He asked God to meet our every need, to bless us. I reluctantly lowered my head as Bob prayed for us. But my friend was willing to engage, seeing sincerity in his offer. I think he then asked if we knew Jesus at which point my friend said yes, "I'm in seminary, and she's a pastor." I wanted to run. But my friend stopped when someone said, "Can I pray for you today?" The man introduced himself as Bob. At the end of a row of tables, a group of men were distributing information on faith. I had gone to a large country market with a friend where we loaded up on fresh vegetables and delighted in abundance. I actually love hard things.īut today, I remembered something else that happened on the day after I saw the doctor. I had forgotten that I can, indeed, do hard things. I've been reminded in three sessions of how strong I am and how satisfying it is to be pushed outside my comfort zone. I've also returned to the gym where I hire someone to push my body harder than I would ever push it myself. In the last two weeks, I've gotten a massage. She got straight to the point, instead, with an admonition to get a handle on my stress. Two weeks ago, a doctor didn't ask me if I want to be made well. But I allowed myself to be paralyzed from receiving it. I realized today how much I have in common with the man in John 5. I have yearned more than once for an opportunity to hide away and do nothing until the storm passes. While COVID hasn't yet touched my body, it has nearly robbed my passion, my joy, my zest for life.
To say this season has taken its toll on me is an understatement. But answering it requires that we admit we are in need of healing-that we are actually not well. Jesus listens to his story (or his excuses) and tells him to stand up and walk. When Jesus sees him, he inquires, "Do you want to be made well?" The man responds by saying he has no one to help him get into the pool and how when he tries to get there, others get there before him. He lies by a pool each day along with the blind, the lame, and others who are paralyzed. embassies to fly the Pride flag during June, which is recognized as LGBT Pride Month.In John 5, Jesus encounters a man who has been paralyzed for 38 years. The Obama administration gave blanket permission to U.S.
The Vienna embassy’s website features a photo of a rainbow flag flying below Old Glory on a mast jutting from the building, a statement by Diplomats for Equality and a story about a professor lecturing on the visibility and growth of LGBT rights. The website for the embassy in Santiago, Chile, shows a video of the chief diplomat raising a rainbow flag last month for the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia. missions in Seoul and Chennai, India, are partially hidden behind large rainbow flags, while the embassy in New Delhi is aglow in rainbow colored lights. flag represents our nation-everyone-regardless of race, religion, or sexual orientation.”Īccording to various reports, some US embassies have been spotted flying the flag despite the State Department’s advisory. “The gay pride flag is offensive to Christians and millions of people of other faiths, not only in this country but around the world,” he claimed. “The only flag that should fly over our embassies is the flag of the United States of America,” Graham continued. It was the “right decision,” Graham declared. In a post to his Facebook page, Graham personally thanked Trump and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo for “making the decision not to fly the gay flag over our embassies during June in recognition of gay pride month.” embassies to fly the LGBT Pride flag on their flagpoles for Pride month. Evangelical leader Franklin Graham on Saturday celebrated news reports that the Trump administration has denied multiple requests from U.S.