders sitting, clothed in white robes; and they had crowns of gold on their heads.
Jesus is dressed in a robe dipped in blood. Why is Christ’s robe not white? Why is His clock not spotless? Why is His garment dipped blood? (Galations 3:13 Paul says Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree.”)

Simply He changed places with us. He wore our coat of sin to the cross. Christ’s Blood spattered garments symbolize the great battles He has already fought against sin. Satan, and death and has been stained with the blood of His enemies. God has made us worthy by providing the way to heaven through Jesus Christ. Revelation 19:13 He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God.
Who else would give up his life for us, other than the one who loves us, Jesus Christ. If you are unsure about being saved ask yourself if you are keeping secrets and talk with your Heavenly Father who is always ready to listen. Read for yourself the true Christmas story:
Luke 2: 10 – 52
10 Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. 11 For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.”
13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying:
14
“Glory to God in the highest,
And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!”[a]
15 So it was, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds said to one another, “Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us.” 16 And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger. 17 Now when they had seen Him, they made widely[b] known the saying which was told them concerning this Child. 18 And all those who heard it marveled at those things which were told them by the shepherds. 19 But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20 Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told them.
Circumcision of Jesus
21 And when eight days were completed for the circumcision of the Child,[c] His name was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before He was conceived in the womb.

Jesus Presented in the Temple

22 Now when the days of her purification according to the law of Moses were completed, they brought Him to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord 23 (as it is written in the law of the Lord, “Every male who opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord”),[d] 24 and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the law of the Lord, “A pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.”[e]

Simeon Sees God’s Salvation

25 And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, and this man was just and devout, waiting for the Consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. 26 And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. 27 So he came by the Spirit into the temple. And when the parents brought in the Child Jesus, to do for Him according to the custom of the law, 28 he took Him up in his arms and blessed God and said:
29
“Lord, now You are letting Your servant depart in peace,
According to Your word;
30
For my eyes have seen Your salvation
31
Which You have prepared before the face of all peoples,
32
A light to bring revelation to the Gentiles,
And the glory of Your people Israel.”
33 And Joseph and His mother[f] marveled at those things which were spoken of Him. 34 Then Simeon blessed them, and said to Mary His mother, “Behold, this Child is destined for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign which will be spoken against 35 (yes, a sword will pierce through your own soul also), that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.”

Anna Bears Witness to the Redeemer

36 Now there was one, Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was of a great age, and had lived with a husband seven years from her virginity; 37 and this woman was a widow of about eighty-four years,[g] who did not depart from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day. 38 And coming in that instant she gave thanks to the Lord,[h] and spoke of Him to all those who looked for redemption in Jerusalem.

The Family Returns to Nazareth

39 So when they had performed all things according to the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own city, Nazareth. 40 And the Child grew and became strong in spirit,[i] filled with wisdom; and the grace of God was upon Him.

The Boy Jesus Amazes the Scholars

41 His parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover. 42 And when He was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem according to the custom of the feast. 43 When they had finished the days, as they returned, the Boy Jesus lingered behind in Jerusalem. And Joseph and His mother[j] did not know it; 44 but supposing Him to have been in the company, they went a day’s journey, and sought Him among their relatives and acquaintances. 45 So when they did not find Him, they returned to Jerusalem, seeking Him. 46 Now so it was that after three days they found Him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them and asking them questions. 47 And all who heard Him were astonished at His understanding and answers. 48 So when they saw Him, they were amazed; and His mother said to Him, “Son, why have You done this to us? Look, Your father and I have sought You anxiously.”
49 And He said to them, “Why did you seek Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?” 50 But they did not understand the statement which He spoke to them.

Jesus Advances in Wisdom and Favor

51 Then He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was subject to them, but His mother kept all these things in her heart. 52 And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.

I have noticed various styles of preaching over the years, a lot of men and women when preaching get excited and yell, some are preaching to a congregation, and yet some like Jim P just speak to his friends, his brothers and sisters in Christ, he doesn’t yell at them, jump up and down, but just calmly speaks to his friends, and that is the style I try to immolate.

My whole  purpose in this is to share a message to my friends, to help them find their way and to touch the hearts and minds of the people I speak to.

In recent months,  I have felt God moving me to speak of our travels, our journey upon the narrow path. It’s not an easy way we have chosen for ourselves, no that is the wide path that leads to destruction. We have chosen the narrow path to eternal life with the Great Creator of all things, the Most Holy God.

I have intentionally illustrated just how difficult it is, how much courage is required, , how we must accept the challenge, fight with all we have in us, and in my last lesson I thought I had wrapped up that series, pointing out that we can’t do it, there is no man strong enough.

It can only be done with the Lord Jesus Christ fighting the battles for us, judging us in the final analysis, and while judging us, also being our advocate, and our redeemer, standing in our place. He is truly our Shepherd.

As I said I thought the last lesson was the end… but as usual that was my thought, my earthly thought, from my weak mind, because God had one more lesson He wanted me to share.

I am going to be reading from two chapters out of the Psalms, and because it is so poetic, so beautiful, I will be reading them from the King James.

In chapter 22 of Psalms, visualize yourself on the path, and in 23 see our peace we can experience when we turn it all over to Christ Jesus. These two chapters are known as dual prophesies, both David and Christ Jesus. The words of David becoming the words of Jesus hundreds of years later.

I hope you can hear the desperation in the voice of Christ as He came and cleared the path for us.

But it is really more than that, He came, cleared the way, and then bore all our sorrows and grief, he carried all our sins upon Himself, and He cried out to the Father when at His most desperate time, the Father couldn’t look upon the sin, the sin of the world, the grief, the pain of the world, all placed upon that cross… that old wooden cross of Calvary…

Bear in mind, Christ had spent the previous night praying in the Garden, sweating drops of Blood from the stress and fear of the events that were to come, and then had faced the scourging, and now nailed to a cross…

Psalm 22 King James Version (KJV)

22:1  My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring?

² O my God, I cry in the day time, but thou hearest not; and in the night season, and am not silent.

³ But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel.

⁴ Our fathers trusted in thee: they trusted, and thou didst deliver them.

⁵ They cried unto thee, and were delivered: they trusted in thee, and were not confounded.

⁶ But I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised of the people.

⁷ All they that see me laugh me to scorn: they shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying,

⁸ He trusted on the Lord that he would deliver him: let him deliver him, seeing he delighted in him.

⁹ But thou art he that took me out of the womb: thou didst make me hope when I was upon my mother’s breasts.

¹⁰ I was cast upon thee from the womb: thou art my God from my mother’s belly.

¹¹ Be not far from me; for trouble is near; for there is none to help.

¹² Many bulls have compassed me: strong bulls of Bashan have beset me round.

¹³ They gaped upon me with their mouths, as a ravening and a 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 in the midst of my bowels.

¹⁵ My strength is dried up like a potsherd; and my tongue cleaveth to my jaws; and thou hast brought me into the dust of death.

¹⁶ For dogs have compassed me: the assembly of the wicked have inclosed me: they pierced my hands and my feet.

¹⁷ I may tell all my bones: they look and stare upon me.

¹⁸ They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture.

¹⁹ But be not thou far from me, O Lord: O my strength, haste thee to help me.

²⁰ Deliver my soul from the sword; my darling from the power of the dog.

²¹ Save me from the lion’s mouth: for thou hast heard me from the horns of the unicorns.

²² I will declare thy name unto my brethren: in the midst of the congregation will I praise thee.

²³ Ye that fear the Lord, praise him; all ye the seed of Jacob, glorify him; and fear him, all ye the seed of Israel.

²⁴ For he hath not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted; neither hath he hid his face from him; but when he cried unto him, he heard.

²⁵ My praise shall be of thee in the great congregation: I will pay my vows before them that fear him.

²⁶ The meek shall eat and be satisfied: they shall praise the Lord that seek him: your heart shall live forever.

²⁷ All the ends of the world shall remember and turn unto the Lord: and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before thee.

²⁸ For the kingdom is the Lord’s: and he is the governor among the nations.

²⁹ All they that be fat upon earth shall eat and worship: all they that go down to the dust shall bow before him: and none can keep alive his own soul.

³⁰ A seed shall serve him; it shall be accounted to the Lord for a generation.

³¹ They shall come, and shall declare his righteousness unto a people that shall be born, that he hath done this.

So let’s take a look at Chapter 23

In the first four verses of Ps. 23, David takes the gentle picture of a shepherd with his sheep to describe the relationship God has with us and we with Him. Everything makes sense in our understanding of a shepherd leading his flock to green grass and calm waters.

Then we get to v. 4, and it doesn’t fit. The valley of the shadow of death conjures thoughts of a dangerous situation where a sheep’s life is in jeopardy unless the shepherd is alert and attentive.

Why does David switch from talking about God with ‘He’ to talking to God with ‘You,’ and why does it happen in v. 4? Why didn’t he just go on to say, ‘Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for He is with me; His rod and His staff, they comfort me’?”

May I suggest that the change “He” to the more intimate “You” happens in v. 4 precisely because it’s there he speaks of the valley he has walked.

He has felt the shadows closing in. Verse 4 describes the crisis points in his life. And in those times, something deep happened between him and God.

You’ve noticed it too, haven’t you? We’re more prone to talk ABOUT God when we are in the green pastures and more prone to talk TO God when we’re in the dangerous ravine.

In the light, we are prone to wander off in pursuit of greener grass. But in the dark, we hug His knee.

I have noticed this in my life, when things are dark, and difficult is when I move closer to God, and every time it happens,  and I again find myself in one of those dark times, and again I return to a closer relationship, but when it is daylight again, I  stray less further away.

Each time this happens to each of us we start to realize it will be dark again, and we keep the Father in sight, and finally after so many dark times, even when the sun shines again, we stay, we no longer wonder off again, and our journey ends.

David changes from comments about God to communion with God because during his valley time, he stayed ever so close to the Shepherd, never taking his eyes off Him. He had experienced God in a way there that had ushered him toward intimacy with the Almighty Shepherd. Not temporary intimacy only to stray again into the darkness,

but permanent intimacy, where we can rest peacefully in the dark, as Christ did during the storm in the boat.

But why would a sheep be going through such a place? Not because he strayed off in sin; that is not the point here, because the shepherd is pictured as going with the sheep not snatching him back to the pasture he left behind. No, the reason the sheep is going through the valley is because the shepherd leads him there.

The connection between vs. 3 and 4 confirm this: The path through the valley is also one of the paths of righteousness in which God leads. “He guides me in paths of righteousness for His name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me . . . ”

But why would a good shepherd who would lay down his life for his sheep lead a lamb into a valley filled with danger and death threats? There’s only one possible answer:

“To get to some better place!”

Philip Keller is an Australian shepherd whose wonderful little book A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23 includes this observation about these barren valleys:

“The shepherd knows from past experience that predators like coyotes, bears, wolves, or cougars can take cover in these broken cliffs and from their vantage point prey on his flock. He knows these valleys can be subject to sudden storms and flash floods that send walls of water rampaging down the slopes. There could be rockslides, mud, or . . . a dozen other natural disasters that would destroy or injure his sheep. But in spite of such hazards he also knows that this is still the best way to take his flock to the high country. He spares himself no pains or trouble or time to keep an eye out for any danger that might develop.”

When you’re walking through some unfamiliar valley and the shadows linger . . . When you have cancer and have to decide whether it will be chemotherapy or some other way . . . When you’re trying to decide as a matter of Godly stewardship whether to take your money out of the market or let it ride… When your finances are tight, and you are taking on yet another job to make ends meet, and for us here in this prison, we learn to keep our eyes focused upon the lord for we are surrounded by wolves.

remember this:

Your Shepherd has appointed even this hard time as one of His paths of righteousness.

He is leading you through this valley for reasons that probably won’t be apparent. But rest assured, He is taking you to the high country, where the sun is warm and the grass is lush.

Every valley is pathway to something better. As Psalm 84:11 says, “No good does the Lord withhold from those who walk uprightly.” Or as Paul put it, “We know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” (Rom . 8:28). The valley isn’t good, but the Shepherd is. He knows the way.

And, so are we, as Christians vulnerable to these wild dogs, Just a few weeks ago a vicious wolf entered a little sanctuary in Texas and slaughtered 26 of the Lords sheep, little babies, mommies, and old men alike, this cowardly animal proceeded to wound around 25 more, yet when confronted with a man willing to stand against him,  A human livestock guardian, I would even suggest a living rod and staff, This wild dog dropped his weapon and ran.

But we are more often attacked spiritually

And as Satan attacks us, we as the flock of the Lord expect Him to stand up for us,  against Satan, and Satan and all his demons will Trimble, beg, plead and like the Texas coward…run.

He restores my soul, my spirits are lifted for I know I have a shepherd, whose Rod and Staff protect me. He is my shepherd, this eludes to we being sheep. Sheep are full of fear and very nervous, and often will not lie down, out of this fear, for they have absolutely no defense system whatsoever. They can’t swim, and will not go near water that is not absolutely calm, and easy to access, and shallow, for if they fall in, they can’t get out, they will drown.

Do you see how vulnerable they are?

Their only protection is to stay together in a group. And as we walk through this world seeking God with all our hearts, minds, bodies, and souls, this is how vulnerable we are.

There are places in Scripture that are powerful, so deep, that to recite them is to experience them. Psalm 23 is one of those places. As one scholar said, “The psalm itself is green pasture; the psalm itself is still water; the psalm itself restores my soul.”

It is precious to us, a balm to our wounded souls. And what makes this a constant friend is that it covers all of life. With simple beauty, it speaks of green pastures and still waters as well as dark valleys and enemies and adversities.

But what comforts us and helps us is the psalm’s confidence. David really believes this about God. We realize as we linger over these words that what David writes is not poetic exaggeration or theoretical theology.

He has experienced God in these ways, heard His voice, followed His lead, felt His care. Beneath the beauty of his words there are solid convictions, formed in the trial of crisis.

And remember as we could plainly see that from verse 22, it may be David writing, but his experiences, his words are formed again hundreds of years later by the Messiah, our Lord and savior Jesus Christ.

But now let’s move to chapter 23,For this is where we live today,

But let me begin by telling you an old story about a priest who was celebrating his 50th Anniversary of Ordination.  For this occasion he had invited his personal friend, Richard Burton, to come and recite his favorite Psalm 23.  Richard Burton agreed to do this on the condition that the priest would also recite it after him.

At the appointed time, Richard Burton stood and proclaimed the popular psalm with such oratorical mastery the congregation immediately applauded.

And then this humble pastor stood up and began to recite, from heart, this beloved Psalm.  After he had finished his not nearly so professional recitation, the congregation was in awe, and some moved to tears.

Someone in the front pew with Richard Burton leaned over and asked him, “Why did people loudly applaud you and yet were silently moved by the pastor?”  Burton replied, “Because I know the Psalm, but he knows the Shepherd.”

You see to truly understand this, it must be in the right heart, so with that in mind, with the hopes of putting our hearts in the right condition

I would like to share an experience I shared with Jody many years ago, about a man who knew the shepherd that has never left me, and never fails to move me, and I have told it here before.

When Jody and I were volunteer chaplains with Hospice of Texarkana, we would visit those who were dying, some a few weeks, some only a few hours.

We had one patient, whom we visited on a regular basis who had been a member of his choir all his long life. Now Jody always sang a song about heaven to these folks, but on our last visit to see Chet Wood, who was to die just a few days later, he wanted to sing to Jody, now understand Chet was dying of a lung disease, could barely breath, yet he sang to Jody, probably the very last song of his long life, and he barely gasped out I come to the Garden Alone.

We heard the angels sing that day.

Now as I read this beautiful psalm please let your minds drift back to that old priest, or to Chet Wood who gasped out his final song, a gift to Jody and I, and a statement of his position, and a tribute to the Savior he was soon to meet.

They Knew the Savior!

23 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

² He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.

³ He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.

⁴ Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

⁵ Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.

⁶ Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

He makes me lie down in green pastures, because of Him, I can face life, I can face today, and I can face tomorrow.

Because He lives I can face tomorrow….

Thank you for your time, and as you walk through this valley of the shadow of death, remember, you have a shepherd who loves you, and will protect you.

Faith comes by hearing & hearing by the word of God

You know it’s him because of when and how he calls

As you respond…you realize He’s the answer to the hearts deepest cries Like Paul, the scales fall from before your very eyes

All you have ever known to be true in life. .were lies

New sight for future years

The new creation is awakened here is this sphere

I know because of this new sight, which is now so clear it’s almost like seeing someone you like

Suddenly you seek after them in hope of a companion for life

Sought like treasure but, more precious than gold

In the pages of His book is the greatest love story ever told

When you are seeking Him…He is pursuing you

And what He seeks is the best & all of you Ali around us is a glimpse of His glory

The beautiful thing is, that’s not the end of this story

Purchased by His blood was our price for eternity

The only thing he asks is…”Will you live for me?”

He even did it for people you consider enemies

Words spoken so sweetly, it’s hard to believe

That as He is, so we are in this world

Wise as a serpent & harmless as a dove

Should be-our aim in this new-life to reflect-His great love

To acquire this new found wisdom, some do not find

They think it’s a joke and will know when they get left behind

He’s true to his word and He’s completely unchanging

Rejoicing in the Lord always is a Christians charging station

Until then, you must spend time with Him daily studying His word

in its pages are the answers to your prayer supplications

To give you celebrations & comfort in life’s frustrations

So what are you seeing with this new sight?

Holding onto Jesus, like a pillar of stone

Life’s challenges become easier when you realize you are not alone Oh comforting is His gentle & mighty hand

He will help you continue…and if need be, carry you through the sand

The one that will endure, will stand on faiths confession in Jesus Christ

It will only be believable to others, in how you live your life

Implementing evil schemes will not fulfill a need

Planting seeds of life & watering others is how we are meant to lead Do this out of love through use of His word to yield the peaceable fruit

It becomes easier when you are trained in it through the reason of use

For we are all walking pages and are read more than a book

For the Holy Spirit, even the evil one has a certain Fook

A container is only as good as what’s in it, I have heard someone say

For in filling yourself with Gods word will preserve the righteous on judgement day

Getting people to ask you why you have hope is not an easy part For it starts in knowing in whom is the holder of your heart Working for love…is no love at all

For a gift given is only as precious as the manner of Spirit in which it was given Since God is Love…that is what we got HIM!

Until you truly give your heart to Jesus, it’s hard to convince people of new creation

All they are looking at is your rap sheet, that’s the principle of the Mosaic Law It makes you feel condemnation that make your insides crawl i know I have done things worthy of this sentence

But from now on…l want my walk be one reflecting a life of forgiveness & repentance

It’s not that I didn’t know how, only…l didn’t have the power to do it on my own

And it’s SO wonderful-that it’s Jesus who will-carry me home Purging the conscience mind of so many past sins

Is no easy task for me but…is necessary to behold the power that comes only from Him Waking up at night from evil works long gone

Is so much easier to cope with when I am leaning on the everlasting arms

Bring to my mind Father the good things you have placed within my heart And let me know that each day is a blessing & fresh new start

Having to walk a trail I have never seen, is easier to follow when I let Him take the lead

When I am competing in what’s known as life’s big race

Is easier when I am focused on Him to set the right pace

Turn not to the left nor worry what’s on the right

Is the key to success in battle knowing I possess the armor of light

Thank you Father for not giving me your love based on what I have done Instead you gave it to me in Jesus…Your only begotten Son

Lost & indecisive

Is how I feel inside

Please Lord…don’t leave me like this way & be my only guide

Hope of new beginnings, to bring glory to your name

How to perform I do not know when I am reminded of my shame

One sided conversations, greed within their heart

Puffed up with pride, they stride on by feeling bigger than they are Forgive them Lord for they know not what they do

Not everyone can wear this brand of shoe

Build me up in spirit, teach me your truth & your way

Put it in my heart, bring it to my mind so I may not be fed astray

Help me to believe the strength of your word & boldly speak it to the storm For I am no good apart from you & for your glory I was born

Thank you, Father, for taking my rags & nailing them to the cross

Since the exchange, I lift up your name & count everything else a loss

Free will comes not without consequence

Some choices cause pain, others…deliverance

The freedom to choose is a gift of mystery

I realized it when my children did things just like me

At the time…l was the blind leading the blind

With bad habits that consume the heart & pollute the mind

I was lost & without direction

Instead…I led them through a mine field of death & destruction

Broken hearts & broken dreams, both the results of my deception

Father show them the way to defeat the carnal man

And that it starts with knowing & being filled with the Great I AM

All I want for them is to know you & be the one in whom they love

To be wise as a serpent & yet harmless as a dove Help them one day to understand

That to be successful in life…starts with nurturing the inner man

Lead them Father in a life filled with love, growth & opportunity

A chance to be the one who will share the good news courageously

Fill them Father with wisdom & understanding

And show them in your word is where your children learn to lead – Show them that-quality-& quantity are one the same

And that anything & anyone Can be changed…in Jesus name!