Category: Words

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Good Intentions

I remember in the late 1990’s having good intentions about door-to-door visitation. I, along with some fellow ministry workers, knocked on every door of a nearby city’s government housing projects. We had good intentions but nothing tangible resulted from it. Maybe one person visited our church but no new converts. I know we encouraged a few people, but we never saw a harvest of our efforts.

I learned that building relationships is more effective than cold-calling.

Churches and mission organizations are full of good intentions. We have to be honest and ask ourselves the question. Are our good intentions bearing fruit or do they just make us feel better about ourselves? We often learn by trial and error.

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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.

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And The Truth Is…

Have you heard something said, and realized that you knew the concept but had never put it into words? I have said this in the past, “Someone articulated a truth that I never had the words for.” We hear it and say, “Aha, that’s the truth!”

Some of the worst descriptive words are “this is my truth” or “this is what I feel is the truth.” How arrogant is that! Our feelings or thoughts are not the indicators of truth. Truth is not derived from the receivers but from the Giver.

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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.

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Deception of Evil

Evil first hides in the dark. Then it appears in the morning, not as a direct enemy of good, but as an alternative. Then by afternoon, it tries to masquerade as good denouncing good as evil. By nightfall, evil seeks to destroy good so evil can prevail unhindered.

The Bible declares this deception, “Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; Who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; Who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!” (Isaiah 5:20 NKJV).

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Words With Action

The words that a person speaks does not really define who they are but what they do is a true indicator of who they are.

Many in our present culture are under the illusion they can change the world by posting a Tweet in 280 characters or a Facebook meme while sipping on a mocha latte. It takes a little more action than that!

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Confusion and Chaos

The malicious destroyer scans his evil eyes over the landscape of a people who were at peace and prosperous. He knew his labor was not to convince but to deceive. He was trained in the principles of life and order in the Creation of the world, yet he rebelled against all that was good and holy and right. Whatever God was for, he was against.

He set his sights on two brothers named Confusion and Chaos and began the process of their wicked apprenticeship.

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Be Comfortable, Being Uncomfortable

I remember climbing into my mosquito-net-covered-bed while in Haiti and lying down to sleep just sweltering in the 85 degree heat even at 10:00 pm.  It was June, we had no electricity, and my only relief from the heat was a little battery operated six inch fan positioned to blow a little relief over my torso and face.  In that moment, I remembered a phrase I had heard or read but no longer remembered the source; it was something like, “Be comfortable, being uncomfortable”.   So in my mind, I surrendered to the state of contentment; being comfortable with my uncomfortable situation and went to sleep in my sweat.

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