Vernon T. Jones MTS, Spiritual Consultant, Author
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​Praying without Doubt

1/26/2023

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​"But ask in faith, never doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind; for the doubter, being double-minded and unstable in every way, must not expect to receive anything from the Lord." James 1: 6-8

As young parent I was very nervous about how to deal with a newborn, for our first baby seemed to be so tiny and helpless. Overtime I got used to holding, feeding, and changing her. As I have gotten older and more used to being around babies, I have grown in my enjoyment in holding infants and being around young children. Part of my wonderment came about after my late wife’s battle with brain tumors, and when I learned more about how marvelous our human bodies are and how they function, and partly because of the new life that newborns represent to God’s creation.

Something that also helped me with this was one time I read that a baby can feel when they are being held by someone who is nervous or afraid of dropping them. Thus, often when a stranger tries to hold a newborn, the baby can sense the fear and begin to cry. But then if they are held by someone who is secure in holding them, there is less fear, and the baby is not as prone to cry. In the same way God knows when we are timid or doubting with our prayers.

This passage lets us know that God wants us to have faith when we pray, never doubting that we are being heard. Our faith is in the fact that we trust God will always hear our prayers and is full of love and only wants the best for us. What happens from our prayers may not be what we want or expect, but our faith and trust are in God, and not our prayers or our own effects. Thus, we are to ask in faith, trusting that what comes will be from our God who only wants the best for us and therefore we cannot pray in doubt that we will not be heard at all! Peace, Vernon T.

Copyright © 2023 Vernon T. Jones, All Rights Reserved 

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​God’s Kingdom in Our Present Day

1/19/2023

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One of the first public messages that was recorded at the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry was when he said, "the kingdom of God has come near." Thus, when Jesus came, he established the kingdom of God here on earth into this time and place. When Jesus gave us the words to what has been called the Lord’s Prayer, he told us to pray "your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven." Additionally, we are also to pray for and do our part to continue to bring about God’s kingdom into our present day. We take part in doing this when we strive for God’s kingdom and guided by the Holy Spirit do what we think is God’s will.

There are times in life when it is really apparent that God’s kingdom is present. Shirley and I were fortunate to be a part of something special when she was the pastor of St. Paul Lutheran Church in Alpena, MI. In this town there is a group of churches that have lived out a little bit of how God’s kingdom can look in this present age as they joined together to take part in various activities. This group was formed and operating before we got to Alpena and have several functions that they take part in doing the year. However, the most involved event is when they had midweek Lenten worship services.

Each Wednesday during Lent the services were rotated from church to church, they started with a simple soup and bread supper, which was followed by a worship service with a different clergy person preaching each week. It was truly neat and wonderful to have so many faith traditions coming together to break bread and have worship together.

We got to visit the churches, hear different speakers, and take part in a variety of worship styles. Even though each week the format was unlike the previous week, the worship was centered around praising God, and being in fellowship with other believers. Each year a specific Lenten theme was used for all of the services and the sermons delivered are based on that theme. In my mind this is a real example of having God’s kingdom be in this time and space.

The churches that were involved in the movement were from the United Methodist, Presbyterian, United Church of Christ, Episcopal, Lutheran (ELCA) and Roman Catholic faith traditions. I realize that Alpena is not the only place that happened, and in fact there are probably many other places that are more diverse than the churches mentioned here. I would also say that those too are examples of God’s kingdom being present here and now. Being ecumenical in today’s world may indeed involve being part of events that include a wide range of faiths and religions.

On your spiritual pilgrimage look for places and events where you can sense that God’s kingdom is present, and where God’s will is being done and people from many faiths, cultures, and ethnic backgrounds come together for a common purpose, rejoice and praise God for being able to witness and take part in that wonderful movement! Peace, Vernon T.

Copyright © 2023 Vernon T. Jones, All Rights Reserved 

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​Our Life Lens

1/12/2023

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​As we begin a new year, hopefully we can take time to reflect on how these past events have shaped our lives. All of us have been changed and how we look at our lives and the life around us, will be altered forever.  
 
We all have a life lens that determines how we look at every aspect of our life. The focus of our lens is 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. Our life lenses are also influenced by the spiritual practices that we take apart in while striving for God’s kingdom in this present time.
 
My own 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 of color 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. 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. Certainly, this past year has given us much to think about and process. 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.

At this beginning of a new year, beside reflecting on the recent past, please also 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.
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Copyright © 2023 Vernon T. Jones, All Rights Reserved

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​The New Year!

1/5/2023

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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 yearly devotional book “Bread for the Journey” for January eighth 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, especially in the light of what all happened to us in 2022. He notes that generally we only have 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 © 2023 Vernon T. Jones, All Rights Reserved


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​Happy New Year!

1/1/2023

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This picture is from when Shirley and I celebrated our 20th wedding anniversary at dinner in Silverthorne, Co, in the Rockies this past July. (Yes, that twenty years went by fast!)
 
Blessings and Peace, Vernon T. & Shirley  
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    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. 

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