My daddy was born in 1914 in the ridges of Northeast Alabama. He was deserted by his father when he was a school-age boy and raised by his single mother in the midst of the Great Depression. He was raised dirt-poor.
Continue reading “Daddy Bought a Nissan”Don’t Allow Your Past to Destroy Your Future
Many people allow their hurts, abuse, regret, sin, or disappointments to steal their joy and future. These words are not intended to downplay the difficulties you may have encountered. But we must realize there is absolutely nothing we can do to undo the past.
Too often we allow a never-ending replay loop to visit the problems of the past. At the end of the replay loop, there is no delete button. It is sad that so many people allow the past to mar their future.
All of us have choices of which we regret. “I wish I hadn’t done that!” or “I wish I would have made a better choice there!” There is nothing we can do to change the decision or the action of the past. That door is shut and cannot be opened.
Then there are so many who have suffered abuse for no fault of their own. They experience shame and guilt over something totally out of their control. It is like the enemy leaves an open sore that never seems to heal. These people need our compassion and the healing that only comes from Jesus.
Continue reading “Don’t Allow Your Past to Destroy Your Future”Pattern of Living
Sometimes, we hear people say, “Do as I say but don’t do as I do.” This quote is morphed from a warning of Jesus to His followers about the hypocrisy of the scribes and Pharisees, “Therefore whatever they tell you to observe, that observe and do, but do not do according to their works; for they say, and do not do” (Matt. 23:3 NKJV).
We all have patterns of living. The habitual lifestyle of good or bad actions creates a pattern by which we are known. Others observe us subconsciously and purposefully. Those around us know us by our patterns. We are generally known by our lifestyle. It is not that people are judging us; they are only taking note of their observations.
Continue reading “Pattern of Living”The Tension of Balance
Imagine someone walking on a balance beam with a rope tied to each arm. On either side is someone holding the loose end of the rope. The two rope handlers’ job is not a tug-a-war but one of tension. The tension of the two opposing forces match each other to keep the person on the balance beam.
I have tried to apply balance to my life and encourage it in others. I have found that those who like to view themselves as radicals do not like the concept of balance. Balance sounds like compromise to the radical. I try to be very choosy on which mountains I am willing to die on; molehills are not mountains.
In our current world, everyone seems to be divided into two camps on many issues. Our country is divided into political, cultural, religious, and societal issues with very few clear balanced proposals. It seems that a line has been drawn in the sand and swords are drawn.
Continue reading “The Tension of Balance”Wars and Rumors of War
Wars are troubling and the rumors of war strike fear in the hearts of reasonable men. Jesus told four of his disciples as He sat on the Mount of Olives a few days before His crucifixion, “But when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be troubled; for such things must happen, but the end is not yet” (Mark 13:7 NKJV).
In our broken and fallen world, war is easily predictable. Something was up when one of the first brothers, Cain, killed his brother Abel. The history of the world is more punctuated with wars as a long sentence is filled with commas.
Continue reading “Wars and Rumors of War”Murder Grows from the Seed of Hate
Most of us watched in horror as Charlie Kirk was assassinated before our eyes. Many of us viewed the footage where Iryna Zarutska, a Ukrainian refugee was stabbed to death on a Charlotte train with no provocation. Those of us with any sense of morality or common sense, ask the question, “Why?”
I am relieved to know that so many of us can’t fathom how these things can happen. It seems such a senseless act to destroy another human being—a being made in the very image of God. Our hearts cry and our reasoning minds can’t comprehend the depths of hate.
Continue reading “Murder Grows from the Seed of Hate”Five Spiritual Guidelines for Troubling Times
Jesus never promised us an easy life. He did promise to be with us. Listen carefully to these words of Jesus. “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation [trouble]; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world” (John 16:33 NKJV).
How do we deal with the trouble of this world? Consider the next five points:
Continue reading “Five Spiritual Guidelines for Troubling Times”How Much Does It Cost?
NOTE: This blog post was originally written and shared by me in 2018. I thought I would give it a quick edit and run it through the rinse cycle one more time!
How Much Does It Cost?
“How much does it cost?”, it is a question we ask when we shop. But life is a series of questions of, “How much does it cost?” It all comes down to value. Everything has a value fixed at a different level by different people. What do we really value?
Continue reading “How Much Does It Cost?”How Grace and Mercy Lead to Peace with God
In the church world we throw around words and catch phases until they become threadbare of their meaning. Paul used the three terms of grace, mercy, and peace in his salutations to his spiritual sons. Here is one, “To Timothy, a true son in the faith: Grace, mercy, and peace from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord” (1 Tim. 1:2 NKJV).
Peace always follows grace and mercy. It is impossible to have true peace with God without the blessings of grace and mercy. Since we were born with a sin nature, it is impossible to have peace with God without them. We can’t outside of these two make ourselves compatible with God’s peace.
We can measure twice and cut once. We can fill the cracks with putty and sand until smooth. We can put three coats of paint on a stairway to Heaven. Still, it will not reach!
Continue reading “How Grace and Mercy Lead to Peace with God”Understanding God: Insights from a Lifelong Journey
I will soon cross over into my seventh decade of life. There are a few things I know now. I did not know them when my hair was brown and my energy was like the battery bunny. The main morsel of knowledge I now realize is how much I do not know. The body of knowledge seems to be as vast as the ocean and I am in a row boat.
I have read the entire Bible each year for close to thirty years. I understand many truths of the Bible but I still scratch my head about some things. It is the Word of God. How can a mere mortal like me understand the vastness and the depth of it? The short answer, I cannot. Yet, I keep studying and praying for more understanding of the Word of Life.
Continue reading “Understanding God: Insights from a Lifelong Journey”
Pathway Journey 