Bible Reading

For years I avoided the task. Well, actually, I would begin on January 1st and then somewhere in Leviticus I would wimp out and skip over to begin in my favorite books of the New Testament again. I justified my actions by thinking, there is no requirement that I read the Bible through. I just […]

When I was a child, mom would send us up to the local grocery to pick up a gallon of milk or a loaf of bread. The store was about two blocks away in city terms, but we didn’t live in the city. When we got to the store, we would pick up the needed […]

Mark 6:31And he said unto them, Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while: for there were many coming and going, and they had no leisure so much as to eat. We pride ourselves on being busy people. On accomplishing and making things happen. We can’t stop, because life just wouldn’t go on if we […]

Photo by Donald Tong, Pexels The Prodigal Son is a familiar Bible story, and it is often used as an illustration when someone has wandered into an unhealthy or overtly sinful lifestyle. Sometimes we listen comfortably and think, “Wow, he was really a goner!” But we forget that there were two sons in the parable […]

Joshua 18:3 And Joshua said unto the children of Israel, How long are ye slack to go to possess the land, which the Lord God of your fathers hath given you? God had brought the Israelites out of Egypt. He had preserved them through the wilderness. He had prepared and called them into the Promised Land, and He […]

The excitement was over. The disciples had lived through the horror of the arrest and trial, witnessed the agony of the cross, and experienced the resurrection at the tomb and through their own interactions with the resurrected Christ. Now what? They didn’t see Him everyday like before. They probably felt like they were living in limbo […]

Sometimes I have a better opinion of myself than I should. Sometimes I fail to see my own shortcomings, but when I really look at the fruits of the Spirit, and meditate on how they appear in my life, I notice a few things. This isn’t about self-bashing, but it is about looking realistically at […]

If you are as old as me, you may remember the old Burger King commercial where the elderly lady came into a hamburger establishment and remarked, “Where’s the beef?”. We laughed about that scene, and the phrase, “where’s the beef?” became a part of the vernacular of the day. In Mark 11, we read a […]

Psalm 3 – You have been there. I have, too. Surrounded by trouble, misunderstanding, and discouragement, life can rival Alexander’s day in the book “Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day.” I think you can get the gist from the title. Sometimes we blame other people. Sometimes we blame God. King David […]

Principles from Psalm 15 – Psalm 15 is only five verses long, but the psalmist packed some important principles for life in those few short stanzas. He begins the psalm with a question for God – “Lord, who shall abide in thy tabernacle? who shall dwell in thy holy hill?” (Psalm 15:1) The principles below […]

Proverbs 4 We play with sin like a child plays with matches. We rub against the world, and it feels good. “No harm,” we say. So, we venture a little closer, excusing habits and actions that have the potential to maim and destroy. “All in good fun,” we say. But we don’t see the ignition […]

Romans 8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. There is – certain, absolute therefore – because Jesus Christ has delivered me from the body of death now – […]

Esau and Jacob – the twins. Esau was born first, but Jacob was holding onto Esau’s foot when he came out. Jacob’s name means ‘supplanter’ or ‘he who supplants’, and he pretty much lived up to that title. Esau’s name means ‘hairy’, so you can guess what he looked like at birth. As they grew […]

Read Mark 6:31-46 Jesus had been teaching, and the people followed and listened. It seemed that they couldn’t get enough of Him. Now, they were out in a desert place, far from home, and their physical hunger became evident. The disciples saw the need of the people – over 5000 people. They understood hunger, but […]

I love the old hymn Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing. I especially love the phrase that reads “Here I raise my Ebenezer; Hither by Thy help I’m come.” That part of the song is a reference to the story found in I Samuel 7, particularly verse 14. I Samuel 7:14 Then Samuel took a stone, and […]

Who would have thought that I would one day call the 1980s the ‘good ole days’? The fashions that I like to wear are way out of style by today’s standards. I sing music that was contemporary in my teens but is now classic, and I date myself by the references and examples I use […]

If we want to leave a legacy, we should live our faith. (Hebrews 11:4) Faith doesn’t always reveal the destination, but it always starts a journey. (Hebrews 11:8) When the patriarchs of the faith left their country, it was no longer on their mind. Instead, they looked ahead to a new life, a new home, […]

Luke 9:23 – And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. Mama. Mama. Mama! Mothers of young children sometimes just want to change their title. The constant demand for attention and the need for love and care […]

My mom had one of those old crank sifters. When we made biscuits, we used it to sift the flour, making sure there were no lumps that would not mix well. Once the flour was smooth, we would stir the flour, buttermilk, and shortening together, knead the dough, and form the biscuits. There was always […]

You reap what you sow, more than you sow, and later than you sow. Charles Stanley Sooner or later everyone sits down to a banquet of consequences. Robert Louis Stevenson Traveling through Georgia during the late summer and fall cannot help but turn one’s mind to harvest time. Combines are on the road, tractors are […]