It's summer in the Carolinas!  That means we are having hot, muggy days.  I don't like the heat or humidity but it does mean that I am able to work on the type of projects that I like.

Recently I was thinking about painting an old chest.  Now, this chest was cheap, the sort of chest that would be useful in a college dorm or in one's first apartment.  It was a good size, but I was not sure that it was worth actually painting the chest.  I was talking it over with the Holy Spirit and thought, what I really one is an old, red, beat-up chest with an Americana flair.

Now this thought was not a prayer request, more like an "I wish I had." Yet our Father in heaven likes to grant us some of those little desires when He knows that blessing us in this manner will not corrupt us.  I now have a beat-up red chest of drawers exactly like what I envisioned that I was able to buy locally for a pittance.

This chest had been in someone's garage for over ten years storing...

A division is occurring within the Body of Christ. Terms like "Conservative Christian" and "Liberal Christian" are being tossed around. But the true division occurring among believers is obscured by incorrect usage of such terms. If believers only look at the number of many social outreaches a particular church body is involved in, they will miss the root cause of the division entirely.

Recently I read a very heart-felt editorial from a pastor expressing distress about this division in the Body of Christ. The pastor’s concern and compassion for people were easily discernible throughout the article I read. The pastor expressed dismay that several local churches had joined together to host a men’s meeting that was designed to encourage men to be leaders in the family. The pastor felt the money spent on the meeting would have been better spent feeding the poor. The pastor felt the "Conservative Christians" within the local churches...

This Holy Week has been a little different than I expected.  Some planned events to celebrate the Passover were canceled. I did not participate in others [such as the wonderful event at Free Chapel Gainesville]. Actually, most of my thoughts this week have not been directly focused on the Crucifixion or the Resurrection of Jesus but more on His obedience. God spoke to me very clearly on April 12^th about obedience--both Jesus' and our own.  The following outline comes out of research I did after receiving that word [A few of the verses are printed out to get you started on your own investigation]. I have printed the word I received after this outline.

Part 1:  Outline 

 Jesus said that He came to do the will of the Father.

• John 5:30  “I can do nothing on my own. As I hear, I judge, and my judgment is just, because I seek not my own will but the will of him who sent me.
•  John 6:38 

Jesus did not go to the cross accidentally....

We of all people have eternal hope.  While wars, deaths, and other troubles bring us sorrow, we do not have to be desolate.  We have the peace and strength of the Lord to draw upon.

I have lost a friend and mentor.  Yet while I will grieve, I know that I will see my friend again.  I know I can love and uphold my friends and the family, knowing we can all come to the Father and pour out our hearts to Him.

Blessed be the Lord who knows and carries our sorrow.

Have the last six months flown by you like a whirlwind? Do you feel shaken and tossed? Certainly, the events of 2021 and the beginnings of 2022 can leave the average person shaken. We are in a period of time in which everything that can be shaken is being shaken. 

God is allowing this shaking so that we will see our own hearts and discover if we really trust Him, or whether we are only giving Him lip service while we allow our own wants and desires to rule and reign in our hearts.  Only as we face uncertainty and adversity do we discover our real heart motivations. It is so easy to deceive ourselves.

And now, when we are weary of the horrors of Covid and  Afghanistan, war has engulfed Ukraine. Like many people, I have been praying and interceding.  Yes, Ukraine has had a very dark history, but a major revival has been arising in the land and the spirit of the antichrist has risen in opposition to that revival. I am praying for my brothers...

The last month and a half I have been absent from the world's affairs.  My own world shrank considerably when my household grew from two people to two people, a four-month old puppy, and a dog whose owner had to be away for a number of months. Between housebreaking a puppy, helping a heart-sick dog adjust to a new environment, and trying to keep the house standing, I have not spend much time considering the significance or impact of events.

So I find myself on this day, November 19th, discovering that the inquisition is alive and well in America.  As of December 6th, every hospital in the United States of America is being forced to require 100% vaccinations for Covid-19 of all employees or have all their Medicare and Medicaid moneys with-held.

However, one views the vaccination process, one has to admit this is a drastic step which has the slight odor of heavy-handedness attached.

Locally and in many other areas of the country,  people are scrambling...

I hope I can explain this clearly....

I found my first red leaf of the fall yesterday. Our sycamores have been dropping yellow leaves, but I constantly look for the red and bright orange leaves that let me know that the cooler days of autumn are finally coming to release us of the humidity and mosquitos of summer.  This red leaf, even with its black spots of decay, grabbed my attention filled me with  the anticipation of breezy, cool autumn days.  

You know, in some ways I  resemble that leaf. I have areas of blackness and decay in my life--not just from aging, but from not yet being conformed to the image of Jesus in all areas of my life. I often try to ignore these dark areas, for these imperfections frustrate and embarrass me. However, I am sometimes so aware of my failures and shortcomings, that I am hesitant to speak of the greatness of God.  I think: How can I speak into this situation when I am so messed up myself?  I wonder if...