Tag: Jesus

God’s Got This Mom!

Posted on by jonithetentmaker

Being a grandparent myself, I am excited to learn about Jesus’ grandparents from “The Book of Anne!”  It is only logical that if Jesus had human parents, they must have come from somewhere, so Jesus should have grandparents.

Mary’s mother and father, (and Jesus’ grandparents) are Anne and Joachim, successful Galilean farmers.  Anne was Joachim’s second wife and Mary’s mother.  No, he did not have a harem.  Their whole existence revolved around God and His word.  And from the moment you read about them, you instantly know they are a warm, loving couple. Who intentionally raised their own children to know and obey their living God.

After reading about Anne, Joachim, and Mary, I can see why God would choose them for Jesus.  Also, we know why God chose Joseph, because his blood line was royal, Kind David royal.  And Joseph was a good man, who also lived, worked, and played according to the Jewish religion.  Perfect for Mary! God knew this would be the absolute environment for our Savior.

The point at which I have stopped reading, shows Mary and Joseph preparing for their travels to Bethlehem.  Anne has arrived and she is horrified that Mary is planning on going!  The baby is due at any time and she believes this could be dangerous for both Mary and the child.  Mary is calm, and self-assured, and basically tells Anne;

“Gods got this, mom.”

Yes, Anne raised Mary to be certain of God and His promises.  And, Mary is following through with what she has been taught.  I am sure her visits from the angel Gabriel and God keeping her in the loop of things, (so to speak) provided her with a knowing courage.

But I can relate as a grandmother.

I remember before each of our grandchildren were born, I felt a grip of fear.  The main reason was because we parents are told we are to take care of our children.  And I was not in the delivery room to make sure the doctor and nurses were doing the delivery right.  This was my baby girl, who was about to have her own baby and the birth had to be a c-section.

My daughter told us of the fear that washed over her, as her husband went out to tell the families about the change of plans.  She prayed to God and within the very next moment she was filled with peace.  Everything was going to be fine for her and the baby.

“Gods got this, mom.”

Later, we found out that if it had not been for the c-section, our first granddaughter would not have made it.  The cord was dangerously wrapped around her neck.  To go through the birth canal would have strangled her to death.

“Gods got this mom.”

How many times do we tell our children to have unwavering faith in God?  But then yank it away when it concerns us.  I know I do.

If only we could borrow a little of Mary’s courage from time to time and tell ourselves…

“God’s got this!”

God Bless You!

God Bless America!

Push Me, Pull You

Posted on by jonithetentmaker

Jesus was born into a world of turmoil and struggle between the Roman conquerors and the Jewish leaders.  Having pagans and Jews live as neighbors is a disaster brewing. Especially since the pagans were trying to force their beliefs on the Jewish people. And everything about Jewish life and government revolved around their religious beliefs.

Sounds like the “Push Me, Pull You” of the Dr. Doolittle story.

The Romans made Herod their regional ruler for them over the Jews.  Herod was twenty-six years old, Jewish, and made 1.6 million dollars a year. (1.6 million in our money today.) Except he was a converted Jew, so the Jewish people did not regard him as one of them. Herod could have cared less about the Jewish people and their leaders, his allegiance was to Rome.

I would be interested to see if Herod and King Henry the 8th of England were related.  They both had a gruesome way to end their marriages, so that they could marry another woman. And if killing all those children in hopes he had killed the Messiah were not enough, Herod made sure everyone would mourn when he died.  He told his sister Salome to arrest and put in jail the most important leaders of the Jewish people.  And when the news came that he had died, they were all to be killed.

So, in the middle of this demented push me, pull you type of existence, a baby was born. Not an ordinary baby either, but our Messiah Jesus Christ!

You see, what Herod did not understand was that God does not work within our human parameters.  He is bigger than everything in the universe.  Human planning will never, ever supersede God’s plans.

Even in today’s push me, pull you world; God is still here.  You hear about the middle east turmoil, and the violence throughout the world…God is still here.  Your day has been one push and pull away from sending you over the edge…God is still here.

If God can send a baby, in the middle of the vile evil which had a grip on Jerusalem,  to be our Messiah.  Don’t you think God can handle what is going on in the world and our lives today? We just have to ask Him and then we have to allow Him to take over!

Give the “Push Me, Pull You” back to Dr. Doolittle and give your life to God!

God Bless You!

God Bless America!

The Child Called Jesus

Posted on by jonithetentmaker

Well, my books have finally arrived concerning Jesus’ childhood.  They are… Daily Life at the time of Jesus by Miriam Feinberg Vamosh, and The Book of Anne, The Story of the Childhood of Jesus as told by His Grandmother, by Sandy Martin Ericson.

When we think of Jesus, He is either a baby or an adult.  But what happened in the middle of His life?  The growing years when how we live and what we go through, develops who we are in life.  And what about the family God choose Jesus to be a part of and why? How did all of it influence Jesus, or did it?

Maybe I will find these answers.

But before I begin, I want to explain why I chose these two books. First is The Book of Anne.  The author, Sandy Martin Ericson, and her prologue had me hooked. Because when I read her prologue, I immediately knew this was a book all Christians should read sometime during their lifetime walk with Jesus.

The Book of Anne Prologue

by

Sandy Martin Ericson

Historians tell us the father of Mary was a successful Galilean farmer named Joachim.  Most first century farmers lived in villages and worked small, nearby pieces of land.  Like the farmer in the “Parable of the Prodigal Son,” Joachim is thought to have owned large fields in a fertile valley in the Nazarean hills.  Many parables spoken by Jesus were agricultural in nature. It is reasonable to presume he spent time amid the wheat and sheep.

Scripture tells us the holy family journeyed from exile in Egypt to Galilee, rather than returning to Judea.

This story is of the life of Jesus during his childhood years and of his family and the people around him.  It is a combination of history, geography, tradition, myth and imagination.

This then is how it might have been. Turn the page and imagine with me.

Wow, I hope you buy her book or download it on your Kindle! I don’t think you will be disappointed.

Now the other book, Daily Life at the time of Jesus by Miriam Feinberg Vamosh.  This is more of a cut and dried explanation with historical data and archeological facts.  But the way it is presented with pictures and little interesting facts; like Herod earned 1.6 million dollars a year, keeps the boredom away.  She also brings into play politics and the clash of cultures and religions, to help us realize the dynamics that were stewing in the background.

Once again, I don’t think you will be disappointed if you purchased this book also.

So with both of these books in hand, I will embark on knowing Jesus and his childhood.  Which, if possible, will probably make me love Him even more!

God Bless You!

And God Bless America!