One of my devos last night brought me to this amazing phrase of apostle Paul once again. It's not easy to read much less contemplate. I've noticed that depending on the title I choose for my One Minute With Kaiz videos or titles of my blog posts more or fewer readers access 'em. If the title seems negative, less, if positive, more. I get it. We're stressed enough in this crazy world and who wants to think about pain and suffering?!! Jesus DID say "In the world you shall have

I often study etymology, that is, the origin of words, phrases and their meanings/definitions and use. This is an old phrase that's been around for many decades. The issue of course, is most of us most of the time -think- we know "what's good for" us, or at least we're chasing whatever we currently think "it" is. Further, an honest look into our own choices and history as well as human history at large reveals we often get it wrong, no? And we especially don't want anyone to

When time, calendar to-do's, touring and money allows my wife and I and often some of our family goes camping at a favorite Illinois state park about an hour and 20 minutes from our Chicago home. We try to do this once in Spring and again in Autumn when possible. This coming weekend I'll be offline and as my truly old mobile phone was about cooked I was blessed with a new one. I won't go into all the details but have long been adverse about using a lot of pre-loaded apps and

Yep. Years ago we had a kitchen plaque that said "Not faith or works, not faith and works- but faith that works". Yup. And the only way it does in the will of God is... "by love" and that meaning HIS love in and through you and me if we say we're followers of Jesus. Everything else is "wood, hay and stubble". Various English translations lay this out loud and clear. Paul writing to the church in Galatia dealt with the Jewish rite of circumcision and said in being circumcised

See, they ain't the exact same. Faith is often discussed as in she or he "is a person of faith" and that's cool, but the practical way of actually seeing such in a person's life is by their faithfulness, not ONLY (note that word only) a statement of faith. Yes, Paul wrote and I fully concur: "But what does it say? “THE WORD IS NEAR YOU, IN YOUR MOUTH AND IN YOUR HEART” -that is, the word of faith which we are preaching, that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and b

So different people interpret what having a "personal" Jesus is all about. For some the reality is they don't have such. In simple terms, to them He is an idea, a concept or perhaps only a myth and not a historic person who walked the earth. To some Jesus is simply an academic figure, one to be studied in the same way some think of the Bible not as the Word of God, holy and inspired by Him scripture but literature to be studied as one might study any literary piece. My unders

Well, actually, Jesus said "Blessed are the peacemakers" and of course there's plenty of God's Word in both Testaments calling us to both live in and to work for peace. Peace with God in our own life comes first because without it one cannot sow the seeds of genuine peace that can only come from a faith/obedient/serving relationship with God in Christ. Oh, plenty of people on earth work for peace who are themselves atheists or agnostics, but I'm talking about the peace Jesus

[written Sun. night, posting today- Mon.] Well, had a cold that I finally got over, Wendi and I share everything, ha! She's doing fine, and we both have had the typical health checkups, so far so good Alleluia! Busy with one another, family and for myself a great many gigs. Over the past 3 weeks we were blessed with friends in Anoka, Minnesota who were amazing, nice turnout and had a sweet time doing a solo show. Truly the exact same, solo in Beloit at their annual anniversar

Just read another article on the life of a musician whose stage shows, etc., are all about shock to "inspire, cause people to think" sort of thing. Nothing new under the sun. Shock has been seen as valuable for centuries and seems to only grow like a mud-ball rolling down the mountain toward the masses it often is. Well, I don't know if this or that is art or merely about making money, stirring buzz and simply unfettered expression re. other's approach to music-making and per

Please don't get me wrong, I'm not even close to denying mind, intellect, fact-based truth and reality... and yet Jesus taught the most important commandment was to love God with ALL our heart, soul and might as well as mind, the second most important to love one's neighbor as one's self. Don't miss the fact that heart and soul, even strength (or "might") gets into metaphysics, to spirituality and the depth of our genuine desires, passions, sought-after focus and results. We

"if then My people, upon whom My name has been pronounced, humble themselves and pray, and seek My face and turn from their evil ways, I will hear them from heaven and pardon their sins and heal their land" -2 Chronicles 7.14 "IF"- I've talked about this little and deeply life-changing term used all through God's Word for many years. It's a hinge pin on what follows and "if" and in scripture the emphasis is often a positive but at times is contrasted with the negative "if not

A bro brought a good point in reply to one of my posts on who gets to dictate and mentioned Hitler and WWII as an example of a bad actor. The overall is of course the idea of what is often called "just war" theory, that some wars are nearly if not completely essential for the cause of justice. My response: " 1. Point taken in that Hitler was evil to the core, demonic, no question about it. 2. had the Allies not hammered Germany in terms of the surrender and economics that nai

Isn't this the guts of the arguments, fights and in-fighting among marriages, families, local, regional and national politics and world events regarding protocol and legal matters? Disagreements happen as normally as the wind blows in our fallen world. It happens very much the same within local and linked churches regardless of government, form or desire. In the end of each issue it's about who gets their way ("wins"?) and who does not. So really thinking about this we must a

Perhaps you already know verses that speak to this issue: "... give attention to the public reading of scripture, to exhorting, to teaching" Paul to Timothy, 1 Tim. 4.13 In his second letter to Timothy- " preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction" 2 Tim. 4.2 The WHY of sharing God's Word with others is obvious- that they might come to genuinely know and follow Jesus Christ as Lord, Savior, Best Friend a

God SO loves He continues to reach out to "whosoever will, let them come". Why? That we might enter into RELATIONSHIP with Him. THIS is core to Jesus' sacrifice on the cross and His resurrection bringing resurrection to whosoever will seek, learn to know and actually follow Him in our daily choices, daily life. Eternal relationship with the Father, Son, Spirit and all His people is only possible because of resurrection! Via Jesus' death and resurrection He offers life forev

An old Muddy Waters blues lyric says it like this: Well I'm goin' away to leave, Won't be back no more, Goin' back down south, child, Don't you want to go? Woman I'm troubled, I be all worried in mind Well baby I just can't be satisfied, And I just can't keep from cryin' Well I feel like snappin', Pistol in your face I'm gonna let some graveyard, Lord be your resting place Woman I'm troubled, I be all worried in mind, Well baby I can never be satisfied, And I just can't keep

If you're not willing to think deeply, skip this short piece or come back later when you are. It is deep and profound because of two such quotes from a wise and deeply committed follower of Jesus. The very word "theology" worries, frets and sometimes gets discarded by atheists, agnostics and professing Christians alike. Why? Of course it's easy and not altogether without reason to point at the whacked/extreme "Christians" in history, the leaders and congregations that brought

Do NOT mistake information with transformation . Plenty of people in the churches focus on the first and in terms of reflecting Jesus Christ in their lives are severely lacking in the second. Even a computer fully disconnected from the internet can offer loads of information (re. what was put into it) but never human-to-God or human-to-human relationship . The information God gives us in His Word is there that we might experience RELATIONSHIP with Him and right relationships

Yep, we all have 'em! No doubt about it and in essence nothing wrong with it. Until and unless... What does God Himself prefer? Hmmm... that's the issue for a serious follower of Jesus. History is clear, from the beginning until now individual professing Christians and entire churches and streams of them have split over various questions of theology, doctrine and practice. Nothing new about this as sad and to some, confusing as it seems. Some are so narrow they form their own