In 2 Timothy 2:3-7 of our Bibles, Christ-followers are encouraged to develop qualities found in three groups of people. “Endure hardship with us like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No one serving as a soldier gets involved in civilian affairs—he wants to please his commanding officer. Similarly, if anyone competes as an athlete, he […]
Was there an underlying lesson I was to learn from the nursery rhyme, “Three Blind Mice?” Was there a significant message other than learning that mice scare farmers’ wives and get their tails cut off with butchers’ knives? I don’t know, but it did make me think of three men in the Bible who were […]
My wife and I live a short distance east of Portland, Oregon, at the west end of the Gorge. The Gorge is a canyon that follows the Columbia River along the northern border of Oregon. It is not uncommon during the winter to get sustained wind speeds of 20 miles per hour, with gusts registering […]
At least twice a week, the news stations sound the alarm that we need to get ready for the Big One, the earthquake that will rock Portland, Oregon. Our city officials are trying to get ahead of this and mandate that older buildings be reinforced to make them earthquake-proof. I don’t intend to get into […]
When we were first painted, our colors were dazzling… we were called …. precious… priceless… beautiful… cute But as time went on we began to HEAR the MOCKING sounds from other paintings…“I’m smarter…I’m stronger…I’m richer…I’m prettier…I’m better…” Before long we accepted the lie that our value was based on COMPARISON. We began to DOUBT our […]
Our pastor has been speaking for the last few weeks about ways in which Jesus described God, His Father. This past weekend he spoke of God’s GENEROUS nature. I like it when God is generous to me. But I find that when God seems MORE generous to someone else, I hear the voice of ENVY […]
MAN’S ARITHMETIC 1+1=2 God is a brilliant mathematician (the real Creator of the Laws of Physics). Therefore, it seems like a mistake to think He follows a simple 1+1=2 equation in our lives. What I mean by this equation is that some people think God always rewards good behavior with good conditions and punishes bad […]
Wayde and I absolutely love being grandparents. Our hearts stop when Jordana and Johnathan reach out their little arms to us, when they cry out, “GiGi…Papa!” I’m constantly taking pictures. I want to record, to remember every moment. They grow up so fast. So, I got our pictures taken for Christmas; it was a beautiful […]
The writer of Psalm 139 must have given some thought to where Creator God exists. He concluded that God is everywhere. He was convinced that God knew everything about him ‒ his location, what he was doing, and where he was going. If he was content having Creator God knowing all of this, it must […]
A friend of mine enjoys camping in the middle of the woods, alone and far away from people. It doesn’t matter to him if it’s clear, raining, or snowing. He loves to wake up to a cool morning, smell the fresh air, build a campfire and cook his breakfast. Myself, I prefer waking up in […]