Good morning. Here's our reading today from The Good Book Club. Mark 10:13-31 Disciples’ Literal New Testament Jesus Blesses The Children. Of Such Is The Kingdom of God 13 And they were bringing children to Him in order that He might touch them. But the disciples rebuked them. 14 But Jesus, having seen it, was indignant and said to them, “Permit the children to be coming to Me. Do not be forbidding them. For the kingdom of God is of such ones. 15 Truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will never enter into it”. 16 And having taken them in His arms, He was blessing them, while laying His hands on them. A Rich Man Asks What To Do To Get Eternal Life: Sell Everything And Follow Me 17 And while He was proceeding out on the road, one having run up and knelt-before Him was asking Him, “Good Teacher, what should I do in order that I may inherit eternal life?” 18 And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good except One— God. 19 You kn...

  This is what there is at this late Tuesday morning moment as we watch and wait for the Weather People to keep their promise of a storm. Some folks love storms, I always have except that my love of watching summer lightning storms come in off the Gulf of Mexico turned to fearful anxiety when Joseph was struck.  Hurricane Michael of course, two years and counting. And, this would have been seventy-five years ago - - out on the Cove School playground one day as we boys gathered and talked about a hurricane that was threatening - - long years before weather radar and OR gaming and nobody knew for sure what weather might do - - we spoke with some dread that it might hit us - - but one boy, who was here because his father was stationed at Tyndall, spoke out that he hated Panama City and "I hope the hurricane hits here and wipes Panama City off the map" so he didn't "have to live here any longer" - - and my shock and instant feeling of vehement hatred toward him. It ...

  Mark 10:1-12  New Revised Standard Version Teaching about Divorce 10 He left that place and went to the region of Judea and beyond the Jordan. And crowds again gathered around him; and, as was his custom, he again taught them. 2 Some Pharisees came, and to test him they asked, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?” 3 He answered them, “What did Moses command you?” 4 They said, “Moses allowed a man to write a certificate of dismissal and to divorce her.” 5 But Jesus said to them, “Because of your hardness of heart he wrote this commandment for you. 6 But from the beginning of creation, ‘God made them male and female.’ 7 ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, 8 and the two shall become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two, but one flesh. 9 Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.” 10 Then in the house the disciples asked him again about this matter. 11 He said to them, “Whoever divorces his wife and marri...

  Mark 9:33-49 New International Version 33 They came to Capernaum. When he was in the house, he asked them, “What were you arguing about on the road?” 34 But they kept quiet because on the way they had argued about who was the greatest. 35 Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, “Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all.” 36 He took a little child whom he placed among them. Taking the child in his arms, he said to them, 37 “Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the one who sent me.” Whoever Is Not Against Us Is for Us 38 “Teacher,” said John, “we saw someone driving out demons in your name and we told him to stop, because he was not one of us.” 39 “Do not stop him,” Jesus said. “For no one who does a miracle in my name can in the next moment say anything bad about me, 40 for whoever is not against us is for us. 41 Truly I tell you, anyone who gives you a cup of...

Sunday afternoons are not a physical reality anyone else could see, but a sense, a feeling, a Becoming. Ride westward along StAndrewsBay. Press button Open gate Disappear into underground garage. Far less exhausted than the usual Sunday noon, walk into the lobby.  Elevator door opens into a world as magical as Jack climbing out into a land above the clouds at the top of the Beanstalk. Stride high-rise sidewalk looking out over best childhood memories of growing up in downtown StAndrews with my brother, several steps to 7H door, vanish inside, never to be seen again. Lose keys, wallet, and the strip of white plastic that conveys holiness (Good morning, Father) and is as identifying as the Bowtie on my last car. A bowl, four to eight oysters, depending on size, probably not a dozen. Only six or ten calories each. I'm not in Colchester or Sydney, and Apalachicola Bay predictably having been mindlessly over harvested dry in my lifetime, so these are my mixture of Gulf Coast oyster...

Mark 9:14-32 Good News Translation Jesus Heals a Boy with an Evil Spirit 14 When they joined the rest of the disciples, they saw a large crowd around them and some teachers of the Law arguing with them. 15 When the people saw Jesus, they were greatly surprised, and ran to him and greeted him. 16 Jesus asked his disciples, “What are you arguing with them about?” 17 A man in the crowd answered, “Teacher, I brought my son to you, because he has an evil spirit in him and cannot talk. 18 Whenever the spirit attacks him, it throws him to the ground, and he foams at the mouth, grits his teeth, and becomes stiff all over. I asked your disciples to drive the spirit out, but they could not.” 19 Jesus said to them, “How unbelieving you people are! How long must I stay with you? How long do I have to put up with you? Bring the boy to me!” 20 They brought him to Jesus. As soon as the spirit saw Jesus, it threw the boy into a fit, so that he fell on the ground and rolled around, foaming at the mouth...

  Not a good image at all, as a matter of fact it's quite a bad picture. Could've been better, because I snapped until I had several with the flashing red lights, channel marker lights in the Bay and aircraft warning lights atop the tall tower I see between 7H and The Pass. But it's okay, there's still a lot of darkness before daybreak.  Mind is reeling this morning from yesterday's death of Jay McRae, whose voice I'd come to know as the sound of praise in our worship. "How painful it is to the Lord when one of his people dies" reads a translation of a verse from Psalm 116, and if the Lord is as present in our worship as we believe and hope, the Lord will grievously miss the sound of Jay's voice. A joy was standing in our pulpit and swinging around to my right to see Jay sitting there alone in the "choir loft" and knowing that no matter how lousy my sermon was, Jay would be singing the Offertory song, saving the day.  This counts five dea...