Banquet With The King

Friday, July 24, 2026

Put Your Fingers in His Ears

Jesus returned to the Sea of Galilee and climbed a hill and sat down. A vast crowd brought to him people who were lame, blind, crippled, those who couldn't speak, and many others. They laid them before Jesus, and he healed them all. The crowd was amazed! Those who hadn't been able to speak were talking, the crippled were made well, the lame were walking, and the blind could see again! And they praised the God of Israel. Matthew 15:29-31

Jesus left Tyre and went up to Sidon before going back to the Sea of Galilee and the region of the Ten Towns. A deaf man with a speech impediment was brought to him, and the people begged Jesus to lay his hands on the man to heal him. Jesus led him away from the crowd so they could be alone. He put his fingers into the man's ears. Then, spitting on his own fingers, he touched the man's tongue. Looking up to heaven, he sighed and said, "Ephphatha," which means, "Be opened!" Instantly the man could hear perfectly, and his tongue was freed so he could speak plainly! Jesus told the crowd not to tell anyone, but the more he told them not to, the more they spread the news. They were completely amazed and said again and again, "Everything he does is wonderful. He even makes the deaf to hear and gives speech to those who cannot speak." Mark 7:31-37

Meditate on Jesus’ healing methods.

Matthew and Mark don’t quite agree on the place in this story. Whether it was in Sidon, north of Tyre, or by the Sea of Galilee, it doesn’t matter. This was another example of great miracles of healing by Jesus.

Do you know any deaf people? Lots of people are now wearing hearing aids as our hearing gives out as we get older, but this young man was truly deaf. I have known a couple of people who were deaf at birth, but I never learned sign language to communicate with them. They were great lip readers. Usually, it’s not just their hearing that is impaired, but also their speech, since we learn to speak by hearing others and ourselves make particular sounds. This deaf man had the same problem.

Jesus is so amazing. He put His fingers into the man’s ears. Can you imagine the power going through that guy’s head? Then, Jesus spit on His own fingers and touched the man’s tongue. He sighed. Sighed. Was He sad? Exasperated? He knew that once that guy could speak, he would tell everyone what had happened to him! Jesus gave the command, “Be opened!” Sure enough. That young man could hear and speak normally!

Don’t tell. But everyone in the crowd was amazed and you just know that the news spread quickly. Don’t tell. Jesus kept pleading with people not to tell—but no one could keep secret this good news of the miraculous healing. There were no secrets with the celebration of healing…and opportunity for more of the same! Those who hadn't been able to speak were talking, the crippled were made well, the lame were walking, and the blind could see again! And they praised the God of Israel. Are you praising God for these miraculous healings, too?

What do we learn about Jesus from these scripture passages?

Prayer – Lord Jesus, You are amazing. I recognize, appreciate, and praise You for Your continued compassion. These people were so eager to receive Your healing. Their faith was enormous. Are we lacking faith today?

Verses of Salvation ~ For the grace of God has been revealed, bringing salvation to all people. And we are instructed to turn from godless living and sinful pleasures. We should live in this evil world with wisdom, righteousness, and devotion to God, while we look forward with hope to that wonderful day when the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, will be revealed. He gave his life to free us from every kind of sin, to cleanse us, and to make us his very own people, totally committed to doing good deeds. Titus 2:11-14

Friday’s Feast at the King’s Table

When was the last time you made bread or rolls? In our study of Jesus, He will soon be “making bread” to feed 4,000 men and their families. It is pretty well known that sour dough bread is one of the best and most digestible bread these days. During Jesus’ time, bread was probably like the Naan or pita bread that we might eat today.

Give us today the food we need…give us this day our daily bread.

One of my family’s favorites, usually over the holidays, has been 60-minute rolls.

60 Minute Wheat Rolls

2 pkgs. Active quick-rise dry yeast
3 Tbsp. sugar or honey
1 tsp. salt
1/2 c. powdered milk (optional)
1 1/2 c. hot tap water

2 Tbsp softened butter or olive oil, at room temperature
4 to 4 1/2 c. unsifted flour (half wheat and half white)

Thoroughly mix 1 cup flour and dry ingredients. Gradually add water and butter to dry ingredients and beat 2 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. Add remaining flour and beat to make soft dough. Place in greased bowl, cover, and rise 15 minutes. Turn out onto floured board. Knead about 5 minutes, until not sticky. Shape dough into rolls and place on greased baking sheet. Cover and let rise again for about 15 minutes. Bake at 400 degree Fahrenheit oven about 12 minutes (depends on the size of the rolls). Makes 16-20 rolls.

[Quantities adjusted from an original recipe baked by the chef at a Larry Burkett Financial Planning Workshop, in Georgia, 1988.]

All scripture quoted from the New Living Translation (NLT) unless otherwise noted.

Biblical search from Blue Letter Bible - http://v3.blueletterbible.org/search.cfm.

Thursday, July 23, 2026

Do Your Dogs Eat the Scraps Under Your Table?

Then Jesus left Galilee and went north to the region of Tyre and Sidon. A Gentile woman who lived there came to him, pleading, "Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David! For my daughter is possessed by a demon that torments her severely." But Jesus gave her no reply, not even a word. Then his disciples urged him to send her away. "Tell her to go away," they said. "She is bothering us with all her begging." Then Jesus said to the woman, "I was sent only to help God's lost sheep—the people of Israel." But she came and worshiped him, pleading again, "Lord, help me!" Jesus responded, "It isn't right to take food from the children and throw it to the dogs." She replied, "That's true, Lord, but even dogs are allowed to eat the scraps that fall beneath their masters' table." "Dear woman," Jesus said to her, "your faith is great. Your request is granted." And her daughter was instantly healed. Matthew 15:21-28

Then Jesus left Galilee and went north to the region of Tyre. He didn't want anyone to know which house he was staying in, but he couldn't keep it a secret. Right away a woman who had heard about him came and fell at his feet. Her little girl was possessed by an evil spirit, and she begged him to cast out the demon from her daughter. Since she was a Gentile, born in Syrian Phoenicia, Jesus told her, "First I should feed the children—my own family, the Jews. It isn't right to take food from the children and throw it to the dogs." She replied, "That's true, Lord, but even the dogs under the table are allowed to eat the scraps from the children's plates." "Good answer!" he said. "Now go home, for the demon has left your daughter." And when she arrived home, she found her little girl lying quietly in bed, and the demon was gone. Mark 7:24-30

Meditate on good answers.

Sweet Clover
No feeding this puppy under the table!

Jesus was in the Galilee region and decided to go up north to Tyre and Sidon, in the known Gentile area beyond the Israeli borders. Here, a mother pleaded with Jesus to heal her daughter who was possessed by an evil spirit. Jesus’ reputation for the ability to cast out demons had obviously preceded Him. By this time in His ministry, Jesus had dealt with many demon-possessed individuals. Another in the Gentile area was the man in the tombs with the legion of demons who were sent into the pigs that drowned in the Sea of Galilee. Had this Phoenician woman heard about this healing? Were there more demon-possessed people in Gentile areas? Jesus and all of His disciples had been healing inhabitants of the Jewish regions, and now Jesus was in this Gentile region. He declared that He came to help the Jews first…but this lady was persistent and persuasive. She compared the Gentiles to dogs being fed under the table. She had such creative devotion—so much faith. Jesus healed her daughter immediately.

Is this an example of our need to plead with Jesus when we pray? Do we need to be persistent and persuasive?

What do we learn about Jesus from these scripture passages?

Prayer – Lord Jesus, I know You heard that Phoenician woman when she asked for her little girl to be healed and that You hear our prayers. Thank you for answered prayers…and for those on which we still wait. Your grace is sufficient.

Verse of Salvation ~ But I keep praying to you, LORD, hoping this time you will show me favor. In your unfailing love, O God, answer my prayer with your sure salvation. Psalm 69:13

All scripture quoted from the New Living Translation (NLT) unless otherwise noted.

Biblical search from Blue Letter Bible - http://v3.blueletterbible.org/search.cfm.

Wednesday, July 22, 2026

Over One Million Pageviews

May all my thoughts be pleasing to him, for I rejoice in the LORD. Psalm 104:34

Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice! Philippians 4:4

Meditate on rejoicing.

My favorite photo on this blog.
Camel Crossing
Judean Desert - Israel
Want to ride this camel to the King's Banquet?

Rejoice with me! I am amazed. Over One Million Pageviews of this blogspot in the last almost 15 years! When I saw this number on my statistics page, I was just blown away. 1001099. And growing.

Rejoice with me and Praise the Lord! The Holy Spirit has guided me through all my writings on this blog. There have been times when I have read a blog entry from a couple of years ago…and thought, “Who wrote this? It’s good!” It was the Holy Spirit—not me! To God be the Glory! May your heart be touched as you continue to read Banquet With The King.

I look forward to a huge banquet that all believers will have together in Heaven one day. A banquet with The King of kings! I hope you know Jesus as your King...your Savior…and will be at His banquet, too!

Prayer – Lord Jesus, I celebrate in Your love and grace. Thank you for inspiring me over these last fifteen years to write this blog for You. May You be glorified and honored. May my thoughts be pleasing to You for I rejoice in You.

Verses of Salvation ~ Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever. Cry out, "Save us, O God of our salvation! Gather and rescue us from among the nations, so we can thank your holy name and rejoice and praise you." Praise the LORD, the God of Israel, who lives from everlasting to everlasting! And all the people shouted "Amen!" and praised the LORD. 1 Chronicles 16:34-36

Comment below.

All scripture quoted from the New Living Translation (NLT) unless otherwise noted.

Biblical search from Blue Letter Bible - http://v3.blueletterbible.org/search.cfm.

Tuesday, July 21, 2026

Be Safe

After this, Jesus traveled around Galilee. He wanted to stay out of Judea, where the Jewish leaders were plotting his death. John 7:1

Meditate on traveling by foot…to stay safe.

Galilee. Judea. Where are those regions? How’s your geography? I had to look it up in the maps section of my study Bible and then Google “map of Israel at Jesus’ time” to plainly see that Judea is the southern region of Israel from Joppa and Ephraim to almost Beersheba near Idumaea, where the Edomites resided in the Old Testament times. Judah was always the southern part of the kingdom when it split after King David. Jerusalem was in this Judah…and then Judea region.

The Galilee region is basically the area west of the Sea of Galilee, north of Samaria, including Nain and Nazareth to Chorazin. That was a vicinity in which Jesus and His disciples would be safe from the Jewish leaders who were planning to destroy Jesus. There were plenty of small towns to which Jesus could minister and teach. The long dusty roads and distance from Jerusalem was likely a deterrent for those Jewish leaders to follow Jesus around the countryside, but that didn’t stop them from plotting. At this point in this third year, Jesus is ending His great Galilean ministry and beginning a year of opposition. He continues to heal, feed, and teach a wide variety of people. Keep reading to see what happens next.

What do you learn about Jesus from this passage?

Prayer – Lord Jesus, if I were there in Israel when You were, I would want to keep You safe from those knifing Jewish leaders! But all this was part of God’s plan—for You to be a sacrifice for the sins of mankind. Thank You for being willing to go to that cross.

Verse of Salvation ~ But He gives us more and more grace [through the power of the Holy Spirit to defy sin and live an obedient life that reflects both our faith and our gratitude for our salvation]. Therefore, it says, "GOD IS OPPOSED TO THE PROUD and HAUGHTY, BUT [continually] GIVES [the gift of] GRACE TO THE HUMBLE [who turn away from self-righteousness]." James 4:6 AMP

All scripture quoted from the New Living Translation (NLT) unless otherwise noted.

Scripture quotations taken from the Amplified® Bible (AMP),

Biblical search from Blue Letter Bible - http://v3.blueletterbible.org/search.cfm.

Monday, July 20, 2026

What Defiles You?

Then Jesus called to the crowd to come and hear. "All of you listen," he said, "and try to understand. It's not what goes into your body that defiles you; you are defiled by what comes from your heart." ... Then Jesus went into a house to get away from the crowd, and his disciples asked him what he meant by the parable he had just used. "Don't you understand either?" he asked. "Can't you see that the food you put into your body cannot defile you? Food doesn't go into your heart, but only passes through the stomach and then goes into the sewer." (By saying this, he declared that every kind of food is acceptable in God's eyes.) And then he added, "It is what comes from inside that defiles you. For from within, out of a person's heart, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, wickedness, deceit, lustful desires, envy, slander, pride, and foolishness. All these vile things come from within; they are what defile you." Mark 7:14-15, 17-23 (Underlined to answer question.)

Then Jesus called to the crowd to come and hear. "Listen," he said, "and try to understand. It's not what goes into your mouth that defiles you; you are defiled by the words that come out of your mouth." Then the disciples came to him and asked, "Do you realize you offended the Pharisees by what you just said?" Jesus replied, "Every plant not planted by my heavenly Father will be uprooted, so ignore them. They are blind guides leading the blind, and if one blind person guides another, they will both fall into a ditch." Then Peter said to Jesus, "Explain to us the parable that says people aren't defiled by what they eat." "Don't you understand yet?" Jesus asked. "Anything you eat passes through the stomach and then goes into the sewer. But the words you speak come from the heart—that’s what defiles you. For from the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, all sexual immorality, theft, lying, and slander. These are what defile you. Eating with unwashed hands will never defile you." Matthew 15:10-20

Meditate on Jesus’ explanation.

Would sushi "defile" you?
It is not what you eat...but your
heartfelt thoughts that can make you impure.

What defiles you? What makes you unclean? Jesus is very specific. Out of a person's heart come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, wickedness, deceit, lustful desires, envy, slander, pride, and foolishness. It isn’t what you eat that defiles you since that food goes through you. It is what is in your heart. So, what is in your heart? What’s your thought pattern…your focus? Will you let Jesus change you? Are you willing to let your behavior from your heart, not just your mind, be changed? Are you willing to be forgiven, to be transformed? Jesus offers forgiveness from all those sins that He calls out in these passages. He went to the cross just for our sins. Will you accept His forgiveness?

What do we learn about Jesus from these passages of Scripture today?

Prayer – Lord Jesus, forgive me for wallowing in my selfishness and the very sins that You explained are defiling me…all humankind. Thank You for forgiveness—for that gift of faith that allows me to accept what You have done for me.

Verses of Salvation ~ For it is by grace [God's remarkable compassion and favor drawing you to Christ] that you have been saved [actually delivered from judgment and given eternal life] through faith. And this [salvation] is not of yourselves [not through your own effort], but it is the [undeserved, gracious] gift of God; not as a result of [your] works [nor your attempts to keep the Law], so that no one will [be able to] boast or take credit in any way [for his salvation]. Ephesians 2:8-9 AMP

All scripture quoted from the New Living Translation (NLT) unless otherwise noted.

Scripture quotations taken from the Amplified® Bible (AMP),

Biblical search from Blue Letter Bible - http://v3.blueletterbible.org/search.cfm

Sunday, July 19, 2026

Traditions!

One day some Pharisees and teachers of religious law arrived from Jerusalem to see Jesus. They noticed that some of his disciples failed to follow the Jewish ritual of hand washing before eating. (The Jews, especially the Pharisees, do not eat until they have poured water over their cupped hands, as required by their ancient traditions. Similarly, they don't eat anything from the market until they immerse their hands in water. This is but one of many traditions they have clung to—such as their ceremonial washing of cups, pitchers, and kettles.) So the Pharisees and teachers of religious law asked him, "Why don't your disciples follow our age-old tradition? They eat without first performing the hand-washing ceremony." Jesus replied, "You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you, for he wrote, 'These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship is a farce, for they teach man-made ideas as commands from God.' For you ignore God's law and substitute your own tradition." Then he said, "You skillfully sidestep God's law in order to hold on to your own tradition. For instance, Moses gave you this law from God: 'Honor your father and mother,' and 'Anyone who speaks disrespectfully of father or mother must be put to death.' But you say it is all right for people to say to their parents, 'Sorry, I can't help you. For I have vowed to give to God what I would have given to you.' In this way, you let them disregard their needy parents. And so you cancel the word of God in order to hand down your own tradition. And this is only one example among many others." Mark 7:1-13 (Underlined for emphasis.)

Meditate on worship.

It probably took about seven hours for those Pharisees to walk from Jerusalem to Capernaum, where Jesus and His disciples were staying. Those Pharisees were observant, judgmental people. Do you think they were a bit boastful themselves? They were probably thinking… “Look at me…I do everything right…I follow all the laws, beginning with washing my hands before meals. I am holier than thou.” The Pharisees didn’t come to see Jesus to learn from Him, but to criticize and rebuke Him.

Hand washing station in a Jerusalem hotel.
Follow the tradition--the ritual of pouring water over one's hands.

Well—it was the Pharisees who got rebuked. Traditions! Can’t you just hear that song from “Fiddler on the Roof?” Traditions! The Pharisees were following traditions, not God’s law. The directives given in Leviticus were mainly for the priests—but the Pharisees changed them to apply to everyone and apply to other instances, not just rituals of sacrifice and purification. Still, to this day, some Jews observe hand-washing traditions. You will see hand-washing stations at hotels, restaurants, and even at the Wailing Wall.

Jesus called the Pharisees out on their changing of God’s commands. They weren’t honoring their parents with the Jewish tradition of giving money to the synagogue or Temple instead of taking care of their parents. What kind of loving treatment is that? I continually keep remembering discussions Jesus had about “Love God. Love others as ourselves.” Honestly, would those Pharisees want to be treated the way that they were encouraging others? Would they want to be neglected instead of respectfully taken care of? Of course not! But they could afford an expensive nursing home—wait! They didn’t have nursing homes in Biblical times, did they? You can be assured that those Pharisees weren’t concerned about elderly parents…or even themselves when they got old. They just wanted to discredit Jesus and His disciples. Jesus could see them for the hypocrites they were. Do you see them as that?

What do we learn about Jesus from this scripture passage today?

Prayer – Lord Jesus, open our eyes that we would see ourselves as You see us.

Verses of Salvation ~ So I died to the law—I stopped trying to meet all its requirements—so that I might live for God. My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not treat the grace of God as meaningless. For if keeping the law could make us right with God, then there was no need for Christ to die. Galatians 2:19-21

All scripture quoted from the New Living Translation (NLT) unless otherwise noted.

Biblical search from Blue Letter Bible - http://v3.blueletterbible.org/search.cfm.

Saturday, July 18, 2026

What Do You Want From Jesus – The Bread of Life?

Jesus just fed 5,000 men and families.
What other miracle do they need?

The next day the crowd that had stayed on the far shore saw that the disciples had taken the only boat, and they realized Jesus had not gone with them. Several boats from Tiberias landed near the place where the Lord had blessed the bread and the people had eaten. So when the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they got into the boats and went across to Capernaum to look for him. They found him on the other side of the lake and asked, "Rabbi, when did you get here?" Jesus replied, "I tell you the truth, you want to be with me because I fed you, not because you understood the miraculous signs. But don't be so concerned about perishable things like food. Spend your energy seeking the eternal life that the Son of Man can give you. For God the Father has given me the seal of his approval." They replied, "We want to perform God's works, too. What should we do?" Jesus told them, "This is the only work God wants from you: Believe in the one he has sent." They answered, "Show us a miraculous sign if you want us to believe in you. What can you do? After all, our ancestors ate manna while they journeyed through the wilderness! The Scriptures say, 'Moses gave them bread from heaven to eat.'" Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, Moses didn't give you bread from heaven. My Father did. And now he offers you the true bread from heaven. The true bread of God is the one who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world." "Sir," they said, "give us that bread every day." Jesus replied, "I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. John 6:22-35 (Underlined for clarity.) [Continue reading through John 6:71.]

Meditate on Jesus’ miracles and what people wanted.

What do you want from Jesus? Jesus was very specific about what God expected people to do… spend your energy seeking the eternal life that the Son of Man can give you and believe. These people said, “Show us a miraculous sign if you want us to believe in you. What can you do?” Do you need a miraculous sign to believe in Jesus today? On what do you spend your energy?

Are you hungry? Do you want a slice of bread…or some spiritual food? Jesus declared to these people that He was the “true bread of God…the one who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world." Do you want this life—eternal life—that Jesus offered then…and now? You’ll be filled with spiritual life—never to be hungry for it again. What a great feeling! I’ve got that.

These folks wanted to perform God’s works, too. What should we do? Is that something of which we want to be a part? Sure, I’d like to heal people just like Jesus did. But here Jesus said, just believe. Later, speaking with His disciples, we have His recorded words that give us hope of helping others.

"I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father.” John 14:12

Hope of serving…of doing the same works. What do you think? What do you want from Jesus, the Bread of Life?

What do we learn about Jesus from this long scripture passage today?

Prayer – Lord Jesus, I believe in You. You are the Son of God…You are God. Powerful. Compassionate. Loving. Everything we have or want comes from God the Father. Help us to believe and to be like You in our willingness to serve others for You.

Verse of Salvation ~ Protect me, for I am devoted to you. Save me, for I serve you and trust you. You are my God. Psalm 86:2

All scripture quoted from the New Living Translation (NLT) unless otherwise noted.

Biblical search from Blue Letter Bible - http://v3.blueletterbible.org/search.cfm.

Friday, July 17, 2026

Where is Gennesaret? What Happens There?

After they had crossed the lake, they landed at Gennesaret. They brought the boat to shore and climbed out. The people recognized Jesus at once, and they ran throughout the whole area, carrying sick people on mats to wherever they heard he was. Wherever he went—in villages, cities, or the countryside—they brought the sick out to the marketplaces. They begged him to let the sick touch at least the fringe of his robe, and all who touched him were healed. Mark 6:53-56

After they had crossed the lake, they landed at Gennesaret. When the people recognized Jesus, the news of his arrival spread quickly throughout the whole area, and soon people were bringing all their sick to be healed. They begged him to let the sick touch at least the fringe of his robe, and all who touched him were healed. Matthew 14:34-36

Meditate on healing.

Gennesaret is on the northwest shore of the Sea of Galilee, not far from Capernaum where Jesus spent much of His ministry. People there had obviously heard about Jesus and His miracles. Can you imagine them rushing around and bringing their sick to Him? Someone must have spread the story of the woman with the blood issue (see Mark 5:24-34) who touched His cloak, or most likely the tassels on His prayer shawl. Jesus proclaimed to her that her faith had made her well. She believed that Jesus could heal her. He did. Could He heal these others? Their faith would make them well.

Bird of Paradise
Israel
Do you have the faith of the Bird of Paradise?
It is a flower...not an animal.
Trust in the Lord.

Why doesn’t that happen today? Good question. Did everyone who came to Jesus get healed? We don’t have a record or the statistics on that, but we can certainly assume, yes. We can trust that for each healing miracle that we read about, there were many more that were not recorded. So, again, why doesn’t that happen today? How many times have you prayed for someone…and they were not healed? God has a plan. Does that include prolonged suffering? Does that mean that since we have a finite length of days, that our days are numbered and this is God’s way of allowing that to happen? So many questions? Still, we just have to have the faith to trust Him. To believe that whether our requests are in His will or not, they will be answered in His time and in His will. Do we need to beg Him as the people at Gennesaret did? Asking politely is part of our culture, but as we get desperate, we may be down on our knees pleading for mercy. I’ve been there. Have you? Trust Him. That is the only and best answer we have. Have faith. Faith is what made that woman well. Faith—the belief in what we cannot see is expressed in many verses in the Bible. Here are a few.

Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see. Hebrews 11:1

You can pray for anything, and if you have faith, you will receive it." Matthew 21:22 (Jesus)

But when Jesus heard what had happened, he said to Jairus, "Don't be afraid. Just have faith, and she will be healed." Luke 8:50 (The little girl was raised from the dead.)

You say you have faith, for you believe that there is one God. Good for you! Even the demons believe this, and they tremble in terror. James 2:19

Faith. Have you got it? Do you believe in Jesus as your own Savior? Will you trust Him—whether you are healed or your prayers seem unanswered?

What do we learn about the character of Jesus from these scripture passages?

Prayer – Lord Jesus, I trust You. I believe that You still have the power to heal…just like You did when You walked this earth. I don’t understand why some prayers seem to go unanswered or that the answer is “not yet” or just “No,” but I still trust that You hear my prayers and that You are my advocate before the Father, as John wrote: My dear children, I am writing this to you so that you will not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate who pleads our case before the Father. He is Jesus Christ, the truly righteous one. 1 John 2:1 Does all illness indicate sin? May that never be. I trust You, for You are the Creator, Redeemer, Savior, and friend. Thank You.

Verses of Salvation ~ Share your food with the hungry, and give shelter to the homeless. Give clothes to those who need them, and do not hide from relatives who need your help. Then your salvation will come like the dawn, and your wounds will quickly heal. Your godliness will lead you forward, and the glory of the LORD will protect you from behind. Then when you call, the LORD will answer. 'Yes, I am here,' he will quickly reply. Remove the heavy yoke of oppression. Stop pointing your finger and spreading vicious rumors! Feed the hungry, and help those in trouble. Then your light will shine out from the darkness, and the darkness around you will be as bright as noon. The LORD will guide you continually, giving you water when you are dry and restoring your strength. You will be like a well-watered garden, like an ever-flowing spring. Isaiah 58:7-11

Friday’s Feast at the King’s Table

The best summertime birthday cake is a cool, refreshing ice cream cake.

Reese’s Peanut Butter Pie

1 package Oreo cookies, crushed or grated in the food processor

1 cube of unsalted butter, softened

2 cartons of Reese’s Peanut Butter ice cream, slightly softened

1 bag of large Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup candy bars (about 16 individual cups), frozen, and crushed

Chocolate fudge sauce

Cool Whip or canned whipped cream

Garnish of choice

Mix soft butter and crushed cookies. Press into a 9X12-inch glass casserole dish. Freeze for a few minutes. Cut one carton of ice cream into about ½ inch slices and spread evenly over cookie crust. Top with crushed candy. Spread remaining carton of ice cream over the crushed candy. Freeze until firm, several hours or overnight. Drizzle with chocolate fudge sauce. Garnish with whipped cream, or dollops of Cool Whip. Freeze again, or serve immediately. Additional garnish with some small Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, peanuts, or even some Marchino cherries…and candles. Light. Sing and Enjoy!

Happy Birthday, Melissa!

May God continue to bless you as you seek and serve Him.

All scripture quoted from the New Living Translation (NLT) unless otherwise noted.

Biblical search from Blue Letter Bible - http://v3.blueletterbible.org/search.cfm.