Vernon T. Jones MTS, Spiritual Consultant, Author
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​Scripture Reflection: Have no Fear

5/30/2019

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PictureVernon T. Jones and Judith A. (Buonavolonta) Jones
"It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not fail you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed." Deuteronomy 31: 8

These words were from Moses to Joshua as the nation of Israel was preparing to go into the promised land. They were words that would give them the faith to trust that the Lord would be with them in this new place. Part of the challenge of being on this spiritual pilgrimage is that we also may be asked to go to a new place, or be guided to step out in faith to enter a different phase in our lives, or be asked to take a risk. Passages like this one may help us to move forward. This has happened often in my life, and one such time was when I was much younger, that I was asked to do something similar.

My late wife, Judy, and I met while we were students at Youngstown State University, in Youngstown, Ohio. I grew up in Youngstown, and Judy was from a town less than 60 miles away. Neither of us had ever lived anywhere else but that part of the country. When we finished our college degrees, we had hoped to find jobs in the area, and we were willing to stay around, because both of our families were near. However, over time, nothing else came up, but then I was offered a job with a national insurance company. In order to take the job, we would have to move far away.

Thank goodness Judy was willing to take the risk to move far away from our families. I am not sure if I wasn’t married to her would I have been willing to move away by myself, or if I had been married to someone else would they be willing to make the move. Judy had an open and trusting inner spirit which was beneficial to me then, and countless times later on.

The company moved us to Denver, CO, which was great place to train for the new job, but a huge step for both of us, because we would be so far from our family and friends. (Little did I know that many years later, Shirley and I move back here to live.) Of course, the move worked out for us. Thank goodness we were willing to make the move, in hindsight it doesn’t seem like a really big deal, but at that point in our lives it was a tremendous risky step with many unknowns!

Please be open to what God through the Holy Spirit may be asking you to do next on this journey; it may involve risk, it may take you out of your comfort zone, and it may take you to places you have never been before. The important thing to remember is that the Lord will go before you, and will be with you, and will not fail nor forsake you. May you have the faith to trust in these promises of God to be with you! Peace, Vernon T.

Copyright © 2019 Vernon T. Jones, All Rights Reserved

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Scripture Reflection: God’s Grace

5/23/2019

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"But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me has not been in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them-though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me. Whether then it was I or they, so we proclaim and so you have come to believe." I Corinthians 15: 10-11

Think for a moment about events in your life when you have been given something that you didn’t expect, or been given time to complete a project, or assignment that you didn’t think you would be granted, or allowed to move ahead with something that you didn’t think you would be permitted to finish. All of these examples and many more that you could think of, are all forms of grace in one way of the other. Grace is about getting something unexpected or undeserved.

In my own life I have been shown grace countless times for various reasons, and hopefully I was aware of this, and able to acknowledge how fortunate I was then. I remember when I was going to college part time and working full time that I was shown my share of grace. A couple times I thought I was able to take more courses then I should have taken, and had a very hard time keeping up with all of the course work.

At the same time my grade point average was lower than it should have been, and I was subject to being put on probation. At one point one of my professors showed me tremendous grace by working with me to keep my grade point average high enough to continue in school. However, I didn’t learn my lesson then, and later on was put on probation. Over time I realized that I had to slow down and deal with what I could handle. I did get off of probation, and completed my course work to earn my degree. But a lot of people helped me and grace was shown me in many different ways.

Please be encouraged that the grace that was described in this passage is still very much available to us today, when we come before God with a sincere and contrite heart. May you like the Apostle Paul be able to state that the grace from our Lord was not given in vain! Peace, Vernon T.

Copyright © 2019 Vernon T. Jones, All Rights Reserved

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​Reflection: Jesus Prays for his Disciples and for Us

5/16/2019

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In the Gospel of John, Chapter 17, we have Jesus praying for his disciples. He prayed for them because he was about to leave them, and he wanted his Father to be with them. Just as Jesus prayed for his disciples, he continues to pray for all of us today. Jesus is a model for us to follow. Praying for those you love, or who are in need is something that all of us on this spiritual pilgrimage should take very seriously, and try to do daily.

During my prayer time I have a list of family members, friends, church members, and situations around the world that are prayed for. Holding others up in prayer can cause us to reach out beyond ourselves to walk with others during their challenging times. Just as God through the Holy Spirit walks with you daily, you can walk with others as well. People do realize that they are thought about, and loved when they know they are being prayed for.

Be creative in the ways that this can be done. During the year I place the Christmas cards that we have received in a basket, and every couple of days I pull a card. The family whose card is pulled is prayed for during meal times, and when Shirley and I pray together before we start the day. During my jogging time, I also have a list of people that are prayed for. Obviously, we can pray for others anytime, in the shower, in a car, on a walk, etc. Get in the habit of praying for others on a daily basis.

Just as Jesus prayed for his disciples and he continues to pray for us, please find ways to pray for others. May this practice help you in your spiritual journey to become a lifelong disciple of Jesus Christ! Peace, Vernon T.

Copyright © 2019 Vernon T. Jones, All Rights Reserved

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​Scripture Reflection: Nothing Can Separate Us from The Love of God

5/9/2019

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PictureA younger version of the Jones’ men
"For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, not things to come, nor powers, not height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 8: 38-39

Think for a moment about the times in your life where you thought that all was lost, or you couldn’t see the end of a very long and trying situation, or someone’s death had caused you to become depressed, and you wondered where God was in all of it. You may have had a time when you or a loved one had an illness that was life threatening, where everything seems uncertain with no possible good solution, all of us at one time or the other may have been in these positions before.
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Just reading about or hearing about the tragic events around the world could cause us to question, does God really care about all of this human suffering? These world events often pain me because I don’t understand why humans have a need to impose pain on other humans for no apparent reason, however I continue to pray for both sides and try to place it in God’s hands.
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Reflecting back on my own life, I most certainly have had trying moments. I don’t know if I have had more or less such events then others, however, it seems best to not compare my life to another’s life, just have each person look at their own. The situations that have caused me the most anguish have involved around my family. Looking back over the issues with my education, my work life, moving from one place to the other, or financial things don’t seem to be as dreadful now as it did when I went through them.

However, after my late wife’s illness and death I came to realize that for me the most important things in this earthly life were family, friends, and relationships. Of course, my spiritual pilgrimage and my relationship with God were the most vital to me, but right after that was my family. Over time my focus was modified in that the things that I once physically worked for were no longer as essential. Like all of life, that period continued to change me, but this caused a more drastic shift.

God’s love was there for me through all of the stressful times of my life, it was just that often I couldn’t see it or feel it because the pain or sorrow was so pronounced, occasionally it was shown through others who were there to help me, and sometimes I just had to keep on walking to be able to see it again. Feeling God’s love through this caused me to look at life differently.

This is a very powerful passage that is often quoted and used for comfort. May it support you and may you have the faith to trust that nothing in this world can separate you from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. This love will walk with you regardless of where you are at on this journey! Peace, Vernon T.

Copyright © 2019 Vernon T. Jones, All Rights Reserved

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​Scripture Reflection: No More Tears

5/2/2019

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"They will hunger no more, and thirst no more; the sun will not strike them, nor any scorching heat; for the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of the water of life, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes." Revelation 7: 16-17

In our modern society some of us may think that people who cry may be thought of as weak for some reason. Some people can cry for most any reason, and others find it hard to do so. I know that for most of my adult life I generally didn’t cry except for major things, like the loss of a loved one. That all changed for me after I went through my late wife’s battles with cancer and her time being under Hospice care.

Judy had two operations to remove brain tumors, but after a while the tumor came back, and there wasn’t anything else we could do, so we went under Hospice care. We cared for her at home until she passed away. That entire experience caused more changes in my emotional and mental state then I care to think about, and therefore I cry a lot more often now than before that period. It doesn’t have to be anything sad, if it hits me the right way I tear up. I feel things more deeply then before and this causes me to become more emotionally then I used to be. Whenever I feel anguished about something that is happening to someone in my family, a close friend, or it may be even something going on in another part of the world, I can easily tear up.

That’s who I am now. However, this passage gives anyone who trusts in the promises of the Lord God, hope, that all of our tears will be wiped away. That we don’t have to remain in our current state or condition. On your spiritual pilgrimage may you feel that hope coming from God that the future is in the Lord’s hands and not in our hands or the hands of any other human! Peace, Vernon T.
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Copyright © 2019 Vernon T. Jones, All Rights Reserved

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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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