Look, I'm not writing out of un-confessed sin here, no conviction of such in my life in this moment, rather seeking to call us all out to a truth so liberating, so deeply transformational that... well, read on. I've often stated faith in Jesus isn't about faith in me, in myself- but IN HIM! "Faith in God's faithfulness" is my common phrase. Why? For one thing, no human being can match it nor is worthy of such trust. You don't need the Spirit's discernment, great wisdom or eve

From time to time as I study God's Word I remember to look for HIS attributes, His virtues embeded in the text -and it's not always a matter of literal exegesis and yet brings me to worship Him in a deeper sense of Spirit and truth, to give Him glory for all He is and of course, thus, does for us :) Here's one I wrote out and placed on my office wall: (Paul in Phil. 4.8, my bold for emphasis) "Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is rig

Some who read the title of this post will immediately think of themselves -and many if not most with good reason. Some will think "I've enough problems and concerns in my life, why would I want to read about this topic?!" Others will be drawn to consider it and there are several reasons for it, perhaps family, friends or other loved ones and so they are curious to see what's written here. Some will be thinking they know WHY people suffer or even the motives, reasons and very

I've hit on this before in posts but here it is: unless you are literally God you don't KNOW all the issues in your neighbor's life, how they got the way they are -or seem to be in your view. Even my pentecostal or charismatic friends with genuine spiritual gifts regarding words of wisdom, knowledge and discernment don't have the ability or capacity to fully know why a person thinks and does as they do. The background, the abuse/s, even the issues in an individual's sin natur

How many people spend a lifetime seeking to be content? I include professing Christians in this question... Genuine much less non-stop contentment is fleeting, that is, it comes and goes with our health, sport we play or teams we follow and root for, boss/es and co-workers at our place of employment, class instructors, our emotions and more. It's a moving target, no? And yet Paul writes Timothy (1 Tim. 6.6) "godliness with contentment is great gain". So he ties godliness WITH

So it's obvious from day one, from Genesis 1.1 and from everything written, spoken and repeated in human history that education is a major and indeed essential part of life. It's also obvious that regardless of where or in what area you seek knowledge- fact-checking and considering the source of the information is super important. Why? Because everyone has opinions but they are not all hard, true, test-of-time facts. The problem as for example, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. stat

When our children were little our family had a bedtime habit of reading a story to them and then singing songs right before we kissed and tucked them in for the night. I would often stay just a bit longer to softly play guitar as they drifted off to sleep, then quietly leave. The classic "Jesus Loves the Little Children" was a regular in our nightly "set list". We would sing that chorus, then change the words and do one for "all the Mamas", then "all the Daddies", then name t

Genesis 1.27- "So God created humankind in his image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them." Some of you read this and take inventory of your life, perhaps look in the mirror, recall what others -maybe even family members have said about you as though it were a denial of the Word of God you've just read above. REGARDLESS (or more accurately because) of these realities what God Himself says about us is more important that what others say. This u

Algorithms and AI for one thing -and in my view it's perhaps the Major Thing- is all about money. Capitalism is about finances. Every advert you see or hear in every mode is about finances -yours. The bottom line IS the bottom line. Face the gut-truth of this and you begin to recognize why capitalism (versus sharing, bartering, goods for services rendered) has never been a favorite system of mine. I honestly don't care about being labeled as liberal, progressive or socialist

Most everyone reading this uses email as well as mobile phones. So if you're like me you appreciate the filters one can turn on, even toggling varied levels of how tight you want them to operate in order to keep the boatload of unwanted, unsolicited contacts trying to sell you something to a minimum. I am seriously grateful for spam filters as every day I have real people and plenty of tasks I'm convinced God brings my way -plus limited funds much less time to give re. all th

If one should wish to really understand the meaning of this term, just have a slow, considered read at this link, then come back here for a short piece on the issue: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/scapegoat The last two definitions so very fit how people who are angry, hurting, truly been abused, deranged or simply moving though their time on earth in "life sucks!" mode often grasp for someone or a group of them they believe worth blaming for their own fears, inad

Psalm 19.7-11: The law of the LORD is perfect, restoring the soul; The testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple. The precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; The commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes. The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever; The judgments of the LORD are true; they are righteous altogether. They are more desirable than gold, yes, than much fine gold; Sweeter also than honey and the drippings of the honeycomb.

A recorded statement of public prayer from King David re. building the temple: "But who am I and who are my people that we should be able to offer as generously as this? For all things come from You, and from Your hand we have given You." -1 Chronicles 29.14 If you've been reading my posts here you'll know I've recently accented God as THE Source of all. Here David plainly proclaims "ALL THINGS come from You, and from Your hand we have given you." We are only returning to Him

You may have heard that phrase used for a sporting contest that "went down to the wire", perhaps a team way down in the scoreline making a comeback and winning. Today I'm using the phrase to talk about you. Yep- you! I'm about to do it via talking about myself and hope you can read the principles into your own life... Each of us is "one for the ages"! See, you and I are aging. I mean, you might be 16, 26 or 66 but the reality is that no matter how old you are or how long you

First, I'm only being half-snarky when I say this word seems far "too big" for many in our times... and before I begin, I don't think it means what many of us think it does -and that especially if you are a serious Bible-believing follower of Jesus Christ... Tolerance? If God wasn't tolerant many of us would be in hell that won't be due to His patience with us! "While we were yet sinners..." what?! Yep. There are broad ideas about the actual dictionary definition but they inc

In His Word (Bible) and via the vast majority of serious theologians teach that God is revealed to us as THE Creator. He Himself is UNcreated, UNchanging, Perfect, ALL-KNOWING. None of us are -any- of those... nor can we be. We, His children, borrow from Him as the Source of all truth and reality- He borrows from no one and nothing. He directly and through others inspires us. Nobody "inspires" Him in that sense. We imagine and create in part from various other human ideas and

As I was driving home from an errand this morning, at the stop light I saw two men, one in an electric motorized cart leaning forward to use the joystick as he crossed the street and right behind him a bro in a typical wheelchair holding on to the bar on the back of the other dude's chair. They continued down the side street in the direction of our shelter (Cornerstone Community Outreach). My mind immediately thought how cool they could assist one another like that, and in a

I have a good friend who is fully blind -and his relationship to Jesus and his daily walk though like mine and yours is anything but perfect... yet it causes him to see FAR beyond that of plenty of people with perfect physical vision. Jesus rocked a phrase that I've considered from time to time. "Blind guides". My morning recovery devo spoke to that issue. Addicts don't benefit by taking counsel from those who are still using -regardless of the substance. A solid sponsor, gui

That's the report from Matthew in chap. 14 vs. 20 Do I believe it? I do. Why? This morning's recovery devo ("God Grant") opens with "Of course we do not always feel satisfied with our lives, the way things are going for us or the world. But this is true for almost everyone". Isn't THAT the truth?! "They all ate and were satisfied". Was Judas? Was Peter immediately after he denied Jesus three times the night prior to the crucifixion? Was apostle Paul -before- he was let out of