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Showing posts with the label James Tissot

Who Am I?

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   The Exhortation to the Apostles - James Tissot He says, "Who am I?" And do we respond, "You are the one I betray, The one I deny. You are the one who watches my lust for the world, gently trying to turn me back. You are the one who speaks on ancient pages I refuse to read or so much as open the book to the first page. You are the one who listens as I say, 'Tomorrow I will follow, but today my time is filled'." You are the one who bore a whip and hundreds of stripes. You are the one who was crowned with a helmet of thorns. You are the one who fell beneath the weight of my sins and the transgressions of the world. You are the one who was nailed to a Roman cross and cried out a psalm, telling us one more time who you are. You are the one who was pierced and poued out mercy on the world. You are the one who rose from the tomb and offered us peace. He says, "Who am I?" You are my Lord and my God, the one who stretched out his arms for me. You are the...

Tell Us Plainly (John 10:24)

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Woe Unto You - James Tissot Tell us plainly if you are who you say. We grow tired of parables, stories you manipulate the morals to. If you are, then let us know. Perhaps in hearing that you truly are, we might come to believe. A few miracles and talk of a kingdom, we just want to hear if you are who the crowd proclaims. Tell us plainly, we need simply a 'yes' or a 'no'. The paupers, harlots,  and those who faked their diseases, they seem to think you are something more than a vagabond drifter with soothing words. Tell us plainly that we might find a reason to accuse you of being who they desperately need. copyright 2026 - Donald P James Jr https://www.amazon.com/stores/Donald-P.-James-Jr./author https://www.goodreads.com

Lost Without Hope

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James Tissot - The Curse Are we lost, without hope? We knowingly seek our desires, abhorrent to God, without concern for the eternal. Paul said, he did what he hated, He caressed sin. He struggled to avoid the sweet fruits he detested. Are we lost, without hope, having sought the knowledge of evil and bitten to the core? Is there a chance for redemption? Jesus said, he is the only way, the only truth, the only life. He is the shepherd who seeks the lost, the farmer who sows good seed, The one who waits on home’s front porch. copyright 2026 - Donald P James Jr https://www.amazon.com/stores/Donald-P.-James-Jr./author https://www.goodreads.com

Come, Have Breakfast

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Jesus Eats Breakfast with His Disciples - James Tissot Come, have breakfast. There is a fire, sticks burnt to charcoal, laid out just so. There are fish already being prepared, and bread. Come, have breakfast. The shores of the Sea of Tiberias are barren, except for the man who beckons. You drag your overloaded net on to the beach. The catch is abundant. Come, have breakfast. Tally your catch. Despite the number the nets have not torn. One hundred and fifty-three where before there was not one, and they dared not ask, because they knew. copyright 2025 - Donald P James Jr https://www.amazon.com/stores/Donald-P.-James-Jr./author

Hosanna!

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James Tissot - Jesus Enters Jerusalem Hosanna! They lay down their cloaks, not for a stallion, prancing amidst the crowd, not for a centurion, robed with the honor of his rank. Hosanna! Their palms and branches cover not the dust from the hoofs of the beast who carry any dignitary of a puppet king. Hosanna! Their cloaks, the branches waved in celebration, shield a donkey's colt from soil, from kingdoms built on war. Hosanna! An itinerant preacher, a homeless vagabond, rides a beast burdened with humility. Celebrated as a king. Bringing a peace they cannot comprehend. copyright 2025 - Donald P James Jr https://www.amazon.com/stores/Donald-P.-James-Jr./author

Along the Road

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James Tissot - Sick Awaiting the Passage of Jesus Along the road they gather, those who have heard and want to believe. Will healing bring them closer to the Word? Will sight help them to stand beneath His cross and see the son as He is? Along the road they call out. He will touch the leper. He will cause demons to submit. Will the wretched kneel in homage when they no longer bleed? Will they recall His name when He rises from a tomb? Along the road they plead. God hears them today and tomorrow. He needs but to walk past and allow you to touch the hem of His garment, and you will either sing of miracles, or explain away the sores that once bled. copyright 2025 - Donald P James Jr https://www.amazon.com/stores/Donald-P.-James-Jr./author

Who Is This Man?

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James Tissot - Jesus and the Tempest Who is this man that the wind and the waves obey Him? Be still. Be Quiet. He has shut the seas behind barriers. He has made the clouds the storm's garment. He sets limits on the water's encroachment, instructing the proud waves to come no farther. Who is this man? He has taught crowds who would listen, turned away Pharisees and whatever they offered. He has shunned Hems and Tassels and embraced fishermen, tax collectors and prostitutes. Who is this man that the most fierce aspects of nature listen to Him and bow down at the sound of his voice. All havoc is silenced, the seas are calmed. There is quiet. There is stillness. copyright 2024 - Donald P James Jr https://www.amazon.com/stores/Donald-P.-James-Jr./author