If I remember the story correctly, a man in conversation with the famous evangelist D. L. Moody, pointed to a drunken man on the street and said, “Moody, isn’t that one of your converts?” Moody replied, “Yes, that looks like one of my converts.” Implying that the work of man does not change an individual but only a true work of grace by Christ can convert.
Continue reading “True Conversion”Disappointment
I suppose disappointment is a human condition that affects us all. We often wallow in the disappointment in ourselves and boil over our emotions in the disappointment of others.
There is a portion of scripture I often default to in times of disappointment that shakes me back into reality. It is in Proverbs 13:12a (NKJV), “Hope deferred makes the heart sick…” My paraphrase is, “Expectations not met, breaks the heart.”
Continue reading “Disappointment”Be Real
Our present world is one of symbols and images that are often removed from reality. Social media has photos that are filtered to project a prettier face. A short media post shows a perfect situation but a deeper look reveals a flawed reality.
We are swamped with available information at our fingertips. Much of the information is skewed to project a reality that does not exit. It is like the snake oil medicine of old, that promised to cure everything from cataracts to kidney stones but only gave a taste of medicine in the mouth.
Continue reading “Be Real”Angel Feathers
On my first trip to Haiti, a family loaned me their video camera. At that time, they were extremely expensive, but they insisted I take it. Unknown to me, the camera had a loose screw on the eye piece. In the middle of about a hundred school kids or more, it fell to the ground. This little fellow about seven years old tugged on my pant leg and held it up to me. God gave me an angel feather.
Continue reading “Angel Feathers”No More Options!!
Jesus said some difficult things. One of the more difficult statements He made to His followers was for them to have life it would be necessary for them to eat His flesh and to drink His blood (see John 6:53-57). Many of His followers stopped following Him after that teaching. Jesus asked His twelve apostles, “Do you also want to go away” (John 6:67 NKJV)?
Continue reading “No More Options!!”Overcoming Evil
A lingering question is asked these days given the situation we see in our world, “What can we do?” It is an earthly question with a spiritual answer. Much of what people see as a cultural shift, political upheaval, or religious persecution is a spiritual manifestation.
Continue reading “Overcoming Evil”The Broken Among the Broken
My mother grew up during the Great Depression in a sharecropper’s family. I remember her saying that she did not think of herself as being poor because just about everyone she knew was in the same situation.
We live in a very broken world, but we have adjusted our eyes to the darkness and call it normal.
Continue reading “The Broken Among the Broken”Treatment of our Families and Enemies are Revealing
I find myself repeating some phrases along my journey of life. One that I use from time to time is about representing Jesus to others by “Showing the life, love, and the light of Jesus to the world.”
Continue reading “Treatment of our Families and Enemies are Revealing”Considering Ourselves
I am a little skeptical when I hear someone say, “I don’t need the approval of others.” We all enjoy an “atta boy” every now and then. In my years when I had work supervisors, I would work harder for one who gave positive affirmations than for one who I could not satisfy. More than we realize, we use the words of others for a mirror.
Continue reading “Considering Ourselves”Journey Update: December 2020
Here in the United States, we celebrated our Thanksgiving Day the fourth Thursday of November. It is unofficially but a real beginning of our Christmas season when we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ.
Continue reading “Journey Update: December 2020”
