God’s Generosity Eliminates My Anxiety November 16, 2015 Year B It was food and fellowship night. Normally, we would come together, celebrate birthdays and anniversaries, say grace, and then let the birthday folks lead the line in the fellowship hall for the food. While I was singing “Happy Birthday,” I noticed a sharp pain in my chest. It happened again when I went to get my food and a final time when I was eating my dessert. The... Read more
Paris Attacks, Persecution, Patience, and Prayer “If anyone is destined for captivity, into captivity he goes. If anyone is to be killed with a sword, with a sword he will be killed. This demands the perseverance and faith of the saints.” (Revelation 13:10, HCSB) “This demands the perseverance of the saints, who keep God’s commands and their faith in Jesus.”” (Revelation 14:12, HCSB) Paris Attacks The Paris attacks indicate a pattern that will only increase until Jesus returns. In... Read more
Having Confidence in God November 12, 2015 Year B As Christians, we have to learn to have confidence in God. If we want to trust Him as our Savior and Lord (Psalm 16:1-2), then we have to believe that He will be there for us, even when others don’t trust God (Psalm 16:3-4). Psalm 16 lists a set of reasons to have confidence in God. FIVE REASONS I CAN HAVE CONFIDENCE IN GOD 1. God is my portion. (Psalm 16:5)... Read more
God Has Had Mercy on Me November 11, 2015 Year B We often hear the expression: “God, please have mercy on me.” It is a cry of help out to God. We beg God to help us in our time of need. Mercy is compassion or forgiveness shown toward someone whom it is within one’s power to punish or harm. In other words, even though a more powerful person could punish or harm a weaker person, the powerful person... Read more
God’s Discipline Is Just for the Righteous God’s Discipline Is Just for the Righteous is a simple thought reflection on the nature of God’s discipline for His children from Psalm 94. November 10, 2015 Year B When people think about God’s judgment, they think rightly of punishment. The fool and the wicked will be judged (Psalm 94:8). However, the fool doesn’t understand that God’s discipline (which sounds like judgment) is just as just. God disciplines those He loves. He judges... Read more
The Starbucks Christmas Cup of Christ By now, I am sure many of you have heard of the controversy. CNN has reported, and the Huffington Post has commented, on the responses Starbucks is receiving on their new cup design for the Christmas season. Some are upset that the Christian symbols for Christmas were taken off of the cup that Starbucks promotes for the holidays. (Snopes lays out the facts and the truth in detail.) Some Christians have responded with... Read more
Matthew 6:16-18 Whenever You FAST We live in the only society in which an entire TV network is devoted to food! While fasting from food, however, we are also challenged to fast from sin, from gossip, from jealousy, from anger, and from those other things which, while well within our control, we all too often allow to control us. Just as we would refrain from eating a lot before going to an expensive restaurant for dinner—if we “ruin our appetite”... Read more
Top Ten Star Trek Films Here is a list of my top ten Star Trek films. First, I want to give two dishonorable mentions, and then I will list the rest of the films in order from worst to best. Dishonorable Mention(s): I will mention two Star Trek films that deserve dishonorable mention. Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (1989) was the worst film starring the original crew. I thought the idea of searching for God was an interesting premise.... Read more
Ancestor of the King November 7, 2015 Year B For many people, discovering the family’s roots is a great past-time. You soon discover that you are connected with famous or important people. If you are lucky, you discover that you are related to royalty. In this passage, we have a glimpse of the royalty relationship that Ruth has. She is the ancestor of the king, in this case, King David (Ruth 4:22). In a way, this is revisionist history. The... Read more
Loving One Another Also Means Loving the Poor November 6, 2015 Year B Today, we have a wide contrast between the rich and the poor. There is a high concentration of wealth that is centered on a very few people. At the same time, there are a wide variety of people who are poor. By poor, I mean people who are eking out a living so that they can put food on the table. In the Old Testament, God commanded... Read more
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