Generosity Blessing January 5, 2015 Year B A generous person will be blessed, for he shares his food with the poor. (Proverbs 22:9, HCSB) Blessings occur to rich people when they are generous to others. In other words, rich people are honored when they share their wealth. In today’s culture, we call that philanthropy. Enterprising entrepeneurs share what wealth they earned for certain causes. The rich man is happy not because he has wealth, but that because he is able to... Read more
Sobriety: A Graphic Novel by Daniel D. Maurer was illustrated by Spencer Amundson. The premise of the book is use the stories of five people (Larry, Alex, Debby, Matt, and Hannah) who attend an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting. As each person shares their story, the novel uses these stories to highlight the Twelve Steps of the program. The book begins with the author and illustrator (Daniel and Spencer) who introduce the story. Throughout the novel, Daniel and Spencer inform the... Read more
Heavenly Wisdom January 2, 2015 Year B But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peace-loving, gentle, compliant, full of mercy and good fruits, without favoritism and hypocrisy. (James 3:17, HCSB) James shows us here that there is a wisdom that comes from above – heavenly wisdom. This wisdom has the following characteristics: Pure Peace-loving Gentle Compliant Merciful Fruitful Non-prejudice Non-hypocritical These seven characteristics are available to people who listen to God and His wisdom. These are qualities that... Read more
2 Peter 3:1-18 Christ’s Return Until Christ’s Return, God’s Word Is True (3:1-4) [1] Dear friends, this is now the second letter I have written to you; in both letters, I want to develop a genuine understanding with a reminder, so that you can remember the words previously spoken by the holy prophets and the command of our Lord and Savior given through your apostles. (2 Peter 3:1-2, HCSB) First, be aware of this: Scoffers will come in the last... Read more
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens is a classic piece of British literature which should be read during Christmastime. The story is about a man named Ebenezer Scrooge. Scrooge is a businessman who lost his partner in business, Jacob Marley, on Christmas Eve. Seven years after Marley’s death, Marley’s ghost returns to warn Scrooge. Marley states that Scrooge will be visited by three Spirits: (1) The Spirit of Christmas Past, (2) The Spirit... Read more
How to Say a Blessing to Others in the New Year January 1, 2015 Year B “The Lord spoke to Moses: “Tell Aaron and his sons how you are to bless the Israelites. Say to them: May Yahweh bless you and protect you; may Yahweh make His face shine on you and be gracious to you; may Yahweh look with favor on you and give you peace. In this way they will pronounce My name over the Israelites, and I... Read more
The Importance of My Personal Testimony December 31, 2014 Year B “Even if I testify about Myself,” Jesus replied, “My testimony is valid, because I know where I came from and where I’m going. But you don’t know where I come from or where I’m going.” (John 8:14, HCSB) The religious leaders question Jesus about Who He is. Jesus replies with His testimony. He talks about Others Who testify about Him. In John 8:14, He gives three important facts about... Read more
2 Peter 2:1-22 False Teachers John Norstad, a Northwestern University systems engineer and computer guru who invented “Disinfect,” a software program that protects computers from viruses, once discovered the source of many of the computer viruses. In an interview with writer Peter Gorner, Norstad said “I went to a conference in Europe in 1992 and met most of my counterparts in the PC anti-viral community. One fellow was a Bulgarian who told us about the Bulgarian virus-writing factory. Evidently, during... Read more
My Response to Correction Reveals My Heart December 30, 2014 Year B “The one who corrects a mocker will bring dishonor on himself; the one who rebukes a wicked man will get hurt. Don’t rebuke a mocker, or he will hate you; rebuke a wise man, and he will love you. Instruct a wise man, and he will be wiser still; teach a righteous man, and he will learn more.” (Proverbs 9:7–9, HCSB) No one likes correction. Yet at some... Read more
Flecks of Gold on a Path of Stone by Craig D. Lounsbrough Flecks of Gold on a Path of Stone by Craig D. Lounsbrough is a book with a subtitle which tells its purpose: Simple Truths for Profound Living. This is another devotional book designed for the reader’s self-improvement. The sections include “profound truths” in the following topics: time, relationships, growth, wisdom, and living. Each section is composed of more specific topic chapters related to the general topic. Each... Read more
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