Misc
Battle of the Mind
Jeremiah 17:9 says, “The heart is deceitful and beyond cure. Who can understand it?” How painfully true this statement often is in my life. Have you ever known in your head something to be true or logical, but your heart kept telling you different. It is like when you were a kid and you started…
Read More Misc
Asking…
Have you ever been surprised at what God does when you actually ask Him? Sometimes we Christians walk through life acting like, this is something I can handle or do on my own. I’ll ask God when it is something big or I get into a crunch, but really He isn’t that interested in the…
Read More Misc
Josiah
So at Bible Study we read and discussed the account of king Josiah from 2 Chronicles 34. He was a whopping eight years old when he became king. I can imagine the people who were behind getting him to the throne at such a young age. We know nothing of their intentions or who helped…
Read More Misc
The Lamb AND the Lion…
So I help teach Sunday School to fifth and sixth grade girls at my church. Today during our discussion, it dawned on me that sometimes we tell kids that God loves them and Jesus loves them, but we forget to tell them that God is to be feared. Jesus isn’t a meek and mild mannered…
Read More Misc
Two Servants…
So my last post was on Naaman his account is in 2 Kings 5, but his account has other people in it. Namely two servants. The first one is a young girl. She was kidnapped from her homeland, Israel, during a raid and brought to Naaman’s house to serve his wife. We don’t know her…
Read More Misc
Naaman
Have you ever thought, “God, You want ME to do THAT?! I mean seriously, God isn’t there something bigger, greater, better for me to do? You really mean for those other people to do that, not me. I’m in management.” How often have you walked away from an opportunity God has placed before you because…
Read More Misc
Perfection…My Enemy
Francesca Battistelli has a song entitled Free to be Me in which a portion of the chorus says, “Perfection is my enemy.” Oh how true it is that perfection is my enemy. I convince myself that perfection is good. Colossians 3:23 says, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for…
Read More Misc
Good Friday…
Today is the day we Christians are to remember Jesus’ death. Just typing those words makes my heart sink. My sinful self would prefer to skip the death part, skip the pain and suffering, and move on to the glorious resurrection. Isn’t that how we go about life? God bless me, but don’t force me…
Read More Misc
That Day
Here is a poem I wrote dated 6-20-2002 That Day You cried for me that day. You cried for my waywardness. You cried for my pain. You thought of me and You cried. You prayed for me that day. You prayed for strength. You prayed against temptation. You thought of me and You prayed. You…
Read More Misc
Identifying with Jonah
So, “Jonah was a prophet, ooo-ooo, but he really never got it, sad but true, if you watch him you can spot it, doodlie do, he did not get the point.” So if you know Veggie Tales and you have seen their movie Jonah, you know the song I just quoted. However, I often find…
Read More Misc
EnJOYing Election Season: Cultivating Joy in the Chaos
“Evangelicals for Harris” are all CHINOS — Christians In Name Only. God is not fooled. Neither should we be fooled. My Social Media feeds are full of vitriol…from both sides of the political divide. “How can any Christian vote for a convicted criminal, rapist, insurrectionist, etc.” And it grieves me. The Bible says that all…
Read More Misc
Art and Beauty: How to Embrace Beauty to Change Culture
“I found I could say things with color and shapes that I couldn’t say any other way… things I had no words for.” ― Georgia O’Keeffe Sometimes we forget that God created beauty. At least we evangelicals who value utilitarianism above beauty and art do. We forget that God is the original artist. He paints on canvases…
Read More Misc
A Reason to Go to Church: God’s Presence and Joy
“Silence is the perfectest herald of joy. I were but little happy if I could say how much.” Claudio, Much Ado About Nothing, Shakespeare God does something special when His people come together as a congregation. When we sing, take communion, baptize people, listen to the preaching of God’s Word, His presence comes to us in a special…
Read More Misc
Joy and Presence
Just a note…I have missed sharing this space with you all. So through prayer and planning, my goal is to post here twice a month. I hope you are blessed. Where Joy is Found You [the LORD] reveal the path of life to me;in your presence is abundant joy;at your right hand are eternal pleasures. Psalm…
Read More Rethinking Christian Life
Obedience, Running, and Calling
“So don’t throw away your confidence, which has great reward. For you need endurance, so that after you have done God’s will, you may receive what was promised…But we are not those who draw back and are destroyed, but those who have faith and are saved.” Hebrews 10:35-36 and 39 CSB I’ve been silent for…
Read More Rethinking Challenges, Rethinking Christian Life, Rethinking Faith
A Season of Silence: Experiencing God’s Peace
“Silence is the perfectest herald of joy: I were but little happy, if I could say how much.” -William Shakespeare Much Ado About Nothing Words have been hard for me lately. Silence is easier. I wasn’t so full of joy I could not share like Claudio in the above quote. The big emotions – all of…
Read More Right Thinking Wrong Thinking
What to Think: How to Boss Around Your Mind
“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” Philippians 4:8 ESV God cares about what we think. In fact, He gives us a list of the types…
Read More Right Thinking Wrong Thinking
Mind Your Mind: Joining the Battle for Joy
This past weekend I had the privilege of leading two break-out sessions at Arkansas Baptist Women’s Inspire Conference. What a blessing it was to see about 900 women from all over Arkansas gather together to receive encouragement, correction, refreshment, and learn to fall more in love with Jesus. The session I led was called Changing…
Read More Rethinking Christian Life
The Hope that Does Not Disappoint
Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces…
Read More Rethinking Christian Life, Rethinking Hard Times
Sovereignty: Three Ways to Trust God When Failure Looms
Last week I watched Clemson trounce Alabama in the NCAA’s Football National Championship game. Clemson was up 31-16 at halftime and never looked back. After a botched fake field goal at the beginning of the third quarter Alabama’s loss seemed imminent. Failure, at least in that game, was coming. Still Alabama did not walk off…
Read More