Info
-
January 2024 Duct Tape for the Soul
Even though my wife and I did not grow up in the church, my wife was always a seeker. On the other hand, I was not spiritually minded at all. We found our different experiences spelled out side by side in the Bible in Matt 13: 44-46. She, the seeker of the pearl of great value, and I, just walked through a field and "stumbled upon" the hidden treasure of great value. In the story, both the seeker and the stumbler saw the amazing value of the treasure and sold all they had to buy it. I can understand how God calls the seeker, but I have always marveled at how He calls the doubter and the unspiritual to Himself. But once I understood that Jesus was the one who came to "seek and save that which was lost"...I realized that He is the one who places that stumbling treasure in our path. Our need for forgiveness is so great that God is not content to just let us go our way. That thing that you keep...
-
December 2023
My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth. 1 John 3:18
My wife and I were stranded in a remote town in Northern California after a vehicle accident over thirty years ago. We walked to a local family-run motel, which offered us a place to stay until we could figure out our next steps. We sought information about the area at a local business and received help from a kind lady in her upper sixties. We decided to go to the next major town, forty-five minutes away, and purchase another vehicle. Grateful for her assistance, we planned to take the first bus in the morning.
Several hours later, back at our motel, we heard a knock on our door and opened it to find our new friend, Mary Darcy, standing there. She had been thinking about our situation and said she felt better about taking us in her vehicle and ensuring we found a... -
November 2023
Spiritual Freedom
John 8:36 reads, "If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye are free indeed."
I said it would never happen, but once Olly (the inside puppy) arrived in our home, everyone was smitten! Once he learned to climb out of the one pen, I purchased a taller one I knew he would never escape. I was glad that after several weeks of exhausted attempts, he finally gave up trying. When I packed the shorter pen for a family trip, my wife commented that the dog would easily jump out. I assured her he wouldn't even try because he had been convinced he couldn't. I was right! That is fine for a dog, but it is not for people. Most of us have past hurts and failures that have made us believe the lie that we can't grow past those experiences. Once we have exchanged our sins for the grace...
-
October 2023
Healing & Forgiveness
I recently had an abrasion on my left elbow that I didn’t discover for a few days, leading to an infection and the need for antibiotics. I have no idea what happened or how long it was there. Occasionally, I bump and rub against things as I help customers or work around the house. Scrapes and cuts are bound to happen. Sometimes, we bump and brush one another, causing abrasions to our relationships. Proverbs 27:17 states (paraphrased) As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another. But, when iron contacts flesh in a relationship and isn’t dealt with quickly, it can lead to an infected relationship. Mathew 18: 21- 22 (KJV) teaches: Then came Peter to him and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Till seven times? Jesus saith unto him, I say not...
-
September 2023
Humility
James 4:6 "God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble." How do we receive God’s grace, something we all need, through humility? Some other terms for humility are gentleness, meekness, modesty, of lower degree, and unselfishness. Humility is not passive, though. Living this out daily is a challenge because it goes against our nature. God promised He would give...
-
August 2023
Pride
James 4:6 "God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble." As we study the Bible, it often refers to pride as something God will not tolerate. Proverbs 16:5 "Every one that is proud in heart is an abomination to the LORD." Pride has many expressions; deep pleasure in one’s achievements, arrogance, envy, high-mindedness, boasting, or anything that...