“Is Nothing Sacred Any Longer?”

We woke up yesterday to the news of another shooting. This time it was following a graduation cermony in Richmond, Virginia.

Sadly, two people died. One an 18 year old, Shawn Jackson, who had just graduated, and his father, Renzo Smith. Five others were injured in the hail of gunfire. Continue reading

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Psalm 127

Steve Shepherd tells a story about some construction workers who drove to their local lumber yard. One of them walked into the office and said, “We need some four-by-twos.”

“You mean two-by-fours, don’t you?” The clerk asked.

The man said, “I’ll go check,” and went back to the truck. He returned and said, “Yeah, I meant two-by-fours.”

“All right. How long do you need them?” asked the clerk. Continue reading

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It Ain’t Over Till It’s Over

 

My good friend Ralph Walker sent me this news article about an unbelievable ending to a baseball game.

It was the New York high school championship game played last week. Hornell was one strike away from winning 5-4 over Palmyra-Macedon. Continue reading

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Value Yourself

“Personal development is the belief that you are worth the effort, time, and energy needed to develop yourself,” wrote author and motivational speaker Denis Waitley.”

While the Bible warns against the sin of pride (Jas. 4:6), and the problem of thinking more highly of ourselves than we ought to think (Rom. 12:3), some Christians fail to grow because they think too little of themselves. Continue reading

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Weekly Recap: May 29-June 2

Greetings from Beverly Hills, FL

Yesterday morning Norma Jean and I were drinking coffee on our pool deck and enjoying a pleasant 68 degrees.  She turned to me and wishfully said, “This is nice. Why can’t it be like this all summer?”.

Well it won’t.  Temperatures will soon heat up.  And the daily rains are coming.  It’s called weather patterns.  And it’s called change.  It reminds me of one sage who quipped, “change is the only constant in life.” Continue reading

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Whipping Worry With Good News

“Learn more; worry less,” advised Jim Rohn on a facebook post. Then he offered this insight by Paul J. Meyer, “More damage is done by worrying than by what is being worried about. This is because over 90% of all worries never come to pass.”

So, how do you whip worry? Continue reading

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Three Lessons From Helen Keller

It was on this day 55 years ago, June 1, 1968, that American icon, author and lecturer, Helen Keller died.

Keller’s story was one we learned in school as a inspiring example of courage, persistence and victory over adversity.

Born on June 27, 1880, Helen was stricken with a disease when she was 19 months old that left her both blind and deaf. In those days special education for such children was in its infancy. However, prior to her 7th birthday, a special ed teacher, Anne Sullivan, was summoned to teach Helen. Continue reading

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Psalm 19

“I take this [Ps 19] to be the greatest poem in The Psalms and one of the greatest lyrics in the world,” opined C. S. Lewis in his book Reflections on the Psalms.

Multiple commentators and authors laud Psalm 19 as one of the noblest and greatest examples of Hebrew poetry. I would encourage you to pause for a minute and read it.

The Psalm naturally divides itself into three sections all of which ultimately give glory to God, proclaiming His reality and affirming His everlasting existence Continue reading

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5 More Hindrances to Spiritual Growth

Over the weekend, I watched some televised track and field events. The competition was close, especially in the sprints. With some athletes winning by less than .05 seconds.

One thing I noticed is that none of the participants in either the running or field events wore jeans. No one had on a coat. None wore hiking boots.

Why? Continue reading

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5 Hindrances to Spiritual Growth

“Let Go of Whatever Makes You Stop,” is the title of a neat little book by John Mason.

The book identifies areas in life where we become our own worst enemy. How we sabotage our success. And get in our own way of moving forward.

This problem, however, is deeper than how it affects us materially, financially or professionally. It’s a challenge spiritually. It’s an impediment to growth. Continue reading

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