Just as Fall and Winter bring the dropping of leaves, leaving the branches to look disheveled and scrawny, Christians can also enter dark periods of their lives. They can feel confused, weak, depressed, discouraged, unenthusiastic, emotionally scrawny and scraggly. I wouldn’t say it’s normal, but every Christian I know has faced times like this. Fortunately, […]
Like Joseph living as a slave in Egypt, Daniel was also exiled to a foreign land 800-900 miles away. Like the young Jewish girl captured by Naaman during the war with Syria, Daniel was a captive of war with Babylonia. Once in Babylon, Daniel was forced to go to school to learn the language and […]
The eighth chapter of Romans contains such important revelation that I chose to paraphrase it. It’s too long of a chapter to include it, but I would recommend having an open Bible next to my paraphrase. PARAPHRASE 8:1-8 – Those who have accepted Jesus will never face God’s wrath and judgment. The Spirit of God […]
God would make a great florist. He designed among flowers a variety of shapes, fragrances, and various colors. He made them fragile enough to be crushed with a boot, yet strong enough to withstand heavy rains and pelting hail. God planted at least three gardens: Garden of Eden – “The Lord God planted a garden […]
I enjoy watching gymnastics at the Olympics. You’ve probably noticed that there are no tall gymnasts. Simone Biles, the top women’s gymnast of all time, is only 4’8”. Taking nothing away from her (I can barely get off the floor when I fall), I’m just pointing out that she has used her short stature to […]
I’ve been writing several blogs about wisdom recently. We’ve seen that God’s wisdom is vastly different than worldly wisdom, seeking godly wisdom is the way of loving ourselves, and wisdom has nothing to do with one’s intelligence. Here is what Solomon had to say about wisdom in Proverbs (in no particular order). Avoids the wrong […]
Horses are a wonderful breed of animal—sleek, sure-footed, tireless, gentle, majestic, and patient. The horse is often the illustration of humility or meekness, which is “power under control.” We are called to be like them in the sense of being humble and allowing God to direct our lives. He said, “I will instruct you and […]
Many years ago, I attended Basic Youth Conflicts. A phrase you’d often hear was, “Please Be Patient. God Is Not Finished With Me Yet.” He never stops working to change us to be more like Jesus. And He won’t be done until we see Him face-to-feet. “I am certain that God, who began the good […]
Recently I listened to a message by a good friend, George Bradley (Hosea 12:7-14:9 — Shepherd’s Gate Church PDX – shepherdsgatepdx.org). He was speaking about Hosea, one of the lesser-known prophets in the Bible. After the nation of Israel divided into two nations, during the reign of Jeroboam, the first king in the north, God […]
If you’ve ever ridden Trimet, you know the difference between fragrance and odor. Some passengers give off a pleasant perfume or cologne, while others assault our nostrils as though they haven’t bathed for weeks. But this blog is not addressing the physical aromas or odors that follow a person. Instead, I’m looking at the character […]