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Calling Levi

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The Calling of Saint Matthew - James Tissot I had returned from a laboring journey.  Activity in the small fishing village, I called home, was full of excitement.  I asked a neighbor about the manifestations during my absence.  He seemed surprised by my query. "Have you not heard?" He began. "A teacher has come among us.  No one is sure from where he came.  It is said that he performed a miracle, maybe more.  He was down by the shore the other day.  He spoke with Simon and Andrew, and the two sons of Zebedee.  Seems he seeks men who make their trade in the sea, but then, just this morning, he was talking to that vile tax collector." "Levi?" I asked, knowing my neighbor could mean no one else.  Then, I followed my first question with another, "And does that explain the zeal of the townsfolk?" "Levi is having a gathering tonight, at his house.  All are invited, but you know the pious will stay clear." "Perhaps not," I countered....
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Moabite to a Jew

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Your people will be my people, words of Ruth to Naomi, Moabite to a Jew, cursed to the chosen. Your God will be my God, a gentile speaks, accepting a new life, a new faith, and prophecies gain a voice. A curse against those who did not bring bread and water to the tribes when the desert was theirs to wander. Your God will be my God, one widow to another, God's plan manifested in a proclamation of faith. copyright 2026 - Donald P James Jr https://www.amazon.com/stores/Donald-P.-James-Jr./author https://www.goodreads.com
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Bread from the Good Things

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Bread from the good things we've known that nobody tallies. Joe Wise - Here is My Life Gifts given with the dawn, a breath of a new day. Mercy to heal the scars of yesterday. To rise weary, or refreshed. To smell the aroma of coffee, or cradle a mug of hot tea between cold hands. To hear a child's footsteps while the morning is still young. To hear the tale of a dream you dreamt once. Bread offered, filling each meal, if only to satisfy the body's hunger. Words read, spoken by creator and given to all that we might know of an emotion called love. Love that moves beyond life. The all  encompassing embrace of those gifted to us. Those taken for granted when we give thanks. Those we have expected from life when we laid down plans. Those which we cherish because God has bestowed them upon us. Gifts given with the night, to kneel, or to sit, to clear thoughts of the day, thoughts of ourselves. To offer prayer, maybe wordless, and to listen to the wisdom of silence as He gently g...
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That Which Defiles

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All these evil things come from inside, and they defile a person. Mark 7:23 From inside, defiled. Not from that growing in the field, or roasted for the slaughter. From within, out of your heart, come thoughts, actions, and words that sully. From inside, immorality languishes. Out from the core of one's being come forth greed, lust, and any cause for pride. Take care then, to concern yourself less with what is placed  on the surface of your tongue and swallowed, then that which is expelled, as vomit, without kindness. copyright 2026 - Donald P James Jr https://www.amazon.com/stores/Donald-P.-James-Jr./author https://www.goodreads.com
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Teach Your Children

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Jesus with the Children - Von Vogelstein Teach your children, teach your grandchildren, by example, and by your words, teach them what needs to be known. The way, the truth and the life, the lesson most needed in a world longing for its demise. Teach a friend, teach a stranger, share that they might know, the words spoken to your heart. copyright 2026 - Donald P James Jr https://www.amazon.com/stores/Donald-P.-James-Jr./author https://www.goodreads.com
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No Taste, No Light

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No taste. Not even that of bitterness. Your salt is no better than dirt. You  have lost your flavor, lost the essence of your offering. No Light. Not even a dull glimmer. You have hidden away your light. You have placed it where it cannot be seen. Your food will remain unseasoned, your lampstand will remain empty, unless your light shines before others and gives glory to God. copyright 2026 - Donald P James Jr https://www.amazon.com/stores/Donald-P.-James-Jr./author https://www.goodreads.com
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Called

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He called them, and immediately they left their boat and their father and followed Him. Matthew 4:22 The stranger stood at the water's edge, having just called out over the sea to Simon and Andrew.  An offer for a life different, the brothers stopped casting their nets.  At Simon's order, they came to shore, as beckoned. James and John watched.  The sons of Zebedee were with their boat helping their father mend nets that had been torn.   "Who do you suppose that is?" James said to his younger brother. "I do not know," John replied. "Andrew has been talking about some preacher he met down by the river." "The Baptist?" James asked, having heard Andrew speak of the wild man by the Jordan, who ranted about repentance. "No," John responded. "Not him.  Andrew said their was another.  Maybe not a preacher, but a prophet." "Been a long time since the last one," Zebedee added, overhearing his sons discussion. "Ti...
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Blessed are They

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Robert Payton Reid - Jesus Teaches His Disciples Up the mountain, separate from the crowd. The children had been gathering, to see, touch, and hear, but the chosen twelve needed instruction. Blessed are they... A new set of commandments, meant for the heart. They will see the kingdom, be comforted, inherit the land, and be shown mercy. In the distance the crowds still gather. Drawn by miracles, and rumors of such. But He was here for these words, the words of his Father. Words shared by He who spoke them into creation. copyright 2026 - Donald P James Jr https://www.amazon.com/stores/Donald-P.-James-Jr./author https://www.goodreads.com
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Purification

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A veil of purification, covering the scars of a suicidal world. "White as snow," Isaiah's voice, speaking amongst the gathering clouds. A veil of purification if you are in its path. Leaving a moment of purity in its wake, a morning without blemish. A veil of purification, covering our nature. In the instant we are called back, embraced, only to clear away a covenant and reveal the stains beneath. copyright 2026 - Donald P James Jr https://www.amazon.com/stores/Donald-P.-James-Jr./author https://www.goodreads.com
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Armor of God

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"Gramps, do you know where in the Bible it talks about putting on the armor of God?" I was fixing a cup of coffee when the question was asked.  My nine year old grandson had hung up his bookbag, left papers for his mom on the counter, and jumped right into the issue of the moment. "I think it's in Ephesians, chapter ten,” he continues. “I looked and I couldn't find it.  I Looked in Thessalonians, both of them.  Neither of them have ten chapters." I pulled out my phone.  The instant encyclopedia that fits neatly in our pockets.  To be honest, I was thinking Timothy, but my mind had jumped to fighting the good fight, not the armor. "We talked about it in CCD," he adds. "I was thinking I might be able to write a poem." "Ephesians, chapter six, verses ten to eighteen," I say, looking at my phone and knowing I'm not as wise as he thinks. He runs into the dining room.  That's his way, always moving quickly, sometimes with reck...
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