Spiritual Basic Training

At my graduation ceremony from basic training for the US Army, the speaker came out, stood behind the podium, took a giant deep breath, and said, "Finally, you made it!" The latter half of the last chapter of Ephesians (chapter six) lists the spiritual weapons Christians need to fight the good fight and live a … Continue reading Spiritual Basic Training

The Spirit Of Antichrist

1 John 4:3. "And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world." The spirit of antichrist was already at work two thousand … Continue reading The Spirit Of Antichrist

His Sake Or Yours?

As individual Christians, do we wander through life as Israel did for forty years in the wilderness, or do we have a purpose and goal that we strive toward every day like the Apostle Paul? Even when we knock off the "to do list" - go to church, read the Bible, pray, and so on … Continue reading His Sake Or Yours?

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is upon us. In our family, Thanksgiving is one of the three big holidays; Christmas and Easter are the others. As much of the family as possible gathers for those three holidays. If people cannot attend, Julie and I usually spend another day with them within a week or so of the big celebration. … Continue reading Thanksgiving

Warnings From Jeremiah

As I read Jeremiah, I cannot help but see the parallels between the United States and Israel of old. Do not get me wrong; Israel is God's nation. God gives promises to Israel that belong to no other country, but there are striking similarities in spiritual history. God makes it clear that Jeremiah is a … Continue reading Warnings From Jeremiah

Generations

I overheard a conversation between a mother and her twelve-year-old daughter about ten years ago. The scene was a parade. A local church had a float in the parade with a man on a cross. "Why is that man hanging on that cross?" "That's church stuff. You don't need to worry about that." Something to … Continue reading Generations

Everyone Has A Relationship With God

We interact with people all the time. Some are acquaintances, others are good friends, some are relatives, and others are work colleagues. There are people we love, like, dislike, and maybe even hate. Some people may fall into more than one category; that cousin you do not know well and only see at weddings and … Continue reading Everyone Has A Relationship With God

Weather

The last statistics I saw before going to bed last night were one hundred-plus dead and one thousand-plus missing. Helene is a storm that will go down in history. Her combination of strength and speed was unparalleled. Once hurricanes hit land, they usually slow down. However, Helene traveled so fast that her hurricane conditions lasted … Continue reading Weather

Preachers

A writer will sometimes get "writer's block." This condition is especially true with fiction writers. Developing a character or moving a scene along in a way that keeps the reader's interest sometimes takes hours of thought and trial and error. In non-fiction writing, the author collects data, facts, and quotes and formulates them into a … Continue reading Preachers

Political Rumblings

Has anyone in the press not talked about President Biden's debate performance? Little can be said that has not already saturated the news and private conversations. In too simplistic of a sumerary, one side says, "I told you so!" and the other says, "We have to do something." With the political climate in America reaching … Continue reading Political Rumblings