The other day I had to rebuild our front porch. Although the house we bought up here is solidly built, the porch that was original to the house was showing its age. The wood was never treated and the supports were put directly into the ground with no footers. Water damage had eaten away at … Continue reading The Bible is Not a Coffee Table Book
I discovered my need for glasses in college. Friends would say “hi” to me and I would just squint at them, trying to figure out who they were and if they were talking to me. They’d often tease me for being aloof, but I wasn’t trying to be. I was just trying to identify them. … Continue reading Spiritual Myopia
Driving a car does not make you a mechanic any more than breathing makes you a pulmonologist. Experience as a mechanic makes you a mechanic. When we lived in Greenville, we had a great mechanic. I’ll call him “Joe.” Joe knew cars like nobody else. I could describe to him an issue I was having … Continue reading Driving a Car Does Not Make You a Mechanic
Yesterday, we started talking about Scripture’s “Magnificent Seven” and covered virtue, knowledge, temperance (self-control), and patience (endurance). We’ll finish that up with the last three of the Mag Seven: godliness, brotherly kindness and charity (love). “Godliness” means “God-likeness.” God created mankind to be an image bearer of Himself. “And God said, ‘Let us make man … Continue reading The Mag Seven (Part 2)
The Magnificent Seven is a classic Western about seven gunfighters hired to protect a small village from marauding bandits. In 2 Peter 1:5-7, Peter mentions Scripture’s magnificent seven, they are character qualities of the Christian walk that are vital in protecting us from the marauding influences of sin in our lives. 2 Peter 1:5-7 (5) … Continue reading The Mag Seven
When you plant a seed, you expect it to do something – mainly grow. But you want more than just growth, you want it to look like what’s on the seed packet. Usually, what’s on the seed packet is a prime example of what the seed is meant to become. That takes work. Both the … Continue reading Life Means Growth. Growth Means Everything.
Peter declares himself the author of Second Peter, mentions his office as apostle to establish his credentials and then hurries to make the point that he and his readers enjoy equal standing before God on the basis of their faith in Jesus Christ: Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them … Continue reading Three Affirmations
The apostle Peter is the most imperfect Christian in the New Testament. And that’s why we love him so. All his faults, foibles, fumbles and flubs are on display for us to see and when we look at him, we see ourselves. To quote Warren Wiersbe: “He had a tendency in his early years to … Continue reading Imperfect Yes, But Still Growing
What binds all Christians together is their common faith in Christ. When I served at our faith-based recovery program it was that bond that most amazed me. We had people with all kinds of different life stories, all kinds of different experiences and abilities, all different races. What brought us all together despite these obvious … Continue reading Our Common Bond
Dogs have a strong sense of what they consider fair. If you have more than one dog, and one dog gets a treat the others think they should get one too, even if the other dogs didn’t do anything for the treat. They love getting something for nothing and when it comes to obeying commands, … Continue reading What is Fair?
Grace in Waves 