Charles Maldon Jr: Hope in the “Try Again”
In the familiar text of Luke 5, Simon Peter has been fishing all night but he catches nothing. Being a fisherman by trade, every night counts. If he doesn’t catch fish, his livelihood diminishes. I can imagine Simon’s frustration as he sits in his boat, scouring an empty net again, cleaning it of debris, seaweed, and mud, but finding not even a single fish. He must have felt like a failure….
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Charles E. Maldon Jr: Buckets and Band-aids, or Restoration
I wouldn’t have noticed, except I saw the blood droplets trailing behind where I had mopped. I’ve conditioned myself to continue mopping regardless of difficulties, so I figured I’d deal with the wound later. I had to empty and fill the bucket with water continuously because the dirt and blood quickly changed the clean water dirty. To my detriment, the wound was worse than I thought. I ended up stopping to clean it and place a band-aid on my finger. Only then could I continue. …
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Charles E Maldon Jr: The Road Ahead
As important as the rearview mirror is, we cannot drive well if looking backwards is our total focus. Perhaps this is why the rearview mirror is so small compared to the windshield in front that is so much bigger. Even the early inventors knew that where we are going is more important than where we have been. I like to glance and see the progress I have made, and while nothing is wrong with this behavior, it is not beneficial to where I am going. I must keep my eyes on the road ahead, and only glance at the road behind. …
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Charles E. Maldon Jr: The Danger of an Uncontrolled Flame
In times past, when I was not walking with Jesus Christ, when I started a conversation with a woman, I did not necessarily think the interaction all the way through; I just thought about the moment. I never really counted the cost of igniting the flame with my conversation or friendly gestures. I hadn’t considered or taken the time to think what happens when…
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Charles Maldon Jr: F.O.C.U.S.
“Autofocus” was my new favorite feature…
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Charles E. Maldon, Jr.: Great Morning
My experience with God became a reminder that He has not forgotten about us, and even if we experience darkness, He will bring us into the light once again…
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Charles E. Maldon Jr: A Different Lender
Until the time you pay off principle and interests, you are making payments on what they gave to you, and they–not you–own the deed to your home. I am so glad that we serve a God who is not like that. He takes ownership of our lives but He allows us to live in His abundance. The only requirement is that we accept Him as Lord. We need to sign the deed, so to speak, by agreeing to Jesus Christ’s Lordship, and when we take Him as our Lord, He gives us eternal life, and a life well lived here…
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Charles E. Maldon, Jr.: The Blessing in Being Broken
The onset of pain reminds her the ankle never wholly broke. She champions these episodes of pain, and they remind her she is still injured. As she sits, waiting for the waves of discomfort to pass, she often reflects on what the doctor told her; “It would have been better for the…
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Charles E. Maldon, Jr.: Refocus
Timmy could still feel the twist and the turns as he gently planted his feet on firm ground again. It was bright, and as he tried to refocus His eyes to the light, he looked back, peering at the dark tunnel he had just come through…
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Charles Maldon Jr: Address the “Dirt”
As we continued to walk in the cool of the morning, my retired friend let me know that there was still some “dirt” within him that he needed the Lord to help him deal with in order for there to be a true connection to his wife. This pastor–my friend–had broken down in the confines of what appeared to be his safe haven as he allowed me to see the residue he was still carrying from this childhood wound…
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Charles E. Maldon, Jr: Dress it Up
Whether on our job, in our relationships, in our community outreaches, or perhaps even with our enemies, we want others to taste how good our Lord is by observing our speech and actions and how we preserve the presence of God in our daily lives….
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