Vernon T. Jones MTS, Spiritual Consultant, Author
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​Praying

8/31/2023

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"Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord. Lord hear my voice! Let your ears be attentive to the voice of my supplications! . . . I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I hope: . . ." Psalm 130: 1-2, 5

This Psalm is about the writer crying out to and asking the Lord to hear the prayer and be attentive to it. The writer waits with hope that the prayer will be heard. There are countless books written on prayer and all that prayer entails. Many writers have noted that God does indeed hear all of our prayers, however, one can ask if God hears our prayers why aren’t they answered?

God is love and cannot help but love us, and walks with us throughout our life. However, that does not mean that all of our prayers will be answered in the manner and method that we have prayed for. The most important part about prayer is that it strengthens our relationship with our Lord, and helps us to become the persons God wants us to be – everything else is secondary.

I remember after my late wife’s second operation to remove a brain tumor she could not talk, walk, or move her right side. I prayed and prayed that I could get the former Judy back. That prayer was not answered the way I wanted. However, after she went under Hospice care, I prayed that she would go without any pain, and I think she did.

From what I have read about prayer and from my own experiences, the Lord does want us to cry out at any time and as often as we can. No matter if we think our prayers are answered or not, God’s love, grace, and mercy are still with us! Peace, Vernon T.

Copyright © 2023 Vernon T. Jones, All Rights Reserved

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​Unafraid

8/24/2023

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“They are not afraid of evil tidings; their hearts are firm, secure in the Lord. Their hearts are steady, they will not be afraid . . .” Psalm 112: 7-8a
 
All of us at one time or the other, are faced with life choices that can cause fear and anxiety in us. Many years ago, one of the most difficult decisions that my family had to make was when we decided to put my late wife, Judy, under Hospice care. She had two operations to remove tumors from her brain, and already had radiation and could not have any more. Chemotherapy would only slow this new tumor down and would have side effects. We also had endured several years of hospitals, nursing homes, treatments, doctor appointments, and having to do daily care for her. 

Because of the brain damage that Judy had experienced from the second operation, her higher-level thinking ability had been impacted. She was not able to make this choice for herself. The decision we make was both easy and extremely gut-wrenching. We loved her and did not want to see her suffer any more then she needed to. On the other hand, by going under Hospice care we were saying that we would not try anything else to prolong her life. In fact, we were making the decision to end her life at some point. I remember at the time, my son, Kevin, said, “you never want to see someone you love suffer.” That caring statement helped us make our choice.
 
Our thought was to just keep her comfortable, and this decision was made more out of love for Judy, versus our need to keep her alive. On a certain level, we were not afraid of making the choice that we made, but it was still very painful and full of fear and anxiety.
 
As you daily walk in your spiritual pilgrimage and life journey, with all of its highs and lows, may you also be secure in the Lord. When life challenges come your way, and you are confronted with very trying choices---as it does for all of us---may you be unafraid knowing that the good Lord is walking beside you through all of the pain and unknows! Peace, Vernon T.
 
The picture is from when Judy was the Director of Righteous Education at Seton Parish in Pickerington, Ohio.
 
Copyright © 2023 Vernon T. Jones, All Rights Reserved

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​God’s Foolishness

8/17/2023

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"For God’s foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God’s weakness is stronger than human strength." I Corinthians 1: 25

Sometimes when we are on this spiritual pilgrimage, we are asked to take steps that may seem odd to others around us. A good example for me was after I earned my undergraduate degree. I had been working full time at a steel mill and going to college part time, and after eight years I finally had enough hours to get my degree. I started looking for jobs outside of the steel industry. However, I remember my father-in-law, Vito, really questioning me if that was a good idea. You see, he had worked on the boat docks in Ashtabula, Ohio and he knew what seniority meant in a company.

I had nearly nine years in the mill and he thought I should stay there, because of how important that was. He was not the only one, many of my mill co-workers thought I would just stay because the pay and benefits were good. Well, again God had other plans and I was offered a job in the insurance industry (for less money) out of state, and thank goodness, my late Judy, was willing to move, which we did. Little did we know that in a few years the mill would almost totally shut down, which meant that if I would have stayed, I would have been out of a job.

One never knows what God may have in store for us. It may seem foolish to the world but can make perfect sense to us in due time. Blessings on your spiritual journey! Peace, Vernon T.

(The picture is from the Youngstown Steel Museum, and I am standing next to an Open Hearth Furnace Door, just like the ones I used to work around while in the steel mill.)

Copyright © 2023 Vernon T. Jones, All Rights Reserved

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​Immediately

8/10/2023

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"As (Jesus) went from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John, in the boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets and he called them. Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him." Matthew 4: 21-22
 
This passage is used to show that if Jesus calls someone to follow him, it should be done quickly and not in months or years later. When I was thinking about going to the Seminary, I had thought about going part time for a year, and continue to work in the insurance industry, before going full time. I had gone to undergraduate school part time while working full time in the steel mill. I thought that was the practical thing to do again. However, God had other plans.

I talked to my pastor about my thoughts, and from things he did, plus other signs I was given the clear message for me was to go full time and not to wait for a year. That ended being a really good thing for me, because if I had gone part time versus full time, I would not have met and got to know Shirley Ross, and would not have gotten married to her.
 
Sometimes being practical is not what God is calling us to do, but rather taking a leap of faith immediately to follow Jesus and the guidance of the Holy Spirit! On your daily spiritual pilgrimage may you open to listening to the Spirit’s guidance and then being willing to follow what has been given to you! Peace, Vernon T.

Copyright © 2023 Vernon T. Jones, All Rights Reserved

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New Adventure

8/3/2023

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​"Our steps are made firm by the Lord, when he delights in our way; though we stumble, we shall not fall headlong, for the Lord holds us by the hand." Psalm 37: 23-24

When Shirley and I were married in 2002, Psalm 37 was one of the readings that were chosen for the worship service. This Psalm holds a lot of meaning for both of us, and we knew that we needed the Lord to be with us on this new adventure.

We both started Trinity Lutheran Seminary in the fall of 2000, and did not know each before that. We had many things in common, like both losing spouses due to death, and we both had a son and daughter with our late spouses. Of course, we had a few other issues such as not knowing what was going to happen when Shirley finished Seminary in 2004, and starting over in a new relationship after being single and after having long and very good marriages with our late spouses.

Thus, we knew that to begin this new adventure the Lord had to uphold us when we stumbled, for we surely would have our challenges. May this passage help you in your daily walk or if you are about to enter a new stage in your life! Peace, Vernon T.

Copyright © 2023 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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