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Stephen De La Vega

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By Stephen De La Vega

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Stone Cold Truth about the Grave, Grace, and Honor

By Stephen De La Vega

We may not think of Jesus’ tomb as a tomb of honor, but it was. It was prepared with honor, it was sacrificed with honor, and Jesus was buried in it with honor. But it was not honor that led Him there. The death of Jesus was a death of mockery, deceit, divisiveness, lies, misunderstanding, and, especially, hatred, retaliation, and pain. But this was all part of God’s gracious plan to restore us into His fellowship. Amazing grace led Jesus to the cross. It’s a story known across the globe and through the ages. We can be saved because of God’s amazing grace. Grace ushered Jesus to the cross and to His earthly grave. By grace we are saved through faith, by grace we enjoy a personal relationship with Christ, and by grace we serve a resurrected Lord. How could someone spread His arms so open with love, and leave them extended to take the blows of torture, of humiliation, of rejection ...even rejection from His Father? How can someone’s love be so perfect?

A Gift for Jesus (A Short Poem)

By Stephen De La Vega

Hi friends. Enjoy this short poem. Jesus deserves the best gifts. Share your thoughts in the comments below. A Gift for Jesus What gift will we bring For Jesus the King? What gift will we lay ‘neath the tree? Our gifts are in spots A few, maybe lots But none are for Christ, can we see? We care for those near For those we hold dear But He is most dear, let’s agree He’s done much for us Gave life, love, and thus We’re dear to Him, though without plea We owe Him our all Oh, hear the King’s call Ourselves in return, let it be So, what will we give? How then will we live? What gift will we lay ‘neath the tree? Find all of my Christmas posts here . If you want to know more about Jesus and His gift that He offers freely to all, please email me at authordlv@att.net. Read more blog posts here .

Boarding and Deboarding Noah's Ark
The Ride of Your Life!
(Episode 4: Our Response of Worship)

By Stephen De La Vega

Floodwaters subdued the earth for months. Before the Flood came, God gave Noah detailed instructions to build the ark. He told him when to board. He allowed his family to join him. He even closed the door. Then Noah waited… No water. The ark didn’t move. When would the water come? And how long would Noah and his family be on the ark? God didn’t tell them. He told them how long it would rain – for 40 days and 40 nights – but that’s all they knew. Seven days after God shut the door, floodwaters finally came. 40 days later the storm ended. They floated. How long would it be before they would see land? The highest mountain top was 23 feet below the surface. What did they do while they waited? Care for the animals? Certainly. I think they also meditated on God’s words and prayed. And they must have worshiped, because that’s the first thing Noah did after deboarding the ark. This post is Episode 4 of an 8-episode series about boarding and deboarding Noah’s Ark. If you’re

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Stone Cold Truth about the Grave, Grace, and Honor

By Stephen De La Vega

We may not think of Jesus’ tomb as a tomb of honor, but it was. It was prepared with honor, it was sacrificed with honor, and Jesus was buried in it with honor. But it was not honor that led Him there. The death of Jesus was a death of mockery, deceit, divisiveness, lies, misunderstanding, and, especially, hatred, retaliation, and pain. But this was all part of God’s gracious plan to restore us into His fellowship. Amazing grace led Jesus to the cross. It’s a story known across the globe and through the ages. We can be saved because of God’s amazing grace. Grace ushered Jesus to the cross and to His earthly grave. By grace we are saved through faith, by grace we enjoy a personal relationship with Christ, and by grace we serve a resurrected Lord. How could someone spread His arms so open with love, and leave them extended to take the blows of torture, of humiliation, of rejection ...even rejection from His Father? How can someone’s love be so perfect?

A Gift for Jesus (A Short Poem)

By Stephen De La Vega

Hi friends. Enjoy this short poem. Jesus deserves the best gifts. Share your thoughts in the comments below. A Gift for Jesus What gift will we bring For Jesus the King? What gift will we lay ‘neath the tree? Our gifts are in spots A few, maybe lots But none are for Christ, can we see? We care for those near For those we hold dear But He is most dear, let’s agree He’s done much for us Gave life, love, and thus We’re dear to Him, though without plea We owe Him our all Oh, hear the King’s call Ourselves in return, let it be So, what will we give? How then will we live? What gift will we lay ‘neath the tree? Find all of my Christmas posts here . If you want to know more about Jesus and His gift that He offers freely to all, please email me at authordlv@att.net. Read more blog posts here .

Boarding and Deboarding Noah's Ark
The Ride of Your Life!
(Episode 4: Our Response of Worship)

By Stephen De La Vega

Floodwaters subdued the earth for months. Before the Flood came, God gave Noah detailed instructions to build the ark. He told him when to board. He allowed his family to join him. He even closed the door. Then Noah waited… No water. The ark didn’t move. When would the water come? And how long would Noah and his family be on the ark? God didn’t tell them. He told them how long it would rain – for 40 days and 40 nights – but that’s all they knew. Seven days after God shut the door, floodwaters finally came. 40 days later the storm ended. They floated. How long would it be before they would see land? The highest mountain top was 23 feet below the surface. What did they do while they waited? Care for the animals? Certainly. I think they also meditated on God’s words and prayed. And they must have worshiped, because that’s the first thing Noah did after deboarding the ark. This post is Episode 4 of an 8-episode series about boarding and deboarding Noah’s Ark. If you’re

Getting Off on the Wrong Two Feet

By Stephen De La Vega

Two arms, two legs, ten fingers, ten toes. Perfect! All is good in the maternity ward. Or so it seemed… When will the crying end? Why do the ‘terrible twos’ last more than a year? Why won’t they listen to me? How did they become friends with ________? Teenagers! Sometimes they grow up, but too many of them just get older. (Sigh) We’re not really cute, little bundles of joy underneath those chubby cheeks. That’s what the Apostle Paul would tell us: As it is written: “There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands; there is no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.” “Their throats are open graves; their tongues practice deceit.” “The poison of vipers is on their lips.” “Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.” “Their feet are swift to shed blood; ruin and misery mark their ways, and the way of pe

Boarding and Deboarding Noah's Ark
The Ride of Your Life!
(Episode 2: A Desperate Situation)

By Stephen De La Vega

Life went on as Noah built the ark. There was probably ridicule, a cold shoulder from time to time, and disbelief, but since the ark took some 50 to maybe 120 years to build, life for society and the entire world must have just continued as normal. That was thousands of years ago. We have our daily routines, too. Many of us go about our days with no regard for the end of life as we know it. Sometimes the hereafter doesn’t come to mind until someone we know passes. But whether we think about it or not, God’s plan is in motion and it includes each of us coming to terms with eternity. This post is Episode 2 of an 8-episode series about boarding and deboarding Noah’s Ark. If you missed it, please read Episode 1: The Story of Our Lives . Otherwise, sit back and experience Episode 2 . Episode 2: A Desperate Situation After God created Adam, He was pleased ( Genesis 1:26-31 ). He placed him in the Garden of Eden, created his wife, Eve, and regularly talked with them ( Genesis 2:15-23 ). He e

Journey to Resolve
Resolution 2: Be More Holy

By Stephen De La Vega

How are we doing with our first resolution: I will worship God alone ? That resolution was from Exodus 20:24 . In Exodus 20 , the Israelites promised to worship only God. They did that for a while until their faith leader Moses was gone too long. Then they crafted and worshiped a golden calf instead. A statue. They were too comfortable worshiping in the manner of their captors, the Egyptians, from whom God rescued them. After they misplaced their allegiance onto the statue, they quickly slipped into feasting and carousing – carousing in ways that dishonored the true God. This felt more familiar to them. Worshiping the true God was a promise that quickly faded from their hearts. They had resolved to worship God and only God, but the reality of His presence was not a present reality in their hearts. Yet God was present. **** Click to tweet **** Is the reality of God's presence a present reality in our hearts? **** Our present and faithful God instructed t

John Chapter 2 and 3, A Rhyming Paraphrase

By Stephen De La Vega

I enjoyed how my rhyming paraphrase of John 1 told the story of Jesus in vibrant yet plain language, so I had to continue rhyming John 2 and 3. If you didn't read John 1, start there . Then come back to read Chapters 2 and 3. I wrote all three chapters in a fun meter so it might help engage the kids in your life (including the big ones). In the second and third chapters of John, Jesus began performing miracles, explaining He is the Savior, and foretelling His resurrection. Through Him we may have eternal life. John the Baptist announced Jesus' coming in Chapter 1, and in Chapter 3 he announced His salvation. On to the rhymes and the truth about eternal life... The Gospel of John Chapter 2 - He Who's the Son A wedding occurred a couple days later. Guests one and guests all, with joy the host catered. Among those who came Was Jesus acclaimed, And men of His crew. His mother came, too. And wouldn't you know, they drank all of the wine. But watc

Boarding and Deboarding Noah's Ark
The Ride of Your Life!
(Episode 7: Victory Over Death)

By Stephen De La Vega

No survivors. If you weren’t on the ark, you didn’t survive. It’s the unfortunate truth. We have an ark today. Jesus built it with His life and it is life-giving. Think of it as the cross. In the past 6 episodes, we have seen how Noah’s Ark is the ride of our lives because the true story from ancient times is the same story for us today. Come to the cross. The door is open. Step aboard the Ark and live. This post is Episode 7 of an 8-episode series about boarding and deboarding Noah’s Ark. If you’re visiting this series for the first time, you should start at Episode 1: The Story of Our Lives . Otherwise, sit back and experience Episode 7 . Episode 7: Victory Over Death As I mentioned in Episode 6 , Noah’s story didn’t end when his son found him naked and drunk. His other sons covered him through an act of honor and forgiveness and his story is remembered even today as a reminder of God’s judgment upon the unrighteous and His promise to all life . Noah himself is r

Boarding and Deboarding Noah's Ark
The Ride of Your Life!
(Episode 5: God's Compassion)

By Stephen De La Vega

(image borrowed from my 1 st blog post: Even on Garbage Day, God Loves Us ) Finally! The episode where we talk about: Rainbows There may be rain. Dark clouds may come. But God made rainbows to call attention to His promise. Did you know that the only planet in our solar system where rainbows appear is Earth? That means rainbows only appear on the planet that endured a worldwide flood. Another amazing fact is that we can never touch the rainbows we see, or interrupt them, or dismantle them. Rainbows are in God’s hands, not ours. We can’t change God’s promise. These two facts are extensions of God’s compassion. Why did God create the rainbow phenomena and what is His promise? This post is Episode 5 of an 8-episode series about boarding and deboarding Noah’s Ark. If you’re visiting this series for the first time, you should start at Episode 1: The Story of Our Lives . Otherwise, sit back and experience Episode 5 . Episode 5: God’s Compassion Through Go

Boarding and Deboarding Noah's Ark
The Ride of Your Life!
(Episode 1: The Story of Our Lives)

By Stephen De La Vega

Come with me for a ride on the world’s most famous ark: “Noah’s Ark.” The story of Noah’s Ark may seem fantastical, but it really happened. We may retell it as history, but it’s relevant today. It may feel like it’s about punishment, but it’s about deliverance. We may claim it’s only for the Jews, but it’s for everybody, including you and me. It’s the ride of our lives! Maybe we’ve heard the story enough but there is something for everybody in this limited series of 8 episodes. Get ready for a story of desperation, deliverance, patience, judgment, faith, integrity, hope, worship, obedience, approval, eternal life, denial, sin, love, and sacrifice. It is the story of our lives. The events of Noah and the Ark are recorded in Genesis 6-9 which is the basis for this series. We’ll journey from sunny skies to beyond the rainbow. But, like many series you might enjoy on TV, we’ll start at the end and then see how the story unfolded in subsequent episodes. Episode 1: The Story of O

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Stone Cold Truth about the Grave, Grace, and Honor

A Gift for Jesus (A Short Poem)

Boarding and Deboarding Noah's Ark
The Ride of Your Life!
(Episode 4: Our Response of Worship)