MAC KIRK

 I John 4:13-21 John Calvin said this ," It is a false boast when anyone says that he loves God, but neglects His image which is before his eyes." What do have in common with our Christian brethren? 1. 4:13 God has given us both of the same Spirit. We know we abide in Him because of the Spirit He has given to us. 1:3 of this book " the fellowship we have is with the Father and His Son Jesus Christ"  So because of this we have fellowship, ( in common ) with each other. When I attended Princeton Seminary in the 93-94 Semesters for continued training in Ethics for the Army, I had some reservations about going there at all.  Oh, they ordain women , oh they are liberal, oh and the list went on of my concerns.  But what I found when there was a respectful attitude toward others, and a wllingness to let all opinions come to the fore, with the result we reached a consensus of sorts.  No, we did not agree on every point, and I was surprised to see they never really ever quot

 Cats and Christians I John 4:7----- I John 4:7-21       " Sometimes I help my mom tenderize the steak"---this is what the yellow cat Cinnamon , Carmel, CA  said as he was licking it.  Petey, Paducah, KS said as he sat on the couch,"OKay , I prefer sitting on couches rather than shredding them.  That's okay isn't it?"  My favorite is Willy , Richmond , VA " I only chewed through those wires so Mom would spend less time at the computer and more time petting me."  ( all from Cat Confessions by Allia Nolan)  Cats have a really bad reputation in many ways. They are seen as independent, un- affectionate and well kittens do anything they want , do they not?  But some cats I heard are even therapy cats.And who has not been comforted by a cat in residence at some place of work?  I remember the cat we used to pet at the Holy Cross Retreat Center in NM , when we have gone to  for Clericus ( a pastors' meeting and retreat).           Cats are very hard to

 Hebrews 11:32-12:2 " Just when the caterpillar thought her life was over she began to fly"  I saw this on Friday morning from 'Mindful Christianity' This describes our human experience and our Divine journey to a better place.  Now, we weep, we crawl, and sometimes we just mess it all up.  Sound familiar?   Our lives are short, marred by sin and end in death, but that is not the end, is it?  A glorious future awaits us with Jesus in heaven and all those who gone before us.  But we have to do the trip here in faith. What is faith?  The original word is pistis. " pistis is a persuasion from God that we receive as He grants impulse ("divine spark"; cf. the Heb hiphil form of believe, ---- Faith is always the work of God and involves hearing His voice – whereby the believer lays hold of His will (cf. J. Calvin). It really means---(be persuaded, come to trust); faith." Biblehub.com Now as we heard read in the Letter to the Hebrews 11 we have a "Cl