So he said to the man who took care of the vineyard, ‘For three years now I’ve been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and haven’t found any. Cut it down! Why should it use up the soil?’-Luke 13:7, NIV
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Son of man, with one blow I am about to take away from you the delight of your eyes. Yet do not lament or weep or shed any tears. Groan quietly; do not mourn for the dead. Keep your turban fastened and your sandals on your feet; do not cover your mustache and beard or eat the customary food of mourners. -Ezekiel 24: 15b-17, NIV I am going where everyone on earth must someday go. Take courage and be a man. -1 Kings 2:2, NLT My son, I will die: I have to, I cannot cheat the circle of life. Where I will go, you will meet me soon –but please, heed my words. What God has given me is a monumental favor. I do not deserve this, I do not own this, neither do you. You are a servant, an administrator accountable to the people's whims. And no, please don't look at me with that face. I believe in you, I trust in you –only you can finish the job God started in me. Trust me, you are the perfect person...but I cannot let you stray away, not by any chance. Please, remember me. Remember my victories. Remember my failures. Remember my hardships. Remember I was born running, and I will die running –and so you will, too. Remember I was born leading, and I will die leading –and so you will, too. But I must beg of you: learn, grow, improve, do better than what I did, exceed the expectations, go far above and beyond, soar and fly higher than I did. You have your youth; I have my sagging flesh and skin. Be careful when you walk along the halls. The walls have ears, and they will hear even your last breath. Be careful what you do in secret— I have learned this the hard way. Be careful when you make treaties with foreigners or when you run off meeting your future bride; treat everyone with respect, everywhere you go. I see your tears. Don't hold them back. After all the years I had to suck my tears dry in front of the Lord, I can't ask you to be more a human than to be yourself. I've seen you grow up into a strong man, so curious and unafraid of the world. Don't lose the fear I won back on my deathbed. Please, don't lose that sparkle of hope in your eyes...yet don't fall prey to the stupidities you'll face in these horrible days. They will only grow from bad to worse, but that's where you come in. Where God has placed you, that's where He wants you: and only through Him, you'll grow even higher and higher. Tell your children...Oh, they're right here...I love you all very so much. Tell your wife...Oh, she's also there...I am honored to be your second father. Tell your workers and friends...Thank you for the music. And I will say to myself...Thank GOD I am leaving this place! But enough is enough: I have said what I have to say. I will go in peace, I will go in silence. Remember all my advice, and make it your own. And when you make it your own and your children stand before you, you will see your lips move with the Lord's majestic voice. Be a man. Be brave. Be majestic. Be a father. Be a man.
Felicidades. “Lord,” she replied, “even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.” -Mark 7:28, NIV But Israel reached out his right hand and put it on Ephraim’s head. He did it even though Ephraim was the younger son. He crossed his arms and put his left hand on Manasseh’s head. He did it even though Manasseh was the older son. -Genesis 48:14, NIRV Why have I found such favor in your eyes that you notice me—a foreigner? -Ruth 2:10, NIV As Ruth kept reading the newspaper, Holden forced himself to remember her. Something from her look was different...ethereal...unique. And not that old-people, gray hair unique that people are worrying to have when they hit old age. “Would you like a cup of coffee?”, he asked to the old Ruth. “Why, yes, my dear”, she responded. It was right too early for an elderly woman to travel across town in a train, so Holden's gesture was very much appreiated. For a moment, Ruth kept chuckling, and that lifted Holden's spirits in some sort of way. Stop #1 became her first job at a Jewish deli. Stop #2, the dry cleaners close to her best friend's apartment. Stop #3, the beauty shop they gunned down a couple of times because it became a meth lab at night. Stop #4, the junior college she began studying when she gave up working menial jobs and minimum wage. And 5 and 6 and 7 and 8. But nine... she never dared. In some sort of way, she remembered the first time she arrived to this city. Broken, poor, young and widowed, with no one to share the rest of her life with. A beautiful woman, but scorned and scarred by life. There was a dream she had to follow whatever the cost. And of course, no one understood her, they thought she was crazy and impulsive and stupid and still depressed. On the first eve of her husband's passing, Ruth couldn't handle the pain. She didn't have any money for the landlord, much less a shrink. Depression mixed in with copious quantities of Johnny Walker and Rohypnol -not very classy. Ruth felt blinded...fragil...alone. The only thing between her and death was a knife and David Letterman. And not even Letterman could feel her pain every time he said, “Well, earlier in the day...” Her face ran every time she took a swig of whiskey with a hand-picked pill from the counter. (At least, it'll hurt, but not that hard!) Come 11:30, 11:45, 11:55...nothing. Looks like she either had no remedy: either the whiskey was doing too much, or it was time to end it with blood. Ruth took a knife from the kitchen top. She quietly sat on the floor, looking at the cracked ceiling filled with termites in heat. Her head rested on a pillow, her pillow smoothened on the side. And Ruth continued playing with the knife, crying on a pillow, saying, “It's too late for me, it's too late for me, it's too late for me.” With a strike to her gut, she played with the force. May she rest in-- Ding dong! Ding dong! Ding dong! “Miss Ruth, Miss Ruth, Miss Ruth! We need your help!” To Be Continued...
Ella dijo: Iré contigo; mas no será tuya la gloria de la jornada que emprendes, porque en mano de mujer venderá Jehová a Sísara. -Jueces 4:9a, RV1960 I will certainly go with you, but you should know from the beginning that this battle will not lead to your personal glory. The Eternal has decreed that the mighty Sisera will be defeated by a woman. -Judges 4:8, VOICE The east wind carries them away, and they are gone. It sweeps them away. It whirls down on them without mercy. They struggle to flee from its power. -Job 27:22 & 23, NIV |
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