This past summer, I read articles about people dying in and from the results of undercurrents in the ocean near the shore. One person who caught my attention was a strong retired professional athlete who was swimming in the ocean with friends. While they were struggling to make it back to shore, he drowned. Undercurrents…
“It’s hard to be humble when you are as great as I am.” So said Cassius Clay, Nebuchadnezzar, Adolf Hitler, Ozymandias, the Pharisee in Luke 18, Pharaoh, and a host of others. How close is this to saying, “It’s hard to be humble when you are as great as I AM”? “God said to…
On Saturday August 5, 2023, I attended the funeral of my friend and brother, Brad Russell. An excerpt from Brad’s obituary stated, “Because of Brad’s dedication to the will of our heavenly Father, he was a wise, fierce and loyal protector of his wife, children, parents, siblings and entire family.” In my personal conversations and…
What is the hope of the gospel of Christ? The hope of the gospel is not about living your best life now. It’s not about health, wealth, peace, and prosperity. It’s not even about friendship and fellowship. It’s not about this life, this planet, or this physical body. If the hope of the gospel is…
The expression “My truth” is a point of view. It is an assertion rejecting reality. It is a means of trying to have things our own way. “My truth” is an offspring of humanism. It is a declaration that our observation is the only thing that matters. It closes the door to further discussion and…
Man was made in the image and likeness of God (Genesis 1:26, 1 Corinthians 11:7, and James 3:9). To what degree this is true, we cannot say, but the words in these passages seem to indicate that we resemble Him both in appearance and capacity. God has a form (Philippians 2:6), and apparently, ours bears…
Exposure is the experience of or contact with something. It could be a physical element or a social association. It is usually not a friendly term. Exposure is often used to articulate something bad or excessive such as radiation exposure, over or under-exposure, or even indecent exposure (something lewd, immodest, or criminal). But we want…
Have you ever completed a task, reached a goal, or built something you looked back upon with some satisfaction? Not a feeling of pride or lifting yourself up but just a feeling of satisfaction. Maybe it’s part of your home that you renovated or improved. It could be an object that you built or sewed….
God’s word endorses mercy, as Jesus said, “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy” (Matthew 5:7). The prophet Hosea wrote that God desires “mercy, and not sacrifice” (Hosea 6:6), which Jesus echoed (Matthew 12:7). The Lord wants mercy more than rituals performed by worshipers. James warns us that “judgment is without mercy to…
Everybody likes to be encouraged. The feelings that come from being encouraged can often last a lifetime. It is not uncommon for people who have lived a good long life to happily remember back to an encourager that they knew when they were a child. Encouragement makes an impact. It is also looked on very…