An Ordinary Day

Think of the lame man in Acts chapter 3 who was laid at the gate Beautiful so he could beg. He was just begging for alms and he just wanted to survive. “Just give me some crumbs,” he was most likely crying out to the people that passed. He had been doing this...

Kindness

In Galatians 5:22-23 we are told, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance….” The NIV translates gentleness as kindness. Kindness can be a shocking thing when you are expecting the opposite. Before I was a pastor I was a parole officer. My job was to supervise people...

Fear Not

“Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness – Isaiah 41:10. Going to a dentist’s office is usually not something...

Misunderstandings

I grew up on a cotton farm and by the age of four or five I was ready to help out with some of the farming duties. The day arrived when I was to go to the field and “chop” cotton along with my mother and sister. Now I had heard...

Give Us this Day

Our Lord teaches in Matthew 6:11 to pray, “Give us this day our daily bread,” and in verse 13, to pray, “…deliver us from evil.” I believe it is our responsibility to pray daily for protection from the enemy. Over the years I have prayed for the protection of my family each day and as the...

Freedom in Christ

Today in the USA we are celebrating the signing of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. For over 200 years we Americans have enjoyed the privilege of freedom (Of course, some gained that freedom only later after a bloody civil war.). However, the vision of freedom seen...

Attitude

In Proverbs 22:6 the Bible says, “Train up a child in the way he should go….” And in Ephesians 4:29 we are told not to let any unwholesome language come out of our mouths but only what is useful to edify or build up those who are listening. In Hebrews 10:24 we are told to, “…provoke one another...

In the Shadow of His Wings

Today a friend wrote a note of encouragement to me along with the notation Psalm 91:1-2 which says, “He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God;...

Blindsided

Today I was run over by a truck. Not really, it just felt like it!! I thought I was looking after the interests of our church as a pastor should. I thought that what I had wanted was what would be in the best interest of those affected the...

Learning to Fly

But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. – Isaiah 41:31. When I was a boy a neighbor gave me a baby crow. After the...