Timing

Timing is everything. I know you’ve heard that expression before, but in reference to God’s work in our lives it’s more true than you could ever imagine. He has made us and placed us in this time, in this place to be part of his plan. Timing is everything and the God who invented time …

Simple Instructions

I have to admit that I’m a very simple person. I don’t think about grand thoughts of glory or have amazing insights into life and eternity. I am just a very simple guy who is trying to follow God and walk with him. I honestly find that most people are just like me, trying to …

Seekers

We all search for something. We seek happiness, love, peace, companionship, friendship, security. We are born seekers. But it’s easy to get confused about what is really important to seek after.  Our search for the things that satisfy the heart and meet our real needs is often unfulfilled.  Our search for meaning and happiness often …

Living A Present-Tense Life

Mat 6:33 Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don’t worry about missing out. You’ll find all your everyday human concerns will be met. Mat 6:34 “Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever …

Choices

Choices. We make them every day. The results of those choices affect the course of our lives and all the choices ahead. Once we make a choice we can no longer make the other choice. Our course is set. Now a multitude of other choices on the other path are no longer ours. Now we …

Praying Big Prayers

John 14:13 And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it. One of the passages of scripture that has troubled me my entire Christian life is this passage in John. These are …

Choices For A Reason

2 Timothy 2:20-22  Now in a large house there are not only gold and silver vessels, but also vessels of wood and of earthenware, and some to honor and some to dishonor. Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from these things, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified, useful to the Master, prepared for every …

Outsiders

I have always felt like an outsider. “Outside what?” you might ask. Outside everything! I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone who didn’t have this sense of being on the outside trying to get in. The sense of being an outsider is something we all deal with. I think it’s simply part of being fallen. …

A Justified Death Sentence

A guest post from @proverbsnwisdom  As a Christian for many years, Ashley Ormon is fully conscious of the life-changing impact an individual can have in putting God first and developing a close relationship with Jesus Christ. You are welcomed to visit her website and community, Proverbs & Wisdom, where she writes to encourage you, empower …

Summer in Texas

It’s 100 degree + again today. It’s summer in Texas. We usually have hot summers, but this one seems especially warm.  Today a friend invited me to lunch with him, but he wanted to “ride” to lunch. That means motorcycles. I have an old BMW airhead with the cylinders right in front of each foot. …

Suicide Bombers

You read about them daily in the news. They cause fear and devastation when they strike. Their tactics change lives forever, including their own. They are called suicide bombers. It’s a recent term to describe a growing trend…people willing to destroy themselves to hurt others. Their beliefs are so strong that they are willing to …

Everlasting

ev•er•last•ing [ev-er-las-ting, -lah-sting] adjective 1. lasting forever; eternal: everlasting future life. 2. lasting or continuing for an indefinitely long time: theeverlasting hills. 3. incessant; constantly recurring: He is plagued by everlastingattacks of influenza. Everlasting is such a comforting word. Sometimes we just let the word simply slip by us because, as Christians, we know HIS …

Permission to Speak Freely

  The permission to speak freely by Anne Jackson is an awesome book that talks about how we let our fears stop us from speaking freely about anything.  Freely speaking on our thoughts and fears about church, relationships, addictions, depression, family etc.  Her single statement “Fear Won” caught my heart.  Fear wins out so often …

He Knows…

I’m often amazed at the thought that even though the Lord knows me, that HE still chooses to love me. Me….. a little ole nobody with fearful tendencies and so far from child like faith, it’s scary.

He knows when I’m discouraged, when I feel alone, defeated and depressed.

Big History

I just watched a video by David Christian called “Big History” on T.E.D. It was fascinating. He began with a video to show how impossible, improbable it is to go from chaos to order and then proceeds for 15 minutes to whimsically declare that’s exactly how the universe came to be. With no reason or …

The Great Exchange

In my reading I’ve come to Mark 1 and one of my favorite stories in the bible. It’s a very short story…not much said about it, but it’s heavy with impact to me. I always slow down as I read this story because I love the message it communicates. Join me in the crowd as …

The most important thing

I just finished teaching through the first three chapters of Ephesians and as we finished chapter three we came to Paul’s closing prayer for the first three chapters. After some wonderful theology Paul’s prayer focuses on one thing- that they would understand how much God loves them. Honestly, it doesn’t seem to fit, but what …

Without

The words of a commentary come to mind this morning as I start my day, “The best word to describe someone who has not trusted Christ as savior is ‘without.’” It’s part of a commentary on the book of Ephesians. As those words came to me early this morning I thought, what would be on …

Forgotten?

He was almost 40 years old and had been invisible as long as he could remember. His name was Joseph and like his namesake he was in bondage, but this Joseph’s bondage would never end. Joseph was lame, unable to walk, and had been that way since birth. Early in life he realized that people …

Challenges

There are days when the challenges and pitfalls of life sneak up on us. It’s easy to fall if you’re not watching the road ahead. The Christian life is described as a walk because there are element of walking that are part of it. There is the decision to go somewhere other than where you …

The body of Christ

Being a Christian has advantages. The big one for me is the community that happens as Christians gather. “One another” life happens. We begin to care for one another, love one another, pray for one another, help one another and on the list goes. Community happens. Love is demonstrated. Life together happens. Caring for others …

But God…

One of the great statements of the bible is summed up in just two words, “But God…” In those two small words tragedy turns to triumph, problems are explained, sadness has hope, and we are not left without answers. God is involved in our world, in our lives. God is the great problem solver, course …

Frustrating God

Galatians 2:21 – I do not frustrate the grace of God….. (KJV) I realize there is a lot more to this verse than I’ve just written, but I want to focus on this portion of it. “I do not frustrate the grace of God…” – ……..but  I do. If I’m honest with myself, I probably …

Don’t you care?

Mark 4:35 That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.” 36 Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. 37 A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that …