May 3, 2013 · 7:35 am

IT’S FRIDAY. BUT SUNDAY’S COMING! Faces Around the Cross: The Centurion Soldier

Centurion.CrossIt was Friday.  And the Jews were preparing for the Passover feast.  Behind the scenes their rulers had captured Jesus.  Tried him at night and pressured Pilate to sign the death sentence.

For the Roman soldiers it was another day at work.  Standing guard.  Keeping peace.  Carrying out orders.  And executing criminals.

The Roman army was composed of 25 legions of soldiers with 6,000 men in each legion.  These were broken down into cohorts, maniples and centuries.   This Bible says he was a centurion, a commander of a 100 man division.

For this Roman soldier his assignment on this Friday began like any other.  But ended like no other.  Either in his life.  Or in history.  He had the responsibility of guarding Jesus.  Most likely he was given charge of overseeing and executing the crucifixion. Continue reading →

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May 2, 2013 · 8:07 am

Our Eroding Boundaries

boundaries

“Marriage is a lie,” she confidently asserted.

“It’s a no-brainer that the institution of marriage should not exist,” as the audience wildly applauded.

“Fighting for gay marriage generally involves lying about what we’re going to do with marriage when we get there,” she added.

The speaker?  Continue reading →

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May 1, 2013 · 5:36 am

Pride That Precedes A Great Fall

Pride.Homosexuality

He was the lead story on the national news.  When Jay Leno opened his monologue Monday evening and said his name, the audience applauded their approval.  Tuesday’s Today Show opened with his story.  His colleagues have called him “courageous.”  A Washington Post Reporter called him “brave.” Congressman Joseph Kennedy III said, “I’m so proud of him.”  He received calls of congratulations and commendation from past President Clinton, and President Obama.  Even his former fiancé said she was supportive and happy for him.

So who is he?  And what did do that is so wonderful?  Continue reading →

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April 30, 2013 · 5:29 am

Why ask “Why?”

Boston Marathon-Five Days of Fear

With the dedication of George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum in Dallas last week, the 43rd President has given several interviews.  Something that he has been hesitant to do since leaving office.

Fox’s Dana Perino, Bush’s former Press Secretary, asked about his reaction to the Boston bombing.   “I was reminded that evil exists,” Bush bluntly said, “And that there are people in the world who are willing to kill innocent people to advance a cause.” Continue reading →

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April 29, 2013 · 8:15 am

Word of the Week: Grow

Growth.2

Leonard Ravenhill tells about a group of tourists visiting a picturesque village while on a European trip.   As they walked around the quaint little town, one of the tourists saw an old man sitting on a park bench.   In a rather patronizing way, the tourist asked, “Were any great men born in this village?” Continue reading →

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April 28, 2013 · 7:00 am

7 Reasons Why We Praise God

PraiseTheLord.2

“Praise the LORD” is the beginning phrase of Pslams 146-150.  Thirty-nine times in these five  Psalms he uses the word “praise” in reference to the LORD.  This has been a frequent theme of the Psalmist.  And it should be a frequent, yes a daily occurrence in our lives.  These Psalms speak of at least seven ways that we Him . Continue reading →

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April 27, 2013 · 7:26 am

A Prayer for the Heavy Heart

Prayer

I think one of the beauties of God’s Word is how it speaks to us at different times and in different ways, depending on where we are in life.  We see things through the prism of our circumstances, our emotions and our maturity.

It is obvious to me not only in my own life but through this blog as some posts touch the hearts or some more than others, depending what is happening in their lives.  Continue reading →

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April 26, 2013 · 7:01 am

IT’S FRIDAY. BUT SUNDAY’S COMING! Faces Around the Cross: That Fox

Herod.Jesus

Several years ago I engaged in conversation with a man who I thought because of his questions had an interest in learning about Jesus. My hopes were quickly dashed when he said, “Religion is a hobby for me.” So I learned that his questions were not born out of a sincere desire to know more about Jesus, but out of curiosity.

So it was when Christ was brought before Herod.  Luke records that  “when Herod saw Jesus, he was exceedingly glad; for he had desired for a long time to see Him, because he had heard many things about Him, and he hoped to see some miracle done by Him” (Lk. 23:9). Continue reading →

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April 25, 2013 · 6:36 am

You Are What You Think

YouAreWhatYouThink

This is too funny. I just came across the above picture from the facebook page of my friend, Steve McAllister.  Don’t you love it!  But what is ironic  is that I sat down to write a post on this very topic and stumbled upon this picture.  Must be the law of attraction!

This principle has been expressed in a variety of ways by many different people.   Continue reading →

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April 24, 2013 · 5:23 am

Jumping To Conclusions

Jumping

I remember a college professor that used to say, “The only exercise some folks get is jumping to conclusions.”

In the past week in the aftermath of the Boston bombings, lots of folks got plenty of exercise!

CNN mistakenly reported there was an arrest last Wednesday.  John King, the CNN chief national correspondent called it “embarrassing.”   However, other news outlets followed.  The AP, Boston Globe and Fox News all said an arrest had occurred or was imminent.  When the FBI denied it, everyone had to backtrack.  Continue reading →

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