Parable of the Ten Virgins | What is the significance of the oil?

Finish What you Started - Part 3

 Written and published by Jean-Louis Mondon

This is my testimony of one of the experiences with my Heavenly Father´s provisions that he promised to keep in our time of need. After all one of his “names” is “Jehovah Rafah” God our Provider.

I had the blessing and privilege of translating several books, articles and booklets from English to French for a christian creation ministry. It was a gift from God to be involved in such a task that was going to share the truth of the Gospel of Grace with the french speaking countries fulfiling my desire to help with missionary services around the world when I came to the USAs in 1965.

It was around 1997 when this story took place. I had already been translating 2 books and divers booklets for a year. While I had finished one half of the third book I was working on, I received a letter telling me to stop working on the translation because the ministry had run out of money alloted to the language translation department.

I was disappointed and was left with questions about how to proceed. I felt that it was my duty to finish the book and that God would provide a way for me to complete the task. 

Waiting patiently with faith in silence  

So I waited until I would hear from the Lord what to do.

About that time as I was finishing the Pauline epistle of Colossians, my mind still waiting for an answer from God, I read the following:

After this letter has been read among you, make sure that it is also read in the church of the Laodiceans, and that you in turn read the letter from Laodicea. 17 Tell Archippus: “See to it that you complete the ministry you have received in the Lord.” 18This greeting is in my own hand—Paul. Remember my chains. Grace be with you.… Colossians 4:17

 The answer comes

Here was the answer I had been waiting for. I love these little and big surprises from our Heavenly Father who rewards his expectant children an who keeps his promises. Go up on a high mountain, O Zion, herald of good news. Raise your voice loudly, O Jerusalem, herald of good news. Lift it up, do not be afraid! Say to the cities of Judah, “Here is your God!” 10Behold, the Lord GOD comes with might, and His arm establishes His rule. His reward is with Him and His recompense accompanies Him. 11He tends His flock like a shepherd; He gathers the lambs in His arms and carries them close to His heart. He gently leads the nursing ewes.… Isaiah 40:10

Let the unrighteous continue to be unrighteous, and the vile continue to be vile; let the righteous continue to practice righteousness, and the holy continue to be holy.” 12 I am coming and My reward is with Me, to give to each one according to what he has done. 13I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.”… Revelation 22:12

I believe the emphasis here is “according to what he has done”. Can we imagine an omnipotent creator God who just thought of, imagined and talked about creating the universe out of nothing but never achieved what he had set out to do.

 To do or not to do, When what we do shows who we are.

… So they answered, “We do not know.” And Jesus replied, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things. 28But what do you think? There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first one and said, ‘Son, go and work today in the vineyard.’ 29‘I will not,’ he replied. But later he changed his mind and went.… Matthew 21:27-29

James 1:22-25
Be doers of the word, and not hearers only. Otherwise, you are deceiving yourselves. / For anyone who hears the word but does not carry it out is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror, / and after observing himself goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. ...
 

Some time passed when one day, I got a financial windfall that was welcome at a time when the family budget was tight. I had counted on the extra income from my translation to keep afloat.

Here was the expected answer to my quandary. I wrote the ministry to ask them if I could continue to translate and finish the book at my own expense as a gift to them which they gladly accepted.

Our God has creative ways of finding solutions to our problems that turn difficulties into blessings. This is one of the reasons why christians are grateful for life and God´s impartiality who makes rain fall on the unjust as on the just.

We christians are blessed to understand some of the ways of God as Psalm 25 declares: Show me Your ways, O LORD; teach me Your paths. 5Guide me in Your truth and teach me, for You are the God of my salvation;

All day long I wait for You.14The LORD confides in those who fear Him,and reveals His covenant to them. 15My eyes are always on the LORD,for He will free my feet from the mesh.

In conclusion

to those who make resolutions for the New Year, here is a suggestion: try your hardest to keep your word and act on what you say you will do, test to see that God is good, that he is faithful, that his promises are sure and his Word is true.

18 “I have all I need and more, now that I have received your gifts from Epaphroditus. They are a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, well-pleasing to God. 19 my God will supply all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ And 20To our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen.…” Philippians 4:19

Wonderful blessings on your life. 

Jean-Louis.

Finish What you Strarted - Part 2

 Written and Published by Jean-Louis Mondon

I finally got to it after much hesitation. Can you guess why?

This sequel might as well been entitled “7 years later”. It seems that my personal clock is set on big moves that alter my life drastically, not always tragically but certainly in a way that expands my horizon and bring new breadth and the chance to start a fresh new beginning, to learn new useful skills that help me navigate this tough and dangerous world. I wonder how I was able to survive until now if it had not been for the love of God and his providential hand.

1995 was rough year for me personally. My mother living in France had an accident in her apartment and needed to be under care in a retirement home. I felt bad to let my elder brother who  took care of her since she was living in Montpellier in Southern France and he in Paris.

When I was in a catholic boarding school at the tender age of seven, I didn´t miss one occasion to thank my mother profusely for all the dedication and loving care she showed us four boys. So I could not wait for Mother´s day to come so I could prepare a nice card to prove that I was capable of showing the filial gratitude that I genuily felt for all the years of being away from my family. Especially missing the times we did to spend together as often as we could to make up for all months we were apart.

One of the Leit Motiv in my life was my desire to show her all the love I could express when I was writing the cards so as to seal forever in my mind why I sounded so melodramatic at the anticipationI imagined she was feeling when she would read the forever promises of eternal gratitude and love a 7 year old could muster to compensate for all the bad behavior he showed while back home and the bad grades he brought to display the lack of gratitude in exchange for all the wonderful things my parents did for me and my brothers.

I could not understand all the reasons they had to keep us separated from the country we loved, from our friends, at that precious young age when one still has not yet formed the undertanding that comes with the maturaity and wisdom acquired later in life when adults expect that someone else will teach learn young boys and girls have to deal with their rough and tough environment. A heavy load of guilt added to the psychological problems and melancholy nature that had built up along my formative years.

I just could not understand why my parents sent me to a foreign land across the sea where I felt rejected by my peers and the very religious figures that were supposed to show me the love of Jesus and the exemple of a life dedicated to service of God and other needy people around the world. I had to be confronted by the severe and real lessons of life that can make or brake the most basic relationships.

A young heart and mind are not prepared to fight back and stop the bullies of this world. That was the conclusion I had reached when confronted with the pain and suffering that was my lot in life. It pushed me to become sulky, rancourous and vengeful in times of despair and with the inability to control my reactions.

So here it is after many years of learning, trying and failing again. In spite of the rough terrain in front of us, I can see that there is hope in this world for those who while being afraid of the unknown can trust in God and know deep inside that there is redemption for the human race and life in a wonderful dimension that is awaitng us that will surprise us with more than we can imagine or dream of as the Word of God says.

All we need is to share the deep and durable lessons we have learned in this life that we experienced so we may pass it on to someone who need a touch from the living God as he has graciously brought us in contact in the most miraculous way, even if at the itme we didn´t even think that it would be possible because we did not think ourself worthy of such love.

Help from above

One of the most helpful passages in the Old Testament is found in Joshua 3:5. “ But keep a distance of about two thousand cubit between yourselves and the ark. Do not go near it, so that you can see the way to go, since you have never traveled this way before.” This seemed very paradoxical to me! You might ask: How can a man know his way if he has never been there before?

This is the wonderful work of our gracious God and Father. his Son Jesus Christ through the wonderful work of the Holy Spirit.

 Our Adequacy from God

Definition of adequacy: Adequacy is the state of being sufficient for the purpose concerned. The meaning doesn't suggest abundance or excellence, or even more than what is absolutely necessary. Adequacy is simply the state of sufficiency. 

Jesus said to Paul:Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. 9 But He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is perfected in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly in my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest on me. 10That is why, for the sake of Christ, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.…2 Corinthians 12:9.

Such confidence before God is ours through Christ. 5Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim that anything comes from us, but our competence comes from God. 6And He has qualified us as ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.…2 Corinthians 3:5.

The only person that keeps you from taking the first step of faith toward being a new creation with a new abundant life is yourself. But there is hope.

Hope

"1 We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves. 2 Let every one of us please his neighbour for his good to edification. 3 For even Christ pleased not himself; but, as it is written, The reproaches of them that reproached thee fell on me. 4 For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope." Romans 15:1-4.

Hope is what you and everyone needs.

Faith

The Faith of Abel, Enoch, Noah
…5By faith Enoch was taken up so that he did not see death: “He could not be found, because God had taken him away.” For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God. 6And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who approaches Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him. 7By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in godly fear built an ark to save his family. By faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that comes by faith. Hebrews 11:6.

So my friends, here we are. Will you seek him while you can. Fear, shame and guilt are the real enemies of your soul keeping you prisoners unable to free yourself from their grip. It´s up to you.

Nobody else can make that decision for you. 

To read part click on the link: https://lightnseed.blogspot.com/2024/12/finish-what-you-started-part-3.html

Finish what you started = Part 1

Finish what you started Part1

Written and published by Jean-Louis Mondon

Original written January 2017.

 

Important lesson from the Word of God. John the Baptist testimony about Jesus to his disciples: So John’s disciples came to him and said, “Look, Rabbi, the One who was with you beyond the Jordan, the One you testified about—He is baptizing, and everyone is going to Him.” 27John replied, “A man can receive only what is given him from heaven. 28 You yourselves can testify that I said, ‘I am not the Christ, but am sent ahead of Him.’… John 3:27

For the last few days I have had a thought going through my mind. Usually it means that the Lord is trying to tell me that it is worth looking into it, elaborating after consulting him of its importance, meditating on it and most important double checking like a Berean in the Word where this concept is found, the context of when, to whom and why it is addressed and if my own life experience and application of this biblical principle when guided by the Holy Spirit has contributed to my own spiritual growth.

Before the Lord saved me 53 years ago, my life was a mess. It was what seemed to be a succession of random, haphazard events and circumstances over which I didn´t have any control. My emotional and selfish reactions only made it worse. Whenever I tried to correct the situation ended up in more failures and one thing that brought me down more than anything else was the feeling of waste and utter desperation at finding some self-worth because of the total lack of positive and constructive accomplishments to look at and be proud of. Everything I touched and every relationship I had turned into one more proof that my  existence on this earth was a curse from an unjust and vindictive god that hunted me down and punished me for the simple fact that I was born without asking for it or having anything to say about the matter.

Needless to say, this kind of attitude doesn´t contribute to accomplishing much in life and the feeling was exacerbated when I compared myself with my friends, neighbors and all the great heroes  out there that receive the adulation and honor for their accomplishments and contribution to society. I wasn´t sitting on a pile of ashes, I was buried under the ashes of the death dealing blows of a self-incriminating conscience piled on the top of more judging and condemning by the society in which I happened to be born. 

Now, this is not wallowing in self-pity on my part, I just wanted to set the stage for demonstrate the extraordinary saving power of Jesus-Christ through love, mercy and grace He has for anyone who knows he or she is soul-sick, lost, hopeless and helpless with no way out and no one to turn to, but in a last act of desperation turns to the God that unbeknownst to him/her was faithfully and patiently waiting for the child to acknowledge his/her lost condition and come home to his real, loving Heavenly Father.

To summarize the above, I never finished what I started before I was 23 years old.

Then, my life started changing because I met the God who never changes, who is the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the End and everything in between, accomplishing what He said He would do, as I trust more and more in His transforming power. As I was reading the Word, I encountered some encouraging verses such as:

For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus. Philipians 1:6 

The Lord completed the mission His Father entrusted Him obeying Him even though He knew what agony and torture He would have to bear on our behalf. In John 10:17, Jesus declares: The reason the Father loves Me is that I lay down My life in order to take it up again. 18 No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of My own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from My Father.”…

If the Lord obeyed His Father in all things, should we not do our best to obey Him if he commands us to perform a servant´s duty that he has made us adequate to fulfill, gifting and empowering us to do. After all, the Word says that we are His disciples if we keep His teachings. To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. 32Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” John 8:31,32.

 

A wise advice from a missionary at a home group meeting when I was a young christian in 1966: There is no shortcut in the christian life.

 

Continued in Part 2 https://thelightseed.blogspot.com/2024/12/finish-what-you-started-part-ii.html

 

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Freedom is a Believer´s Birthright, expanded and revised

Written and published by Jean Louis Mondon

 

Happy birthday,  Church of the Living God.

 

The Jewish feast of Pentecost (Shavuot) was primarily a thanksgiving for the firstfruits of the wheat harvest, but it was later associated with a remembrance of the Law given by God to Moses on Mount Sinai. ... In the early church, Christians often referred to the entire 50-day period beginning with Easter as Pentecost.

 

And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. 2And suddenly there came a SOUND from heaven as of a rushing MIGHTY WIND, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. Acts 2:1-2

 

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"There are schools that are cages and others that are wings.

Schools that are cages exist to cause birds to forget the art of flying.
Caged birds are birds under control. Put in a cage, their owner can take them wherever he pleases. Caged birds always have an owner. They stopped being birds because the essence of a bird is flying.

 
Schools that are wings don´t like caged birds. They love to see birds fly. Their reason for being is to give the birds the courage to fly. They cannot teach the bird to fly because flying is already inborn in the bird. Flying cannot be taught, it can only be encouraged. "
Rubem Alves.

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A school could also be understood as a school of thought. Bloggers´ Note.

School of thought. Definition from dictionary.com  noun
A belief (or system of beliefs) accepted as authoritative by some group or school [syn: doctrine]. 

 

 4who redeems your life from the Pit and crowns you with loving devotion and compassion, 5who satisfies you with good things, so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s. 6The LORD executes righteousness and justice for all the oppressed.… Psalm 103:5

Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall. 31But those who wait upon the LORD will renew their strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not faint. Isaiah 40:31

 

 
Flying free on the wings of the wind
The WIND blows wherever it pleases. You hear its SOUND, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with EVERYONE born of the Spirit.”
John 3: 8. 
 Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. 32 And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”  ³⁶ Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed". John 8:31,36.

It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh[a]; rather, serve one another humbly in love. 14 For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
Galatians 5:1, 13, 24. 22.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Personal Reflection on Ancestral Relationships

Context: Reproduced from a FB post I read 3 years ago.

"I asked an elderly man once what it was like to be old and to know the majority of his life was behind him. He told me that he has been the same age his entire life. He said the voice inside of his head had never aged. He has always just been the same boy. His mother's son. He had always wondered when he would grow up and be an old man. He said he watched his body age and his faculties dull but the person he is inside never got tired. Never aged. Never changed.

Our spirits are eternal. Our souls are forever. The next time you encounter an elderly person, look at them and know they are still a child, just as you are still a child and children will always need love, attention and purpose." Via @lue Ridge Believers

From the author: My comment from a biblical perspective.

I feel the same way. I don´t spend a lot of time in front of the mirror because I know that the man I see in front of me is not who I am. It´s just that younger people have not discovered that yet. It´s a matter of understanding the big things in life, the things that count, the essentials, understanding that often the answers lie in the questions as witnessed in the rearranging of the words in a sentence to transform an affirmative sentence into a interrogative one, in some languages such as French, German and Spanish.

It´s a matter of time and space that matter and for that matter we can add the relationships formed and mantained by a mutual and reciprocal consent and agreement of trust, respect and good will toward others.

In the encounter with Jesus with Mary and Martha we read: "40But Martha was distracted by all the preparations to be made. She came to Jesus and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her to help me!” 41“Martha, Martha,” the Lord replied, “you are worried and upset about many things. 42But only one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, and it will not be taken away from her.”… Luke 10:40-42

What was Mary doing? She sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. Luke 10:39.

Words have meaning and if we loose the primary meaning that has taken 1000s of years to develop in the communication system with their association, we end up in a confusing, chaotic situation similar to the one in Babel which was initiated by God himself.

It´s uncanny, every time I wander the streets of my city, I see all kind of people, some are scared, others wear their pain, their scars, their deep sadness on their faces, in their eyes. What is refreshing though is to cross path with older people, couples who understand life and living and exchange with you a twinkle in their eyes, sometimes even without saying a good morning, have a good day, or nodding their head because they have perceived the eternal truths that take a life time to fathom, that in spite of everything life can throw at you, in the end there are 3 things that matter the most: faith, hope and love and love is what remains.

The future is in the older generation; Melchizedek and Abraham.

…9And so to speak, Levi, who collects the tenth, paid the tenth through Abraham. 10For when Melchizedek met Abraham, Levi was still in the loin of his ancestor. Hebrews 7:10.

Learn from the past and what your elders have to offer you, the stories, the songs, their cherished memories, the treasures they have discovered and are willing to share with you. Take the time to listen and especially ask questions about anything and everything, their inner ears are finely attuned to understand what you are going through, they have been there before in one form or another, in a different country, in a different language and you can form a lasting bond of friendship and closeness that will last into eternity. And remember that we need you as much as you need us.

Jean-Louis

LÍDER FRANCÊS TOMA ATITUDES ESTRANHAS NA FRANÇA

Let your Light Shine. The Ways of the Lord. Revised and expanded. True story spanning different people, times and countries.

 

 Note from the Author: There is another story to that story. But first, read the first one and then reading the added second part of what happened 20 years later is really a testimony of our Lord´s faithfulness and and tender-loving care towards his children.

  

  Written and published by Jean-Louis.

 

Lift up your heads O gates
And be lifted up, O ancient doors
That the King of Glory may come in
Who is the King of Glory?
The LORD strong and mighty
The LORD mighty in battle.
The LORD of hosts
He is the King of glory. Psalm 24:7,8.

Christ Jesus our Lord is the light of the world.

In His ministry that He has given us to one another and to the world, He has chosen, called and gifted some in the body of believers (Pastors, Elders, Deacons) to be strong, high, stationary light houses and harbor lights at the entrance and in the harbor, (green and red traffic warning lights) visible to all who come into the range of their beams of light. They scatter the light in broad patterns so that when we come in and go out we may see the goal, direction, relative positions of our boats and what is directly in our path.

He has also gifted others to be more focused, flexible, pin pointed beams of light such as the fiber optic endoscope equipped with light that a surgeon uses to examine the inside of the human body.

The purpose of this instrument is to diagnose the nature, the condition, and the position of the weak or sick part that needs attention in order for the whole body to be strong and to function as He intended it to function.

In contrast to the highly visible ministry of the lighthouses and the harbor lights, the ministry of the intensely focused beams of light is hidden, although important and necessary. 

Jesus Predicts Peter's Denial
30... so that you may eat and drink at My table in My kingdom, and sit on thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 31Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift each of you like wheat. 32But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith will not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.”…

 
When somehow, the devil has wanted to sift you and you have gone through trials and tribulations, and temporary failings of your faith under the weight of relentless spiritual attacks, then you understand the heavy burden of being an intercessor for lost people and other believers in the family of Christ. 

In Psalm 51:7-13. King David declares: 

Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being, and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart. 7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;
wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. 8 Let me hear joy and gladness;
let the bones that you have broken rejoice. 9Hide your face from my sins,
and blot out all my iniquities. 10Create in me a clean heart, O God,
and renew a right^b spirit within me. 11Cast me not away from your presence,
and take not your Holy Spirit from me. 12Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit. 13Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will return to you.

 

Lord Jesus teaching His disciples:“…and you are those who have stood by Me in my trials
…Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift you as wheat, but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers". Luke 22:28-33.

One of the reasons He has raised us as a lighthouse to show the way of Salvation to people drowning in the ocean without a chance of surviving the storms, and also as a house of prayer,  individually and corporately is that:

as we lift up to the Father the affected areas that the Holy Spirit reveals to us, He will cleanse us “by the washing of the water with His Word”. He will remove them (spiritual surgery) and heal them to allow His light to shine more brightly and more intensely in us and cause His glory to be manifested through us.

Let us pray fervently that His light may increase in brilliance in our Pastors, other leaders, and in every believer so that their sphere of influence may reach farther into the areas of darkness that the enemy has in our communities, and "in such a way that men may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in Heaven". Matthew 5:16.

Jean-Louis. I995.

Read more: http://thelightseed.blogspot.com/2007/12/let-your-light-shine-before-men.html#ixzz5esUIxv35

 

Addendum: a memorable incident that turned into a bigger blessing!

It´s amazing how the Lord works sometimes triggering the brain to remember a previous memory buried deep inside when the time is propicious.

In 1995, I retold the story of the Lord showing me a lighthouse while I was praying for guidance and direction at a crucial time of my life.

As I was reading the Scriptures, suddenly a lighthouse appeared in my my field of vision as described in the post together with an explanation and an answer to my questions.

This happened in 2 parts as described. When this happens – very rarely – I usually ask what it means and one or 2 confirmations from some unknow, unrelated sources, persons, encounter or some other stimulus. Both visual imageries one external, the other internal seem to relate to some spiritual message that made good sense biblically and seemed to be fitting to the grim reality of the state of the world and what seemed to be a message of warning to anybody aware of what is really going on all around the world.

The confirmation didn´t take any time to come in a way that could not be easly refuted. Later in the vening as I turned on the TV, a program on the lighthouses of the East Coast of the US was showing for the rest of the week. So as I marveled at the goodness and timeliness of God, who wanted to make sure that I got the message clearly.

That took care ot the first part of the insight, but it took 20 years to get the fulfilement of the second part in details that I could not have dreamed about.

After a good vacation in Europe, back in Brazil, I was taken to the hospital one morning with chest pains.

The heart surgeon was not programmed for an operation that day, but accepted to look at tmy condition anyway.

He discovered some blocages that required immediate attention and surgery. He left it very clear that I would not make it one more night if I did not make the decision rightaway to be operated on. Since he was available and willing, I felt it was a sign from the Lord for me to go ahead and do it. No time to get a second opinion, no time to waste thinking about it. I prayed and felt that it was the thing to do

This emergency type of situation had happened to me before só I did not panic or wasted time. The doctor was young, but I felt confident that I could trust in the Lord to have provided his expertise at the propitious time. Later on he told me that he had felt a certain affinity with me on a spiritual level and assurance that everything would be fine if we proceeded.

One hour later I was on the operating table, with an assistant and a computer linked to a monitor showing the inside of my heart.

I was taken back to the day I saw the second part of the message about the small lights probing inside the body to carefully examine the damage tissues or organs without further damaging any part.

I noticed that as the doctor was guiding very carefully the endoscope with the probing very bright light along the arteries, the scene was witnessed only by him and the assistant in the quasi dimmed external light for contrast. Later on, I pondered about the meaning of the scene and the reduced number of people present during the operation and the silence punctuated only by the exchange of very few words between the doctors and myself.

The main actors in that instant were the Lord and maybe angels that were using and directing the hands and minds of the surgeons that knew precisely what to do. No big crowd of curious onlookers witnessing a spectacle. No dramatic music, no slight of hand, just a quiet and peaceful reassurance that we were witnessing something marvellous.

I came out with two stents in the arteries on the left side of the heart and I have been fine since then. I spent the next 2 days in the recovery room well attended by Christians who took really good care of me. I was só grateful for the manner I was treated by everybody and the way in wich our Heavenly Father loves us and cares for us. I miss you and our conversations. So much is happening and I stay busy learning more languages. I also started teaching again as well as translating. Take good care of yourself and be blessed always.