thoughts on life and faith
59 And as they were stoning Stephen, he called out, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." 60 And falling to his knees he cried out with a loud voice, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them." And when he had said this, he fell asleep. (Acts 7:59-60) There is a certain way to die in … Continue reading Receive Me, Forgive Them
When I was young, I had a recurring dream. It involved me carefully walking into my musty dungeon style basement and running into Asian businessmen playing cards. As the smoke lingered in the darkened air, I was stunned by the sidearms openly displayed. What made this a nightmare (no, I am not scared of Asians) … Continue reading What Would Freud Say?
36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 37 Then he said to his disciples, "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few, 38 therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest. (Matthew 9:36-38) … Continue reading Where Are The Public Shepherds?
38 "So in the present case i tell you, keep away from these men and let them alone, for if this plan or this undertaking is of man, it will fail; 39 but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them. you might even be found opposing God!" (Acts 5:38-39) … Continue reading Lean In
What we are is plain to God, and I hope it is also plain to your conscience (2 Cor. 5:11b) I am a hypocrite. Having a reputation as a holy man, I often live in a way that is anything but holy. It is easy for us to portray who we believe others desire to … Continue reading The Hypocrite in the Morning Mirror
3b . . .the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, 4who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. 5 For as we share abundantly in Christ's sufferings, so through … Continue reading Comfort in a Week of Tragedy
12 And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved (Acts 4:12) Lately, I have become an expert at "faking it". For years I have learned some about the Bible and even more about ministry. There comes a time … Continue reading You Are Weak, and So Am I
"Jesus is coming, are you ready?" This is a sign I have seen a few times this week on various church buildings. The superstitious in me believes it may be a sign from above telling me to change something in my life or face the consequences. Yet what this peculiar question does, is polarize and … Continue reading Don’t Panic. No One is Ready.
Words kill, words give life; they're either poison or fruit - you choose (Proverbs 18:21 The Message) Normally I don't enjoy The Message translation (I'm an ESV or Extra Snobby Version type of guy) but lately I have liked how the Message brings Scripture to the very common. Sunday, I talked to the teens about … Continue reading Foul Mouth Monday
1 Whoever isolates himself seeks his own desire; he breaks out against all sound judgment (Proverbs 18:1) For the first few years of seriously (somewhat) following Christ, I struggled. Coming out of depression, health issues, and broken relationships, I found that a life with Jesus is simply better (not easier). However, I struggled because I … Continue reading Freaky Friendship Friday
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