Lying To Yourself

Yesterday, we wrote about the sin of lying.

The lies of others are obvious. To us. And we detest being lied to. Yet, we tend to justify our own lies. They become as William Paul Young expressed it,  a “little fortress.”

Young opined, that “inside them, you can feel safe and powerful. Through your little fortress of lies, you try to run your life and manipulate others. But the fortress needs walls, so you build some. These are the justifications for your lies. You know, like you are doing this to protect someone you love, to keep them from feeling pain. Whatever works, just so you feel okay about the lies.” Continue reading

4 Comments

Filed under Truth

A Passage To Ponder: Ephesians 4:25

Little Ethan had a habit of “stretching the truth.”

One day, while walking home from school, he saw a large black dog run across the street right in front of him. He rushed home as fast as he could and hollered, “Mom! You’re never going to believe what I just saw!”

“What did you see Ethan?” His mother cautiously asked. Continue reading

3 Comments

Filed under Passage To Ponder

The Divide Between Politics and Christianity

Susan Eisenhower has recently written a book about her grandfather, Dwight D. Eisenhower, entitled “How Ike Led: The Principles Behind Eisenhower’s Biggest Decisions.”

Cal Thomas recently reviewed the book in one of his columns and referenced Susan’s admiration for what she called Ike’s pursuit of “the middle way.” In the book is this quote from a letter that Eisenhower wrote to a friend in California in 1954. Continue reading

10 Comments

Filed under America

Word of the Week: Spirituality

As August ends and September begins with Labor Day just around the corner, I’m reminded that much of 2020 has been consumed by various crises.

Many of the challenges we’ve faced seem to be centered around COVID-19 which have contributed to health care crisis, financial crisis, and national and international crisis. This has affected families, churches, businesses, colleges, sports and our most cherished institutions.

Additionally, issues of racism have been reignited with the death of George Floyd, a black man, at the hands (or more specifically, the knee) of a white Minneapolis cop. Since then there have been other deaths that sparked further racial unrest. Continue reading

5 Comments

Filed under Uncategorized

Sunday Seed Thoughts: Surviving the Storm

Since we are only a few miles from the Gulf of Mexico, we were tracking two tropical storms, Marco and Laura,  heading toward the Gulf in the past week.

Marco fizzled. But Laura turned westward from us, increased to a category 4 and slammed the southern Louisiana coast. Lake Charles was hit hard.

While not as destructive as predicted, the worse storm to hit the state since 1856 has disrupted lives. Flooded homes. Damaged property. And at least 14 people have died.

Yet during this time, there have been many other storms. Perhaps you have been in one of them. Continue reading

2 Comments

Filed under Sunday Seed Thoughts

Weekly Recap: August 23-28

Good Morning from Homosassa, Florida

Norma Jean and I are continuing to enjoy spending time with our family while adapting to the daily rains and the incredible August heat.   We’ve also enjoyed worshiping with the brethren at the West Citrus Church in Crystal River, where I’m preaching again tomorrow. Continue reading

1 Comment

Filed under Weekly Recap

Friday’s List To Live By #8

With so many things around us that are discouraging, it’s easy to become a discourager.

Adapted and condensed from Mike Lee’s “Get Hope” website, our list this week offers simple, specific ways you can be an encourager.

To access past lists to live by, click here. Continue reading

1 Comment

Filed under Friday's List to Life By

The Word of the Cross

Melvin Newland tells a story about a little girl who proudly wore a shiny cross on a chain around her neck.

One day she was approached by a man who said to her, “Little girl, don’t you know that the cross Jesus died on wasn’t beautiful like the one you’re wearing? It was an ugly, wooden thing.” Continue reading

2 Comments

Filed under Cross

A Passage To Ponder:Matthew 28:1-10

There’s a painting called “Checkmate” painted by Friedrich August Moritz Retzsch, that used to hang in the Louvre Art Museum in Paris.

The painting depicts a chess match between the devil and Goethe’s Dr. Faust, who had sold his soul to the devil. It appears as if the devil has won. Faust has only the king, the queen, and a weak pawn left. The look on Faust’s face is one of abject despair. From across the chessboard, the devil leers at him in anticipation of his expected victory. Ready to say, Checkmate! Continue reading

4 Comments

Filed under Passage To Ponder

God Gave You This Day

Today is National Banana Split Day.

According to the National Day Calendar of unusual and little known holidays, the banana split was not created in an ice cream parlor, but in a pharmacy in 1904. It was the brainchild of David Evans Strickler, a pharmacist’s apprentice, who enjoyed experimenting with soda fountain sundaes in his free time.

The banana split was so popular that college students paid 10 cents, double the price of a normal sundae.

Do you know what else today is? Continue reading

1 Comment

Filed under Today