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- What Belongs to God? - What Belongs to God? Good question. What does belong to God? How am I to understand this? Jesus told the rich young ruler to ‘sell all you have, and give to the poor’. That was confusing to him and to us. Why impoverished that young man? It’s not easy to accept the premise that everything we are, everything we have, everything we do is the Lords. We are the Lord's, which means we have our marching orders and they’re pretty simple: Love God and love others. We are to make no exceptions, for any reason. Which explains why it’s not easy. So, if everything we claim belongs to God, then we give back to Him the graces and the gifts, physical, spiritual, emotional…all. Continue reading
- Your Story, My Story - Your Story, My Story: You were baptized, you accepted Christ as Lord and Savior and you do your best to follow the Will of God. You have story. I’m a preacher’s kid. I grew up in the church. I thought I was a Christian, that is, until the circumstances of my life crashed and I found out what Jesus meant when He told Nicodemus, “You must be born again.” Since then I have done my best to follow Jesus as Lord. I have story. Continue reading
- Message of Hope - Message of Hope: I suppose I could have titled this ‘the triumph of love over fear’, because that’s my closing argument. It’s easy to find ourselves grappling with fear -- fear of the unknown, of failure, even fear of each other. There exists a powerful force that has the ability to dispel the darkness and bring forth profound transformation: Love. Love is a beacon of light that has the capacity to overcome the darkness of our most daunting fears. This is not a minor sentiment; it’s a courageous and transformative power that can heal and unite. Continue reading
- Free Will - Free Will: Nearly two years ago I wrote an essay entitled ‘Small Minds’ and posted it on my website. I pointed out that the conflict I see between our personal opinions of things, the free will that God has given us, and simple, clear facts that are there before our eyes, and minds, have caused stress and divisions that have taken away from the building up of our nation and our own spiritual growth. God makes it clear that He did NOT create any religion! Not one! Not yours, not mine. He made it clear that each of those man-made “slants” on His Word has a purpose. He implies that we make complex that which is actually very simple – Love others as He has loved us. Period. Continue reading
- Self-Sufficiency - Self-Sufficiency: I think it’s hard to admit that there are times when we are often mired in evil thoughts, impulsive thoughts at the moment, thoughts that if we had a moment to think about we would not have had them. Often thoughts lead to action. While self-sufficiency can be a positive trait, too often we judge others behavior, by our excellent life skills, as if our self-sufficiency is the stuff that others should aspire to. Continue reading
- Perfect Imperfections - Perfect Imperfections: My body is a broken toy. The words of Angie Ebba, disabled, artist, writer and teacher. In an article on the website Healthline, she started with this statement: “I am broken..." It is her reality. Her story is inspiring and offers encouragement for all of us who age, become infirm, forgetful, or acquire debilitating illnesses. We think of another broken body, and we hear those words, “This is my body broken for you…” those words should resonate with us. Each word has meaning. This is my body... What about you and your encounter with Jesus, there on Calvary? Where are our thoughts when we hear His words, “This my body being broken for you”? Continue reading
- Favorites? - Favorites: Favorite passages from the Bible. We all have them. Maybe it was a passage that we memorized when we were a child and it stuck with us, taking on real meaning when we became adults and we drew closer to our Lord. What Bible passages do you favor? When do you call to mind the Words of God? Is it for comfort? For strength? For direction? Is it in times of severe pain, heart attack, a diagnosis where hope is thin and you wonder where to turn? So, what is your favorite passage? What is there about that passage that has drawn you? Does it bring you closer to God? When you consider those words, it is a prayer, it is calling on your Father, the King of the Universe, your Lord and Savior, Amen. Continue reading
- Unforgiveness? - Unforgiveness: ‘One cannot have peace and love and harbor unforgiveness.' I’m assuming that the meaning of unforgiveness relates to a person who finds it hard, even impossible, to love someone who has treated them badly, in their own estimation. Maybe that person has promised one thing and never delivered. Maybe something was said and never apologized for. Whatever the reason, in unforgiveness, we run counter to what Jesus has taught us when he gave us the Great Commandment. You remember that one, don’t you? Love the Lord your God with all your heart and your mind and your soul and love others as I have loved you. Here is the thing about unforgiveness, even a small one, it begins to stink and has that strange characteristic of getting heavier and heavier the longer you carry it. Continue reading
- Hope and Encouragement - Hope and Encouragement: This morning the Lord ‘Loaded me up’ (pardon the expression) with His inspiration. Yes, it was filtered through part Allen Jackson, part Steven Furtick, part Holy Bible and 100% my Lord. Furtick was preaching that we are to go in the strength that we have for it is more than enough to accomplish what the Lord had placed on our hearts. That lead to a thought about Graham and the alter calls, with the song ‘Just as I am, without one plea. Then Allen Jackson stepped into my thoughts and prayers, speaking about the fact that we are in the midst of ‘Spiritual Warfare’ with legions of angels on our side fighting along with us, and giving us Hope and Encouragement. Jackson closed his message with a proclamation drawn from God’s Word. Continue reading
- Foot-In-Mouth Cure - Foot-In-Mouth Cure: Sometime ago I was reading a version of a Jesus Calling devotional from a few years ago and the Lord spoke to me and my occasional tendency to speak before I think. I know that I’m not alone in blurting out words and thoughts that I immediately regret. I sometimes speak in humor, clever little quips, and the listener hears nothing to smile about, and may even argue. I can see the blessed ideal in what the Apostle James has said about being quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to take offense or become angry. That’s very wise counsel but I’m wondering how many of us intentionally follow that advice? Sometimes it's hard to grasp that the help we want and need is readily available through a simple prayer: Help Me, Holy Spirit, or Help Me, Jesus. In those words is more power then we can imagine. Continue reading
- Nine Is Not Enough - Nine Is Not Enough: It was late and almost dark. He heard the sound as he approached his car, the insistent cry of a baby animal. He looked around, but saw nothing. When he unlocked his car, and opened the door, the light illuminated a tiny kitten, standing on trembling legs near his front tire. He reached down, scooped it up, and, sliding into his car, he examined it. He knew what to look for: eyes were barely open, legs not fully developed – three weeks old, tops. It’s cries told him the poor thing was hungry. The timing was perfect, the need acute, for both kitty and man. Over the next two decades, beginning with bottle-feeding bonding, Chloe maintained her status as the center of the family, the protector, the provider of endless entertaining activities. My friend found, as we all do, that there is a down-side to pet adoption. In Chloe’s case, nine lives was not enough, when the time came where quality of life trumps the wish that our loved one would never leave us. We take some comfort in what Dr. David Jeremiah has to say about the importance of loving pets in our lives. He points out that what we think about heaven determines how we live each day, and how the pain of loss is softened. Continue reading
- I Surrender All? - I Surrender All? "I surrender all / All to Thee / My blessed Savior / I surrender all" Do we sing that? Do we say that? Do we mean that? The words of this hymn are loaded. Phrases like “I will ever love and trust Him”. Can we check that one off? Do you place your trust there, with Him? How about “in His presence daily live.” Do you meet that standard, every moment of every day? Got that one? Okay, then we come to the crusher, “My blessed Savior, I surrender all”. All, everything, not a scrap that we can call our own. It is ALL His. Think long and hard about that one. It is not an easy road we travel with Jesus. It is not easy to surrender it all. Continue reading
- Empathy, Compassion, Love - Empathy, Compassion, Love: I am convinced, that a good part of empathy and compassion lies within each one of us, for, at its core, what we have gone through, and our present state, is personal. It is how we each grow from it. I believe Love is the source of all compassion, it is the opposite of fear. To me, there is a positive counter-transition that goes like this -- Fear can breed anger. Anger, recognized, can encourage sympathy. Awareness of our sympathetic response can engender empathy. Empathy opens the door to compassion, and compassion is love. That may sound complicated, but it happened in the blink of an eye. May the power of God’s love within us, always move us to acts of compassion, sometimes beyond our human willingness to act. Continue reading
- Fear Is Not Peace - Peace Is Not Fear: “We are humans, we all experience fear in some form or another; for our own safety, sometimes the fear is of the unknown, or comes out of our worry about tomorrow. We hear plenty of scripture passages that say to us do not fear, and certainly do not worry about tomorrow… What about holy fear? The kind of fear that God implants in us that guides us closer to him?” That thought, or Holy Fear, stayed with me through the week and informed my reading of Acts 2:1-4, where we read about Pentecost. It was a fearful, violent wind and tongues of fire that filled the temple. All that would be fearful enough, but then they were filled with the holy spirit. Which was God’s purpose, God’s plan. Continue reading
- Uncommon Sense - Uncommon Sense: Trusting God is sometimes difficult. That is especially true when we are called to do something that we resist. Sometimes our faith is in conflict with our common sense, or our comfort levels. You hear the Apostle Paul telling you that “all things work together for good…” and you wonder. Jesus tells you to “sell all you have and give to the poor” and you think, that can’t be right. That would make me one of the poor. Let’s face it, common sense and faith are as different from each other as today’s news is from the Good News. When we trust him, and have faith in him, we immediately have something that is real, and our faith it is limitless. Continue reading
- Rules of Worship? - Rules of Worship? New York City painter Archie Rand likes to work on big art projects, big themes, like jazz in American culture and the history of the Jews. He paints very large pieces, murals on buildings and other broad surfaces. One collection of 54 paintings represents each division of the Hebrew Torah. For the ancient Jew, the Laws were important guide rails for living a sacred life. What would pharisees and teachers of the law make of the "commandments", or laws, that modern Christian denominations have thrown up to give guidance to our idea of worship? It would be interesting to see Rand’s artistic interpretation of some of our “Rules of Worship”. How about the sanctity of “Pew Reservations”. Continue reading
- Trade-In? - Trade-in? In 2011, you bought a used car, a very cool, low mileage, 2009. You loved it then and you still have great affection for it, but things are happening and it’s beginning to cost…a lot. That consumer of your wealth parked in your drive this very much like these bodies of ours. They wear out. In the course of our lives we’ve had a lot of maintenance done, called healthcare. This earth suit we call our bodies are not designed for eternity, but our spiritual bodies are. Spiritual maintenance is called a Walk with Our Lord. Continue reading
- A Better Story - A Better Story: In this section (of Acts) we see Paul and Barnabas sharing stories of transformation. After returning from Antioch, they gathered the community of believers and “reported all that God had done through them.” In other words, they shared with passion and excitement the things that the Spirit of God was doing. We are neither Barnabas nor Paul, but the patterns of our lives in Christ is remarkably similar. And because we are sharing how the Lord has touched our lives, it has value for those who hear and know our stories. We are called to go and make disciples, and the tools the Lord has given us is the life we have led directed by Him. Continue reading
- Cherry Popsicle Day - Cherry Popsicle Day: Did you know each day of the year is a national day? That’s right, and today is National Cherry Popsicle Day. You can’t read the Bible without encountering a Jewish festival, the celebration of a victory, or the appearance of a saint. It was the festival of Passover that brought Jesus to Jerusalem. The history of the Jewish people is outlined in the festivals and the feast days that they commemorate. What defines your faith history? Chances are it’s not Cherry Popsicle Day, Maybe it was the day it dawned on you that the Holy Spirit within you was real, was “speaking” to you. May it be so with you. Continue reading
- Shema - Shema: In the mid 70s Paul Harvey was a well-known, syndicated newscaster. One signature part of his broadcast came toward the end when he told us an unfinished story, then, later, would tell ‘The Rest of the Story’. We were always fascinated by that and the segment became so popular that it became a program of its own. One of my favorite passages in the book of Matthew is the story of the rich young ruler. Rarely have I heard or read that passage without thinking, what’s ‘the rest of the story?’. ‘Shema’ is a Hebrew word meaning hear and obey, or hear and act. Our Lord wants us to be doers of the word, not just hearers. Some of us are thick-minded and it takes time and thought, we have to let it ‘grow on us’ before we act. If that is you, raise your hand. Mine is raised, and so is the hand of the rich young ruler. In his mind was all that Jesus had said, right down to the ‘treasures in heaven,’ and ‘follow me’, and the germination begins. Continue reading
