Sunday Scripture

Sunday Scripture

Good Shepherd, 19th century, by German Artist
Bernard Plockhorst. [PD-US]

Tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to listen to Jesus,

but the Pharisees and scribes began to complain, saying,

“This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.” 

So to them he addressed this parable.

“What man among you having a hundred sheep and losing one of them

would not leave the ninety-nine in the desert

and go after the lost one until he finds it?

And when he does find it,

he sets it on his shoulders with great joy

and, upon his arrival home,

he calls together his friends and neighbors and says to them,

‘Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep.’

I tell you, in just the same way

there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents

than over ninety-nine righteous people

who have no need of repentance.

“Or what woman having ten coins and losing one

would not light a lamp and sweep the house,

searching carefully until she finds it?

And when she does find it,

she calls together her friends and neighbors

and says to them,

‘Rejoice with me because I have found the coin that I lost.’

In just the same way, I tell you,

there will be rejoicing among the angels of God

over one sinner who repents.”

Luke 15:1-10

If you have any prayer needs, please mention them in the comments section so the Cross My Heart Prayer Team can add their prayers to yours. You do not have to include specific names or situations of a private nature, just say that you have a prayer request. The Lord knows your heart and the needs you have. It is a privilege and honor to pray with you and for you.

Tuesday, May 12, 2015!

Jesus said to his disciples: "But now I am going to the one who sent me, and not one of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’ But because I told you this, grief has filled your hearts. But I tell you the truth, it is better for you that I go. For if I do not go, the Advocate will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. And when he comes he will convict the world in regard to sin and righteousness and condemnation: sin, because they do not believe in me; righteousness, because I am going to the Father and you will no longer see me; condemnation, because the ruler of this world has been condemned."

John 16:5-11

Sacred Art: The Holy Trinity fresco, ceiling entrance Vatopedi Monastery (pictured below), 10th C, Athos, Greece. [PD-US]

Monday, May 11, 2015!

Jesus said to his disciples; "When the Advocate comes whom I will send you from the Father, the Spirit of truth that proceeds from the Father, he will testify to me. And you also testify, because you have been with me from the beginning.
"I have told you this so that you may not fall away. They will expel you from the synagogues; in fact, the hour is coming when everyone who kills you will think he is offering worship to God. They will do this because they have not known either the Father or me. I have told you this so that when their hour comes you may remember that I told you."
John 15:26-16:4a

Sacred Art: Saint Joseph's Church window, Zabrze, Poland. [CC-GNU Free Document]

Today, I'm praying for Katy, a young woman with a two-week old infant. Katy was just diagnosed with leukemia and needs prayers!

Mother's Day, May 10, 2015!

Jesus said to his disciples: "As the Father loves me, so I also love you. Remain in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and your joy may be complete. This is my commandment: love one another as I love you. No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. I no longer call you slaves, because a slave does not know what his master is doing. I have called you friends, because I have told you everything I have heard from my Father. It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name he may give you. This I command you: love one another."
John 15:9-17

Sacred Art: Pieta, Michelangelo, 1499. [CC-GNU Free Dist]

Happy Mother's Day!

Today, I'm praying for all mothers, living and deceased, for those who long to have children and especially for those who have lost children. 

Saturday, May 9, 2015!

Jesus said to his disciples: "If the world hates you, realize that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, the world would love its own; but because you do not belong to the world, and I have chosen you out of the world, the world hates you. Remember the word I spoke to you, ‘No slave is greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours. And they will do all these things to you on account of my name, because they do not know the one who sent me."
John 15:18-21

Sacred Art: John the Apostle resting on the bosom of Christ, Swabia/Lake Constance, early 14th century; oakwood with little remaining of the original coloring, John's coat recolored later. [PD-US]

Today, I'm praying for all those who are persecuted for their faith.

Friday, May 8, 2015!

Jesus said to his disciples: "This is my commandment: love one another as I love you. No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. I no longer call you slaves, because a slave does not know what his master is doing. I have called you friends, because I have told you everything I have heard from my Father. It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name he may give you. This I command you: love one another."
John 15:12-17

Sacred Art: Christ's Farewell to His Apostles, Duccio Maesta, 1308-1311. [PD-US]

Today, I'm praying for the Cross My Heart Prayer Team, that the work of our hands will bear good fruit. God bless you!

Please write your prayer intentions as a comment so we can pray together for your special needs.

Thursday, May 7, 2015!

Jesus said to his disciples: "As the Father loves me, so I also love you. Remain in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and your joy may be complete."
John 15:9-11

Sacred Art: Sacred Heart at the center of a rose window, Santa Ifigênia Church, São Paulo, Brazil. [CC Universal PD]

Today, I'm praying for unity among friends and families, communities and nations.

Tuesday, May 6, 2015!

Jesus said to his disciples: "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give it to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid. You heard me tell you, ‘I am going away and I will come back to you.’ If you loved me, you would rejoice that I am going to the Father; for the Father is greater than I. And now I have told you this before it happens, so that when it happens you may believe. I will no longer speak much with you, for the ruler of the world is coming. He has no power over me, but the world must know that I love the Father and that I do just as the Father has commanded me."
John 14:27-31a

Sacred Art: God the Father, Cima da Conegliano, c. 1515. [PD-US]

Today, I'm praying for those who are seriously ill. May the healing touch of Jesus return them to good health.

Monday, May 4, 2014!

Jesus said to his disciples, "Whoever has my commandments and observes them is the one who loves me. And whoever loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and reveal myself to him.” Judas, not the Iscariot, said to him, “Master, then what happened that you will reveal yourself to us and not to the world?” Jesus answered and said to him, “Whoever loves me will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our dwelling with him. Whoever does not love me does not keep my words; yet the word you hear is not mine but that of the Father who sent me. "I have told you this while I am with you. The Advocate, the holy Spirit that the Father will send in my name—he will teach you everything and remind you of all that I told you."
John 14:21-26

Sacred Art: Holy Trinity, Hendrick van Balen the Elder, 16th C. [PD-US]

Today, would have been my father's birthday...remembering Glen Willoughby with love and gratitude. Praying for all those who mourn.

Sunday, May 3, 2015!

"I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine grower. He takes away every branch in me that does not bear fruit, and every one that does he prunes so that it bears more fruit. You are already pruned because of the word that I spoke to you. Remain in me, as I remain in you. Just as a branch cannot bear fruit on its own unless it remains on the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in me. I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit, because without me you can do nothing. Anyone who does not remain in me will be thrown out like a branch and wither; people will gather them and throw them into a fire and they will be burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask for whatever you want and it will be done for you. By this is my Father glorified, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples."
John15:1-8

Sacred Art: Christ the True Vine, anonymous Greek icon, 16th C. [PD-US]

Today, I'm praying especially for the Cross My Heart Prayer Team. May the work of our hands bear good fruit.

Friday, May 1, 2015!

Jesus said to his disciples: "Do not let your hearts be troubled. You have faith in God; have faith also in me. In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places. If there were not, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back again and take you to myself, so that where I am you also may be. Where I am going you know the way.” Thomas said to him, “Master, we do not know where you are going; how can we know the way?” Jesus said to him, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."
John 14:1-6

Sacred Art: Christ as Emperor, wearing military dress, and crushing the serpent representing Satan. "I am the way and the truth and the life" (John 14:6) reads the inscription. Ravenna, 6th C. [PD-US]

Today, I'm praying for all those who work for a living. May the Lord bless the work of their hands.

Wednesday, April 29, 2015!

Jesus cried out and said, “Whoever believes in me believes not only in me but also in the one who sent me, and whoever sees me sees the one who sent me. I came into the world as light, so that everyone who believes in me might not remain in darkness. And if anyone hears my words and does not observe them, I do not condemn him, for I did not come to condemn the world but to save the world. Whoever rejects me and does not accept my words has something to judge him: the word that I spoke, it will condemn him on the last day, because I did not speak on my own, but the Father who sent me commanded me what to say and speak. And I know that his commandment is eternal life. So what I say, I say as the Father told me.”
John 12:44-50

Photo M. Giusti, Hilton Head

Today, I'm praying that our Supreme Court upholds the sanctity of marriage--a holy union established by God between a man and a woman. May the Lord bless all married couples and draw them closer together as they draw closer to Him.

Barbara Vey's Reader Appreciation Luncheon 2015!

Debby Giusti (R) with Barbara Vey (L) at
her Fourth Annual Readers Appreciation
Luncheon

Anyone who knows Barbara Vey knows that she hosts wonderful events. This weekend was the Fourth Annual Barbara Vey Readers Appreciation Luncheon in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and Barbara outdid herself to ensure everyone had the time of their lives! 

Debby Giusti (L) with NY Times bestselling author Tess Gerritsen (R) 

of Rizzoli and Isles fame.

I flew in on Friday and roomed with fellow Love Inspired Suspense author and RITA finalist, Katy Lee. 

(L to R) Love Inspired Suspense Author Katy Lee,
Love Inspired Historical Author Winnie Griggs and
Love Inspired Suspense Author Debby Giusti
represented Love Inspired Books at the luncheon!

We enjoyed dinner that night at The Packing Company, compliments of the WisRWA Chapter who treated the 61 authors to a yummy dinner. After the meal, we bused back to the hotel for a fun Q&A with readers. 

My table.

Tote bags decorated the chairs at my table.

Saturday, the authors were in the ballroom early to set up their tables and get ready for the readers. Doors opened at 10:30 AM, and the readers scrambled to find their tables and connect with their favorite authors. I loved meeting and getting to know the delightful women who sat at my table. 

My wonderful table! Thanks, ladies, for making
the day so special!

Author baskets were given away during lunch with even more raffle drawings after lunch. A book signing followed. 

Lots of author giveaways!

 Thanks, Barbara, for a wonderful event and a chance to get to know so many readers. 

Happy Reading!

Wishing you an abundant blessings!
Debby Giusti

www.DebbyGiusti.com
www.seekerville.blogspot.com

STRANDED

BY DEBBY GIUSTI

AMISH COUNTRY REFUGE

Colleen Brennan has one goal—take down her sister’s killer.  But chasing after evidence leaves her in the path of a tornado and stranded in an Amish community. With the killer nearby, Colleen must depend on the kindness of Special Agent Frank Gallagher. Although the army officer is recuperating from a battlefield injury, he wants to help the beautiful woman he rescued from the tornado’s fury. He can tell she’s hiding something important. But getting her to reveal her secrets may be his most dangerous mission ever.

Order your copy in digital or print format: Amazon.

Tuesday, April 28, 2015!

The feast of the Dedication was then taking place in Jerusalem. It was winter. And Jesus walked about in the temple area on the Portico of Solomon. So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, “How long are you going to keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.” Jesus answered them, “I told you and you do not believe. The works I do in my Father’s name testify to me. But you do not believe, because you are not among my sheep. My sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish. No one can take them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one can take them out of the Father’s hand. The Father and I are one.”
John 10:23-30

Sacred Art: The Good Shepherd, Jean Baptiste de Champaigne, 17th C. [PD-Art]

Today, I'm praying...and asking you to join me in prayer...for Baltimore and all the troubled areas of our country. May Christ's light heal the brokenness in so many lives.

Monday, April 27, 2015!

Jesus said: "Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever does not enter a sheepfold through the gate but climbs over elsewhere is a thief and a robber. But whoever enters through the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens it for him, and the sheep hear his voice, as he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has driven out all his own, he walks ahead of them, and the sheep follow him, because they recognize his voice. But they will not follow a stranger; they will run away from him, because they do not recognize the voice of strangers.” Although Jesus used this figure of speech, they did not realize what he was trying to tell them.So Jesus said again, “Amen, amen, I say to you, I am the gate for the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the gate. Whoever enters through me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture. A thief comes only to steal and slaughter and destroy; I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly."
John 10:1-10

Sacred Art: The Good Shepherd, Catacomb of Priscilla, Rome, 3rd C. [PD-US]

Today, I'm praying for the Cross My Heart Prayer Team. May the work of our hands bear good fruit!

Friday, April 24, 2015!

The Jews quarreled among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” Jesus said to them, “Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him. Just as the living Father sent me and I have life because of the Father, so also the one who feeds on me will have life because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven. Unlike your ancestors who ate and still died, whoever eats this bread will live forever.” These things he said while teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum.
John 6:52-59

Sacred Art: La Disputable del Sacramento, Raphael, 1509-1510. [PD-US]

Today, I'm praying for and asking for prayers for travelers as I fly to Milwaukee!

Thursday, April 23, 2015!

Jesus said to the crowds: "No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draw him, and I will raise him on the last day. It is written in the prophets:
'They shall all be taught by God.’
Everyone who listens to my Father and learns from him comes to me. Not that anyone has seen the Father except the one who is from God; he has seen the Father. Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life. Your ancestors ate the manna in the desert, but they died; this is the bread that comes down from heaven so that one may eat it and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world.”
John 6:44-51

Sacred Art: The Last Supper, Pascal Dagnan-Bouveret, 1896. [PD-US]

Join me in praying for all those trying to find their way in life...the young, the lonely, the aged, the lost.

Dear Cross My Heart Prayer Team, please pray for me as I'm traveling this weekend to Barbara Vey's Reader Appreciation Luncheon. I'm so grateful for all those who will be sitting at my table and ask the Lord to bless them abundantly. I'm also praying for all the new friends I will meet at this event and for all my wonderful readers, whose support means so much to me!

Wednesday, April 22, 2015!

Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst. But I told you that although you have seen me, you do not believe. Everything that the Father gives me will come to me, and I will not reject anyone who comes to me, because I came down from heaven not to do my own will but the will of the one who sent me. And this is the will of the one who sent me, that I should not lose anything of what he gave me, but that I should raise it on the last day. For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him may have eternal life, and I shall raise him on the last day.”
John 6:35-40

Sacred Art:The Communion of the Apostles, Lucas Signorelli, 1512. [PD- ART]

Join me in praying for the other members of the Cross My Heart Prayer Team. May the work of our hands bear good fruit.

As always, I'm praying for our military heroes. Keep them safe, dear Lord.

Praying for those persecuted for their faith, and for our country, that we will remain One Nation Under God!

Please add your prayer requests so we can pray together for your special needs.

Tuesday, April 21, 2015!

The crowd said to Jesus: "What sign can you do, that we may believe in you? What can you do? Our ancestors ate manna in the desert, as it is written:
‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’”
So Jesus said to them, “Amen, amen, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave the bread from heaven; my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”
So they said to him, “Sir, give us this bread always.” Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst."
John 6:30-35

Sacred Art:Last Supper, Valentin de Boulogne, 1625-1626. [PD-ART]

Today, I'm praying for you, dear friend! May the Lord bless you abundantly.

Tuesday, April 14, 2015!

Jesus said to Nicodemus, "'You must be born from above.' The wind blows where it wills, and you can hear the sound it makes, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes; so it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” Nicodemus answered and said to him, “How can this happen?” Jesus answered and said to him, “You are the teacher of Israel and you do not understand this? Amen, amen, I say to you, we speak of what we know and we testify to what we have seen, but you people do not accept our testimony. If I tell you about earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you about heavenly things? No one has gone up to heaven except the one who has come down from heaven, the Son of Man. And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.”
John 3:7b-15

Sacred Art: Nicodemus (right) talks to Jesus, William Brassey Hole, 1846-1917. [PD -ART]

Today, I'm praying for all my readers. Your support means so much to me. May God bless you abundantly.