Most everyone is familiar with these words of comfort from David’s Psalm 23. How do these implements differ? A rod is a weapon for defending oneself. A staff, which has a hooked top end, is used for guiding. A shepherd carried both with him to protect the sheep. You may have also heard of the […]
Don’t Like Criticism?
I don’t either. But I’m learning to be more open to others views of me. When I played high school football I got used to coaches correcting me on the practice field because I knew it would make me a better player the next time I took my position. I’m trying to be a better […]
Freedom = Responsibility
I can’t imagine not having freedom. Can you? But the ability to do anything you like (as long as it doesn’t break any laws) presents us with an occasional dilemma. Do we just do what feels good – in other words just giving in to our mental and physical desires? Do others follow our lead, […]
The Battle For Our Nation’s Soul
We often read about decorated war veterans who return home pretty much in one piece from several tours of battle only to die in some unforeseen evil happening in our country. Battles not only involve combat, but spiritual warfare. Just like a sniper is 10X more effective than the average infantry, God is infinitely more […]
Conflict brewing?
Not everything goes according to plan. Not everyone like us. We’re not as smart as we think we are. When we feel a personal storm coming on, there are action steps we can take to settle it down. First, don’t worry about pleasing everyone. It’s impossible, so don’t even try. Be a God pleaser, not […]
Overcoming
This COVID thing just seems to go on and on. We can’t let it break us, though. Paul wrote about the strength that is renewed after overcoming a difficult time. In II Cor. 2:11 he described six attributes that came out of his suffering and that of his followers in the early church: strength of […]
Is It All Futile?
Solomon wrote that life was futile. It was like chasing after the wind. Solomon had lost his way and couldn’t figure out where the wind would go next. That’s because he was chasing after the wrong things. Originally, he asked God for wisdom. But he confused his own knowledge with wisdom from God. God gave […]
Being attacked?
It’s usually due to one of two things – desperation or gluttony. That’s when the attacks happen. You can’t see it. But God sees it. He created you and He’s not done with you yet. He will continually pick you up and put you back on the right path. Facing forward, not backward. But you […]
Running The Race
This past summer we were witnesses to some really fast athletes in the summer Olympics – and not just the runners. There were cyclists, rowers, swimmers and more who got ready in the starting blocks to begin the race they had been prepping for for four years. In our more mundane lives we, too, find […]
Be Someone
And I had a feeling that I belongedAnd I had a feeling I could be someone, be someone, be someone One of my favorite vocalists of all time is Tracy Chapman. She wrote a heartbreaking song called “Fast Car”. The song is not about a fast car. It’s about dashed hopes. Above are words from […]
