In the gospel of Luke, there are two folks who are shown the infant Jesus when Joseph and Mary brought him there. Simeon had the Holy Spirit (he must have been a prophet under Old Testament parameters) and was told he would not die until he saw the Lord’s Christ (Luke 2:26). Anna worshipped the…
What I Owe You
(This is my church’s newsletter article for our October edition) Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able…
Friday Night Football
The summer nights of lingering heat and humidity appear to be over for this year. What we have, now, are pleasant Friday evenings as we watch high school football. Friday evening, we watched our high school football team and enormous marching band perform their particular skills wonderfully. April and I arrived at Etowah High School….
Invite, Welcome, Expect
It may not take a lot of vision or energy to throw a door open to familiar faces and similar histories. It does, however, take some intentional fortitude and an aggressive perspective to get off your island and introduce yourself to neighbors you just don’t know and invite them to what they may not expect….
Days of Filling
April is hearing significant things from heaven now days. I look forward to her sharing with me. When I know April has been praying or studying or worshipping the Lord, I look forward to coming home or talking with her on the phone. We had a recent conversation where I said, “I’m not hearing the…
Don’t Shop Hungry
It is recommended by those who make their living giving advice regarding personal savings and financial management for households that you shouldn’t go to the grocery store hungry. The outcome will be spending more money than if you went shopping full. I believe that if we shop hungry, we’ll make decisions based on current needs…
Seek the Lord
Evildoers do not understand justice, but those who seek the LORD understand it fully. –Proverbs 28: 5 (NRSV) I ran across this verse recently, and it struck me between the eyes. First of all, it speaks of, I believe, the issue in the church that has been deemphasized dramatically. That is, seeking the Lord. We…
Psalm 102 in The Message 