Good Intentions

Have you ever done anything wrong when you were only trying to help? Maybe you offered to help but you became more of a hindrance. Or perhaps disaster struck as you were attending to do something kind. In Judges 8, it appears that Gideon tried to do a good thing but the result was tragic. Impressed by the conquest of the Midianites, the men of Israel asked Gideon to be heir king. Fortunately, he refused (Judges 8:22,23). Judges 8:23, “But Gideon said to them ‘I will not rule over you, nor shall my son rule over you; the LORD…

Most computers and even smartphones now have speech recognition software, allowing you to enter commands with your voice instead of using a keyboard. When creating documents, you can speak instead of typing. What was once the stuff of science fiction has now become an everyday tool.

But these high-tech apps do have some chal­lenges. I find that most of them have a bit of trouble with my slight southern drawl, so I have to speak with an af­fected northern ac­cent on certain words. Sometimes I say a big word, but the computer…

This Election

“Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand” (Prov 19:21). Whatever happens in the upcoming election, our trust in the Lord will be tested. We may think that “if the election doesn’t go *this* way, then all is lost.” That pretty much sums up every election. It also sums up a position that comes from a lack of faith. The truth of this proverb needs to be set in our minds. Whatever plans we make or whatever we think needs to happen, the purpose of the…

A story comes down to us from the ancient Olympic games in Greece. After all the seats in the stadium had been filled, a feeble old man came in. As he ambled past where the Athenians sat, they laughed at him. But when he approached the section where the Spartans were sitting, the men rose as one to offer him their seat. Upon seeing this act of respect, the Athenians were so moved that they broke into applause.

“Ah,” said the old man, “the Athenians admire courtesy, but the Spartans practice it.”

God Help Me The story is told of a young child who foolishly had climbed on top of the house. It was a metal roof, years ago called a tin roof, and each piece was held in place by several … Read More →

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The problem with “Spiritual but not Religious” For the next few months I’m going to pause the Letters to my Children and instead pen letters to people who have walked away from Jesus and His church. While these letters are … Read More →

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Jude 16 These are grumblers, complainers, walking according to their own lusts;

     Throughout the scriptures there is an attitude that is always condemned by God. It is the attitude of being a gripping, grumbling, complaining , murmuring, negative person.

1 Corinthians 10:10 nor complain, as some of them also complained, and were destroyed by the destroyer.

       So what exactly does it mean to be a complainer or a murmurer? I do not believe we are expected to enjoy suffering. When Jesus was in the…

The SIN Pandemic

Just as Adam’s sin introduced sin and judgment into the world, so Christ’s death introduced righteousness and justification. In neither case is the first act imputed to others. Adam’s sin is not considered to be my sin, nor is Christ’s righteous life and sacrificial death considered to be my righteous life or death. In both cases – whether one sins and comes into condemnation or believes in Christ and is freed from sin and made righteous –depends on the individual and his actions.