Elliott's Muses

Psalm 116:12-19 12  What shall I render to the LORD for all his benefits to me? 13  I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the LORD , 14  I will pay my vows to the LORD in the presence of all his people. 15  Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints. 16  O LORD , I am your servant; I am your servant, the son of your maidservant. You have loosed my bonds. 17  I will offer to you the sacrifice of thanksgiving and call on the name of the LORD . 18  I will pay my vows to the LORD in the presence of all his people, 19  in the courts of the house of the LORD , in your midst, O Jerusalem. Praise the LORD ! I love Thanksgiving for so many reasons. It's a celebration of Family. It's a celebration without much commercialism - ok, except Food - lots of food! It's a celebration of a Grace Act - to be Thankful. Yet the Psalmist reminds us that it is at times a "sacrifice". One of the young couples in our

There are several dates that are etched into our memories and without fail when they come around something causes us to stop, reflect, before we go on with life as we know it. One of those dates is coming up - Nov. 22 - but, I'm going to wait to write on that for another 12 days.  I remember that date very well.  I remember other dates also...my wife's birthday, my children's and now Grandchildren's birthdays.  I remember our Anniversary - not because I'm suppose to do something, but simply because that day changed my life forever. Perhaps that's the best way to describe these kinds of days...they changed our life forever. I remember 9/11. Wait Elliott, it's not 9/11, it's 11/9 right now.  Well that's true, but I'm not talking about our country's 9/11, I'm talking about the FIRST 9/11. As a person who has made numbers of trips to Europe one of the first things you realize is that when you're asked to enter the date, you don

John 8:31-32 31  To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples.    32   Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. " John 16:12-13 12   "I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. 13   But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. John 18:33-38 33  Pilate then went back inside the palace, summoned Jesus and asked him, "Are you the king of the Jews?" 34   "Is that your own idea," Jesus asked, "or did others talk to you about me?" 35  "Am I a Jew?" Pilate replied. "It was your people and your chief priests who handed you over to me. What is it you have done?" 36  Jesus said, "My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the