God Reflections: John 8

 God's Reflections: John 8 by ric gustafson

Are you free?. It's an important question. As Americans we are free. But personally, are you free?. John 8 says and the truth will set you free. In our inner life, are we free?. Jesus says we can have freedom in our lives. We can have freedom in our heart. 

If we abide in God's Word, we can have freedom of the Spirit. Jesus tells us to study his Word. Jesus wants us to read and think about his Word. When we abide, we integrate God's truth into our lives.

Jesus wants us to have inner freedom. Why?. Because he loves us more than anything else.

research: ' God Reflections' by Roma Downey and Mark Burnett

Peace and God's blessings. Love Ric

Wine page 4

Wine page 4 by ric gustafson

The wind is very important to making wine. Each grape vine is called a crown. It will be that way for 20 years. By that time, the trunk will be strong enough to withstand the wind. A gentle breeze is always good. It cools the grapes. A slashing or severe wind is never good. Vines can be damaged. Even a stiff wind is not the best. 

Soil is very important to making wine. In viticulture, you need good drainage. You need good soil to push vines deep to find water and nutrients. Sand, silt, rocks, organic matter, limestone and schist. Color is important in wine making. Soil needs color and the ability to reflect sunlight. 

Grapevines mutate over time as a result of viruses. A population of vines derived from a single vine is called a mother vine. A vineyard of pinot noir can have some vines that are more robust. Some vines might produce smaller berries. A clone of pinot noir could have more intensity of flavor than another. The root system beneath the soil of a grape vine is rootstock. 

Rootstock can be traced back to 3 grape species. Rootstocks can be high or low vigor. They can have shallow or deep roots. Selecting the right rootstock for the location is critical for wine making.

Next, we will look at vineyards and the harvest.

research help: ' The Wine Bible' by Karen MacNeil

Peace and God's blessings. Love Ric

Salome page 3

 Salome page 3 by ric gustafson

I woke up to a sharp distinctive whine. My head hurt. It needed stitches. Then I heard that familiar whine again. Could it be.

" Noy". I jumped. 

My Abba and a man entered the room. The man was holding my dog.

" Noy". I ran over and cupped the dog's face in my hands. " I thought he was dead".

Abba grinned. " Thank you for finding Noy Zebedee".

Zebedee smiled. " I found him roaming the field north of town".

Salome frowned. " And the boys?".

Zebedee pointed a finger at a bruise on his jaw. " They won't be bothering you for a while".

Salome jumped up. She ran over to Zebedee. She gave the tall thin man a big hug. " Thank you".

research help: ' On Living Stone' by Heather Kaufman

Peace and God's blessings. Love Ric

God Reflections: Acts 1

 God Reflections: Acts 1 by ric gustafson

God's Word talks a lot about power. In Acts 1, Jesus talks about power. He promises to his disciples that he will send the Holy Spirit to them. And that the Holy Spirit will infuse them with power. Jesus's power enables the disciples and us to be the best we can be.

In our spiritual lives, we need something to get us going. And what is that?. We need God's Word and we need the Holy Spirit.

God will give us the power to be the best we can be. He promises that to us. Why?. Because he loves us more than anything else.

research help: ' God Reflections' by Roma Downey and Mark Burnett

Peace and God's blessings. Love Ric

God's Reflections: Genesis 1

 God Reflections: Genesis 1 by ric gustafson

Everyone has a world view. We view life through a lens. In the 1950's, we viewed the world through a modern yet moral lens. In the 1960's, we were more introspective. Our answers were now being questioned. Our world view changed.

In the 1970's, we were skeptical. We had new hope in the 1980's. 

Genesis 1 talks about in the beginning. Before Genesis 1 there was love, glory and eternal life. In Genesis 1 was God. Elohim was God. God created everything from nothing. God created the heavens and the earth. 

Why would God do that?. Because he loves more than anything else.

research help: ' The Joshua Code' by O S Hawkins

Peace and God's blessings. Love Ric

God Reflections: I Peter 1

 God Reflections: I Peter I by ric gustafson

When God gave the law to Moses on Mt Sinai, he gave a command to the children of Israel. That command was to be holy. Why? because he was holy. I Peter 1 says be holy because I am holy. 

Do we consider ourselves holy?. The fact is anyone can be holy. The word Holy means that something is different or special. We were created to be holy. When we believe in God's Son Jesus. we become holy in God's eyes. We are set apart. We may look and act the same outside. Inside, we are different.

God loves us more than anything else.

research help: ' God Reflections' by Roma Downey and Mark Burnett

Peace and God's blessings. Love Ric

Wine page 3

 Wine page 3 by ric gustafson

One nature influence on wine is climate. Climate determines if grapes exist at all. Grape vines thrive in temperate regions. Around 50 degrees, grape vines begin to grow. Below 50, grape vines remain dormant. When temperatures are 63 to 68, vines will flower. 

Microclimates include wind, cloudiness and precipitation. Photosynthesis is a process that produces sugar that grape vines need in order to grow. Four elements are needed. Chlorophyll molecules must be found in the vines leaves. There must be light. There must be a small amount of water. There must be carbon dioxide. 

Grape vines need the sun. Mountains and hillsides help. North facing slopes help. South facing slopes help in cool regions. 

Grape vine leaves can help or hurt. Without enough leaves, Leaves convert light energy to chemical energy. Without enough leaves, grape vines will produce more clusters than it can ripen. The result are grapes that are weak and lack in flavor. 

When grape vines have to work harder to grow because of lack of sun and water, they are stressed. Other hazards to grape vines include temperature swings and frost.

Next we will look at three important things grape vines need in order to survive.

research help: ' The Wine Bible' by Karen MacNeil

Peace and God's blessings. Love Ric