Vernon T. Jones MTS, Spiritual Consultant, Author
  • Home
  • Wipf & Stock
  • Amazon's Kindle Editions
  • Living Lutheran Article
  • Vernon's Blog
  • About Vernon
  • God's Plan For us
  • Jesus' Sermon
  • Jesus' Example
  • Resources

Scripture Reflection: Growth in Prayer

1/31/2019

0 Comments

 
Picture
"When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child; when I became an adult, I put an end to childish ways." I Corinthians 13:11

This passage is taken from the chapter in I Corinthians that is often quoted about the importance of love and of its every lasting quality. There are many wonderful messages in this chapter and one of them is embedded in verse 11. That when we are young in age or maturity we generally act and think in one way and after we grow in age or maturity we act and think in another. The same can be said about our prayer life and the steps that we take along on our spiritual pilgrimage.

Many spiritual writers have said that having a life of prayer will change us, and cause to see things in a different way as we continue with our spiritual practices. I know, that is the case for me. My prayer life has often changed over the years as I have added and dropped certain aspects of my spiritual practices.

One of the biggest changes is how I feel free to pray for my family, something that I concerned about, and for others during the day; this is beside the specific prayer times that I am involved with. I often pray during times such as when I am going for a walk, when jogging, riding in a car, or waiting for an appointment. Somewhere along the line I was guided to carry a small piece of paper in my pocket with the names of my family members and close friends and a few issues that are a concern to me. While waiting in line or for an appointment, I pull out the paper and pray for those that are on it.

How we did things while young in our faith, will not be the same as how we do things when we move along on our walk. As this passage states, when we were a child we thought like a child, but when we became an adult, the childish ways were put aside. Please be encouraged to find creative ways to have prayer be an ever-changing aspect of your spiritual pilgrimage. Know that as you mature in your journey that how you pray and live will change, evolve, and grow! Peace, Vernon T.

 
Copyright © 2019 Vernon T. Jones, All Rights Reserved
​

0 Comments

Scripture Reflection: Hearing What the Lord Speaks

1/24/2019

0 Comments

 
Picture
"Let me hear what God the Lord will speak, for he will speak peace to his people, to his faithful, to those who turn to him in their hearts.” Psalm 85: 8

God can speak to us in many varied ways. How the Lord speaks to you is probably different from how God communicates with others. It can also be noted that overtime how we are spoken to could also change. The messages can come during our prayer time, while worshiping with others, through our friends or family members, through events happening in the world around us, or on a walk; you name it. The Holy Spirit can deliver us messages and insights in so many fashions. The key part for us is to be faithful, and to turn our hearts toward God.

An example where God’s guidance came to me through other people was when we put my late wife, Judy, under Hospice care. She already had two surgeries to remove brain tumors and had already had radiation when the same dreaded tumor like symptoms returned. This time our options were limited, and chemotherapy would only slow the tumor’s growth and could cause side effects. We talked to doctors about what to do, and prayed about it.

My son, Kevin, said that you hate to see a loved one suffer, and thus we made the choice to not try anything else to prolong her life but rather would put her under Hospice care for her remaining days. If it was up to us, we may have tried to continue to do things to have her around with us longer, but in hindsight we did what was best for her. I firmly believe that God spoke through my son and other people to guide our family and me during that time to make this very difficult decision.

As you take part in this spiritual pilgrimage, may you be faithful and turn your hearts to the Lord and look for the many ways that God may be speaking to you about all areas of your life! Peace, Vernon T.

Copyright © 2019 Vernon T. Jones, All Rights Reserved

0 Comments

Scripture Reflection: Praising God

1/17/2019

0 Comments

 
Picture
"Pray then in this way: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name." Matthew 6: 9

Jesus was talking to his closest disciples when he taught them about prayer in this passage that has come to be called the Sermon on the Mount. He also relates the proper attitude and place for praying. This prayer has come to be known as the Lord’s Prayer, and is considered a perfect prayer because it covers areas that need to be prayed for. Please think of including the Lord’s Prayer in your spiritual practices, and even if you can’t do anything else, use this prayer on a daily basis.

In this verse Jesus wants us to praise God. There are countless books that have been written over the centuries about the need to praise the Lord; the book of Psalms is full of verses doing just that. Praising God doesn’t have to be just for the major things in life, but the small things as well.

My late wife, Judy, had two operations to remove a brain tumor. The first surgery basically went fine, however, after the second she couldn’t walk, talk, or move her right side. It took a long time before she relearned these basic skills. During that time I obtained a new appreciation for how wonderful this human body is that God created and how amazing the human brain is, and how it can function the way it does and cause our body parts to operate as they can, almost without us thinking about it.

I began to give thanks for being able to wake up in the morning and put my feet on the ground and walk. Being able to feed myself, being able to walk up and down the stairs, and to get in and out of a car, etc., were things that I began to praise God for. I have been very fortunate to be as heathy as I am, however, going through the experience with Judy gave me reason to praise the Lord for the large and small gifts of life that come my way on a daily basis.

Today, praise God for some gift of life that comes your way, and this can be done at any time or place, or for any reason! Peace, Vernon T.

Copyright © 2019 Vernon T. Jones, All Rights Reserved
​

0 Comments

Vernon's Books

1/14/2019

0 Comments

 
My latest book, Nourishment for the Spiritual Pilgrimage: Daily Devotions for Christian Disciples, is still available through Wipf and Stock Publishers. The site’s link is at the top of this page, marked Wipf & Stock.

Nourishment for the Spiritual Pilgrimage provides an aid for those who want to participate in the spiritual pilgrimage of becoming a lifelong disciple of Jesus Christ. There are countless other daily devotionals, but hopefully this can offer something that many of the others may not, a specific focus on the concept of discipleship.  
 
My first book, Discipleship---A Lifelong Spiritual Pilgrimage is also still on sale through Wipf & Stock. Both books are also available through Amazon.com., note the link at the top of this page. Besides being offered in hard copies they are offered in eBook and Kindle Editions as well.
 
My prayer is that they will be a helpful resource to those who read them.
 
Thank you, Vernon T.   
0 Comments

Reflection: Our Life Lens

1/10/2019

0 Comments

 
Picture
We all have a life lens that determines how we look at every aspect of our life. Our life lenses are influenced by the spiritual practices that we take apart in while striving for God’s kingdom in this present time. The focus of our lens is also developed by our life experiences; all of the things that we have been a part of, all of the people that have come into our lives, and all of the events that have happened around us, impact who we are, and how we see life.

For me, my life lens has been developed by my upbringing by a single Mom growing up on the east side of Youngstown Ohio. My first church community was Jerusalem Baptist church, which was made up of people who had come to Youngstown from the southern states to make a new and better life in the north.

My life lens was later influenced as I worked in a steel mill, went to college part time for eight years in order to earn my bachelor’s degree, married Judy, who was of the Catholic faith, which of course affected my spiritual growth. Her death years later, after a long battle with cancer, caused my life lens to change radically. My many moves around the country as I worked for different insurance companies gave me more experiences. Then joining a Lutheran church and eventually going to a Lutheran seminary and being married to a Lutheran pastor, Shirley, continues to change my life lens.

I give my life experiences to encourage each of you to think about all of the events both large and small, and all of the people that have come and gone into your lives and reflect upon how all of these situations have gotten you to where you are today. We are who we are today because of what has happened to us in the past, and how we look at life through our life lenses has been formed by these experiences. How we look at things that occur on a daily basis, how we spend our time and money, and how we react to the events that confront us are determined by our life lens.

At this beginning of a new year, please be encouraged to either begin or continue to enhance taking part in the practices of prayer, Bible study, and reflection. These habits will give your life lens the ability to see things from a spiritual aspect versus a worldly one. This may help you to better deal with the many and varied issues of life! Peace, Vernon T.
​
Copyright © 2019 Vernon T. Jones, All Rights Reserved
​

0 Comments

Reflection: The New Year

1/3/2019

0 Comments

 
Picture
One of Shirley’s and my favorite spiritual writers is Henri Nouwen. He was a Catholic priest, now deceased, who was a very important writer in the last century. In his book “Bread for the Journey” for January 8 he writes about having light for the next step. As we begin a new year, we can become concerned about what this year holds for us. He notes that generally we only enough light for the coming hour or the following day.

He writes, “The art of living is to enjoy what we can see and not complain about what remains in the dark.” He goes on to say that when we can take the next step with faith, our life can be filled with joy. May you be able to trust the Lord about the future and live today with that faith. Blessings on your spiritual pilgrimage throughout the New Year! Vernon T.

​
Copyright © 2019 Vernon T. Jones, All Rights Reserved
​

0 Comments

Happy New Year

1/1/2019

0 Comments

 
Picture
0 Comments
    Picture

    Author

    Vernon T. Jones earned his Master of Theological Studies Degree from Trinity Lutheran Seminary after a lengthy insurance industry career. Jones has assisted people with incorporating into their faith journey the discipleship practices that are outlined in his upcoming book and his presentations. 

    Archives

    January 2025
    December 2024
    November 2024
    October 2024
    September 2024
    August 2024
    July 2024
    June 2024
    May 2024
    April 2024
    March 2024
    February 2024
    January 2024
    December 2023
    November 2023
    October 2023
    September 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.