Do I belong? Do you belong? This question must be answered daily, since daily we may doubt it. The question of being acceptable, measuring up, meeting the criteria; haunts us — but why? For me, the inquiry can lapse into an obsession — one which draws me back to the days when I asked the same question — but looked for answers in another way and place. You too? Indeed, we relied on mirrors, facial cremes, designer clothing, hair gel and so much more. Then, We may have entered a segment of time where we shirked the caring — it was too much — too hard — much too time-consuming. Indeed, the self-consciousness cramped us and slowed us down. It made us feel like fish out of water, unable to focus on the task at hand, or have just plain hypocritical, phony, disingenuous feelings. We wanted to be real.…
Healing at the Cross Posts
As we obey the truth, God may allow us to be placed in precarious situations and locales — only to deliver us and reveal His glorious nature. Why does He do this? — so we can see the vast difference between Almighty God and un-mighty man. Here, watch one such occasion: “And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell bound into the burning fiery furnace. Then King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished and rose up in haste. He declared to his counselors, “Did we not cast three men bound into the fire?” They answered and said to the king, “True, O king.” He answered and said, “But I see four men unbound, walking in the midst of the fire, and they are not hurt; and the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the gods.” Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the door of the burning fiery furnace; he declared, “Shadrach, Meshach,…
The Christian life takes guts, but where get we this intestinal fortitude? We gain courage as we wait on the Lord, look diligently at the road ahead, access our transporting integrity, allow it’s righteousness to smooth the way mentally, watch God snatch us away! Proverbs 4:25-27 teaches: “Let your eyes look directly forward, and your gaze be straight before you. ponder the path of your feet; then all your ways will be sure. Do not swerve to the right or to the left; turn your foot away from evil.”E.S.V. 1 Peter 1:13 then teaches: “Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” E.S.V. Finally Heb 12:15 directs us: “Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many…
My childhood highlighted Easter. Not as ecstatic as Christmas, but carrying its own mixture of excitement, Easter differed from Christmas, much like death opposes birth, accentuating two poles of a man’s existence. Indeed, all the candy and gifts were affected by those Bible stories, most importantly, the one of cruel death. Memories include the emotions and guilt which filled my Childhood as I longed for release. Christmas gave a few days of solace, but Easter did not. The pre-Easter season of Lent featured the imposed fast– abstaining from certain pleasures. It was not yet a voluntary give-up for me. It lasted 40 days. Following that came the hideous picture of suffering death — we didn’t know how much blame we were supposed to assume, but we were told our sins were the reason for Jesus’ death. The Resurrection story did little to undo that mental pain — a basket full of…
In reading, I came across these four definitions: If I have an “Idea” it means: “ the criterion by which we establish the discrepancy Between what is, and what should be,” this we call the idea. If it becomes an “Ideal”: When we understand the idea to be a kind of critical principle, which subjects our actual existence to judgment, and when we accept it as a goal to be attained, so that it becomes an image of what we should be, then the idea becomes an ideal. Utopia? “the ideal is given concrete form… on top of this the hopeful thesis is maintained that our world is actually capable of reaching this state… we are therefore committed to ensure it’s realization.” We speak of this as utopia. Ideology? “an ideal that has become pragmatic.” “The ideal and utopia may not be revered at all because of their intrinsic value,…
Proverbs 20:8 teaches: “A king that sits in the throne of judgment scatters away all evil with his eyes.” “We are made Kings to rule over our own lusts to some degree. We are not Kings to be freed altogether from them, but Kings to strive against them . It is a Liberty to fight and in fighting to overcome it last. The liberty of sanctification is not a liberty that ends combat with our corruptions, but a gracious Liberty to keep them under, till by subduing them little by little, we have a perfect victory.” “What greater encouragement can a man have to fight against his enemy, than when he is sure of final victory before he fights.” all quotes are from Richard Sibbes, “Glorious Freedom.” He adds these observations, “Grace does not take away liberty. No, it establishes liberty.” “…It is the manner of the reasonable creature to do…
Matthew 9 teaches the Words of Jesus, “They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick. But go you and learn what that means, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” Repentance is a gift from God: The Psalmist cries, “Turn Thee unto me, and have mercy upon me; for I am desolate and afflicted.” Psalm 25:16 The people cry,”Turn us again, O God, and cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved.” Psalm 80:3 David cries, “Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.” Psalm 51:10 Ezra cries, “Turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity; and quicken thou me in thy way.” Psalm 119:37 Who restored Adam and Eve after their sin? God restored them — God took away their fig leaves and then God killed…
Dr. Carl H. Stevens tells a story of virtue: “Ned Bedford, one of John Rockefeller’s closest business advisers, told the story of how Mr. Rockefeller dealt with a man whose wrong decision cost his oil company a huge sum of m o n e y. Mr. Bedford made an appointment to discuss how to deal with the man. Expecting Mr. Rockefeller to be angry, even though the loss was not his fault, Mr. Bedford was prepared for a difficult meeting. When he went into the office , he noticed a notepad in Mr. Rockefeller’s hands. On that pad was a list of twenty-five virtues that characterized the man who had cost Standard Oil two million dollars. “ You know this man has saved me money five or six times—saved me far more than two million,” Mr. Rockefeller said. “I am going to give him a raise.”” From, “Christ Is My…
I sang a song once, ’twas the joy of my heart. It carried a tear-drop to surface, on folk far apart. A plain song it was, without much buzz, but oil was hidden, ’twas oil of love. With one it brought laughter, with another, gave joy, some thought of heaven, I remembered my boy! My Mother, my Dad too, George and Merrilee, Bill Kraskie and Kevin, again I will see. I visited a place called Auschwitz, where they do a security check still. They must have guards, but not to hurt — no, they resist only liars and haters who try to erase this death-camp from historical record. But I was allowed to see the piles; of shoes, cups, prosthetic devises, eye-glasses, and a room of hair, (human). I saw a chamber, I saw an oven, a chimney; I saw names and faces, pictures of herded people. I read poems.…
“Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art, Thou my best thought, by day or by night, Waking or sleeping, Thy presence, my light.” Be Thou my wisdom, Thou my true Word; I ever with Thee, Thou with me Lord; Thou my great Father, I Thy true son; Thou with me dwelling and I with Thee one. Be Thou my battle-shield, sword for the fight; be Thou my dignity, Thou my delight; Thou my soul’s shelter, Thou my high-tower; raise thou me heaven-ward, O Power of my power. High King of heaven, Thy victory won; may I reach heaven’s joys, O bright heav’n’s Son; Heart of my own heart, whatever befall; still be my vision, O Ruler of all.” I’ve always loved the words of this song; So much content , So much meaning — “My best thought, Thy presence, my life, My wisdom, My true word,…