What is your view of the body? That’s right, your physical body. This question may be one of the most essential life-questions you’ve never thought of. Your answer makes a difference in every area of your life. How you eat, sleep, work, worship, relate, recreate, maintain, die, and deal with your dead body, are all affected by your understanding of … Read More
Today, take courage to battle. As a Christian you have, in the Triune God, the inner support, spiritual resources, personal help, and actual presence necessary to engage your enemies. You do not need to fear defeat. Let the truth of these Psalms give you boldness and courage to struggle with whatever comes your way. Three Realities to Help Us Understand … Read More
I remember sitting in Sunday School and the teacher putting up a picture of a soldier on the flannel graph board then dressing him with parts of the armor listed in Ephesians 6. I know. That really dates me. Today, a teacher can use videos that explain the “armor of God” with animation, music, and puppets. I’ve just now checked … Read More
Last Saturday, Rhonda and I spent 4-5 hours “de-cluttering” one of the areas of our house. The hidden mud room/pantry area had become a chaotic collection of small appliances, cookbooks, pantry-type foods, cleaning materials, and other random stuff. If we didn’t know what to do with an item, it usually ended up joining the disarray. We attacked the chaos of … Read More
Prayer is a mystery to me but not to Jesus. He knows what prayer is and how to do it. He knows everything there is to know about prayer. Our understanding of prayer is nothing in comparison to His. He is the teacher, we are the kindergarten students – maybe not even that developed – more like infants learning to … Read More
Wednesday morning, during the intercessory prayer portion of my time with God, the names of three couples jumped off the prayer list. They are all former church leaders (pastor, elder, deacon) all securely married two years ago, who are now divorced or going through a divorce. God’s mercy can be experienced whether married or divorced. However, I know each of … Read More
I sat in the audience as the pastor gave a stirring and somewhat convicting sermon around the theme of anger. As the sermon came to a close I was hoping he would give me help in dealing with my own anger issues. Instead, he turned our attention to the many recent shootings, focusing on the gunman’s anger issues. “Isn’t it … Read More
,,,that you also aspire to lead a quiet life, to mind our own business, and to work with our own hands, as we commanded you, that you may walk properly toward those who are outside, and that you may lack nothing. 1 Thessalonians 4.11,12 I read and meditated on this passage Wednesday morning. Something (or Someone) significant pulled at my … Read More
I have an issue when it comes to moving forward on my spiritual journey. When I renew intentions for some aspect of my life – spiritually, physically, financially, emotionally, or vocationally – I inevitably begin to compare myself to others. I do this to give myself reasons to slough off. I can always compare myself to someone who is not … Read More
On Monday I sat in waiting rooms for over six hours as my son, Nate, prepared for and then underwent surgery. I observed that 95% of the people in the waiting rooms were overweight, including me. Obviously, most people had, over time, ingested more calories than they had expended. I felt like I was at the typical church where every … Read More
