words of Jesus: Wait on him

 words of Jesus: Wait on him by ric gustafson

Sometimes in life we need to move ahead. Sometimes it is necessary to wait. We can try to run our lives ourselves. God the Father instead offers us his Spirit for help. Listen to God when he tells you to wait and listen.

The Holy Spirit is a generous gift. When we have fellowship with the Spirit we have peace, love, joy, endurance and hope. The fruit of the Spirit can start. The Holy Spirit can transform us from the inside out.

The Holy Spirit can give us all we need. We need to wait on Jesus each and every day.

research help: ' Bible Word Search devotional' by Broad Street Publishing

Peace and God's blessings. Love Ric

7/16/1999 page 9

 7/16/1999 page 9 by ric gustafson

Even though John could not see any visual clues or know the new plane's instruments, he kept flying. His decision to save time and fly over open water proved fatal. He could not see through the haze. 

His first instinct was to try and drop below it. At 9:34 pm, John guided the Piper Saratoga down to 2300 hundred feet. Exiting the haze, John could see the Gay Head Lighthouse. It was a familiar landmark. 

The joy of being able to see did not last long for John. After only five minutes, the haze came back. John again could not see through the windows of the Piper Saratoga. 

Without visual clues, John's brain was getting confused.

research help: ' The Day John Died' by Christopher Andersen

Peace and God's blessings. Love Ric

7/16/1999 page 8

 7/16/1999 page 8 by ric gustafson

John navigated the Piper Saratoga over the Hudson River. Then toward Long Island Sound. The plane's cruising altitude was 5,600 feet. Suddenly, an air traffic controler noticed that John's plane was flying too close to an American Airlines passenger jet. John did not see the jet. Luckily, the pilot of the passenger jet changed his course to avoid a midair collision. John's plane headed east along the Connecticut shoreline.

It was at this time that the weather conditions people had been warning John about began to happen. It was now roughly 40 minutes after takeoff. A haze began. It was getting so bad John could not see anything. As the Piper Saratoga flew past Westerly Rhode Island, John could still not see anything. John did not know his new plane had autopilot.

Then John made a grave decision. He decided to fly straight ahead to Martha's Vineyard. This new route was now flying 35 miles over open water.

research help: ' The Day John Died' by Christopher Andersen

Peace and God's blessings. Love Ric

words of Jesus: Forgiveness

 words of Jesus: Forgiveness by ric gustafson

In Mark 2, Jesus heals a paralyzed man. He did something to the man even more powerful. Jesus removed the man's guilt, shame and fear. On behalf of God the Father, Jesus forgave the man's sins. 

The Pharisee's balked greatly when Jesus did this. They wanted to know who gave Jesus the authority to do this. To the Pharisees, strict sacrifices had to be done by specific people. 

Not only does Jesus forgive us, he sets us free to forgive others. In Jesus's mercy, we are alive and free in his mercy.

research help: ' Bible Word Search devotional' by Broad Street Publishing

Peace and God's blessings. Love Ric

World Prayer: Algeria

 World Prayer: Algeria by ric gustafson

The Republic of Algeria is 2,381,741 sq km. The country is on the Mediterranean coast. It is in the Atlas Mountains. 80% of the country is desert. The capital of Algeria is Algiers. About 70 percent of the people are Maghreb Arabs. The economy of the country is mostly based on oil and gas reserves. The country was a French colony for 132 years. Independence came in 1962. Only Catholics and the Protestant Church of Algeria is recognized.

The Algerian Church is growing. Prayer for the country because Algeria has suffered deeply in the past. Prayer because there has been much bloodshed and human rights abuses are widespread. Prayer because Christian persecution is intensifying. Prayer because there is many unreached people in the country. 

The country of Algeria needs world prayer.

research help: ' Operation World' by Jason Mandryk

Peace and God's blessings. Love Ric

MJ page 1

 MJ page 1 by ric gustafson

To people who knew Michael Jackson, he was a ticket to ride. People leaned on him from an early age. He was a ticket for his family and everyone else.

Michael Jackson had been performing since he was old enough to stand. He became a market commodity. He stayed that way. He was a dominating presence in the 1980's and 1990's. His appeal was world wide.

MJ turned a 2,700 acre ranch into a children's playground. He was a pop star without equal. The public loved his talent. They were fascinated by his life. It was like a modern day soap opera. After MJ died, His life was compared to Princess Diana, O J Simpson and Elizabeth Taylor.

MJ's life was entertaining people. His life was performing in front of people. Starting with the Jackson 5, MJ had to be entertaining. He had to. He could not stop.

research help: ' The Destruction and Creation of Michael Jackson' by Ellis Cashmore

Peace and God's blessings. Love Ric

World Prayer: Albania

World Prayer: Albania by ric gustafson

The Republic of Albania is 28,748. Albania is a mountainous Balkan state on the Adriatic Sea. The capital of Albania is Tirana. The country is one of Europe's poorest countries. The Communist regime crumbled here in 1991 after the death of dictator Enver Hoxha. 

God has been working in this country. The Albanian Church is maturing. Evangelicals is now several thousand. We need to pray because Albania has a long road ahead to recover from atheistic Communism. The religious climate is hazy. Islam is the largest religion in Albania. 

We need to pray for leadership training. We need to pray for church planting. We need to pray for a Holistic mission. The country of Albania needs world prayer.

research help: ' Operation World' by Jason Mandryk

Peace and God's blessings. Love Ric