Perseverance – Page 5 – Pathway Journey

August 10, 2023December 31, 2023

The Value of Life

People are more than globs of carbon compounds organized by DNA. We, yes, you and I, were created and designed by God, in His own image. In the second chapter of the Bible, the declaration is made, “And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being” (Gen. 2:7 NKJV).

For all of you animal lovers, yes, treat your critters humanely, but they are not equal with us. Human beings are at the apex of the creature pyramid. Our eyes are on the front of our heads which makes us a predator. A five-hundred-pound black bear is much more likely to run from us than attack.

We are not gods, but we do have the spark of divinity in us. We were created in the image of God. Just as God exists as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, so he created us as a triune being with a spirit, soul, and body.

The main point to this: We were created in the image of God with a soul, and everyone is inherently spiritual. A person is a spiritual being regardless of their morals or religious leanings, people can be spiritually righteous or spiritually evil.

July 25, 2023July 24, 2023

Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff

Life is too short to get tied up in knots over things that should not matter. I know that is easier to say than to do. People and things are always tugging at our shirt tails for attention like a three-year-old wanting a cookie.

Here are a few things to keep in mind:

July 18, 2023July 17, 2023

Whose Strength?

In the kingdom of God, the calling of God’s work must be larger than our hands or it is only the work of a man. If it can be accomplished outside of God’s power, it is only the work of man.

That which requires God’s strength, is truly the work of God in His kingdom.

June 29, 2023June 29, 2023

Wake Up!

If you think long and hard about sleep, the whole concept is a little weird. Your conscious self goes somewhat dormant and oblivious to your surroundings for almost a third of the day. Yeah, just admit it, it is weird, but we have done it all our lives.

Most of us during periods of our lives went through a time when we were just sleep-walking through life. We were doing the same thing day in and day out in a semi-slumber mode. Then something dramatic happens and we are awakened to a new reality.

June 21, 2023June 20, 2023

What Do I Do Now?

Everyone has been at a point in their lives when they didn’t know what to do next. It is difficult to be at a crossroads not knowing which way to go.

May 24, 2023May 29, 2023

Shadow of Darkness

In the history of the world, there have been seasons or eras of great darkness. One example in the last century was the Great Depression which was sandwiched between the two Great World Wars. These three events cast a dark shadow over the world for about thirty-one continuous years. The world has been under a shadow of darkness since the fall of man in the book of Genesis.

Amid this darkness, there have been periods of relative peace and prosperity. Jesus spoke about this darkness and His light, “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world” (John 16:33 NKJV).

March 22, 2023March 22, 2023

Praying for Rain

The year was 1824 and we had moved from Tennessee to the foothills in Alabama after our crops in Tennessee had been gathered in. I had bought 20 acres of land in the valley below the mountain plateau I first crossed with General Jackson in 1812.

When we were settling into the new homestead, we immediately began cutting logs for a small cabin. We figured the land on the downside of the mountain would be the richest ground. So that’s where we cut the first trees for our house, gaining logs, and clearing a cornfield at the same time.

February 21, 2023February 21, 2023

Keep Your Hands Out of Your Pockets!

When I was in college preparing to be a teacher, we were required to visit schools and observe real-life classroom instruction. I remember visiting a shop class in a school just south of Auburn. The instructor was an older gentlemen not far from retirement with a lot of hard-earned wisdom. I never forgot his instruction to his students, “When we go into the shop, I better not see any of you with your hands in your pockets. You never go on a worksite with your hands in your pockets. Be ready to work and be ready to protect yourself. You hear me! Keep your eyes open and keep your hands out of your pockets! I better not catch any of you with your hands in your pockets!”

February 8, 2023February 8, 2023

The Wind

Growing up in the South without air conditioning in the 50’s and 60’s was normal for most folks. You do not bemoan the lack of anything if you never have had it; most people in those decades did not have air conditioning in their houses or cars. We had window fans, that gave us a little reprieve on the dog days of summer. Our vehicles had only “4-60” air conditioning—roll all the windows down and drive 60 mph.

January 18, 2023January 18, 2023

Stand Still, Don’t Move!

I’m sure the phrase, “Stand still, don’t move” has been said million of times in thousands of circumstances. I can hear one of my older brothers using that phrase when we were squirrel hunting. I’m sure a young soldier has heard similar words in a mine field. Perhaps a hiker has heard the same when a rattlesnake was within striking distance of his leg.