As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins. ~Ephesians 2:1 NIV As I readied for the day, a terrible smell drifted through the bathroom. What’s that odor? I know it … wait. I had smelled that skunky smell before. The Smell of Skunky We opened the door and called for the dog. The smell hit us like a ton of bricks. My youngest opened the door wider to check on the noise, and the dog, covered in skunkiness, … Continue reading →
When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when by his own evil desires he is lured away and enticed. ~James 1:13-15 ESV My wife and I love to fish. It is relaxing, and we get to spend time together with nature as our backdrop. We cast our lines and feel the tug on the line, marking the first catch … Continue reading →
It was 2020, and we were under a mandated shelter-in-place order. Unable to go into town except for emergencies, I made use of the time cleaning house. One morning, I felt a nudge in my heart from the Lord: “It’s time to clean house.” Only this time, it wasn’t about dirty dishes in the sink. Instead, I needed to clean out the closets of my heart. Every day we see more “signs of the times”—evidence that the return of the … Continue reading →
But Lot’s wife looked back as she was following behind him, and she turned into a pillar of salt. ~Genesis 19:26 NLT “I wish I could come back.” But there was no turning back. Every year, it happens. Most of the time, quite a few utter the statement. High school freshmen who hated middle school but now wish they could return. We middle school teachers tried to warn them about the transition. We told them how much more difficult high … Continue reading →
We are a “no dog under the table” kind of family. Or dog on the table. He’s welcome to scavenge for crumbs once we’re finished, but begging or nosing us while eating isn’t our thing. To solidify our stance, we keep a spray bottle filled with water on the edge of the dining table to spray the dog if he crosses the boundary line. The Trespass Our past dogs learned the rules of the dining area quickly. They recognized the … Continue reading →
Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results. ~James 5:16 NLT No one enjoys being caught red-handed. Children are magnificent little mirrors that reflect our unpolished hearts. Have you ever noticed a child who has done something wrong, but does not know others are observing? One of the first things they do is look around to see … Continue reading →
If the defiling mold reappears in the house after the stones have been torn out and the house scraped and plastered, the priest is to go and examine it and, if the mold has spread in the house, it is a persistent defiling mold; the house is unclean. It must be torn down—its stones, timbers and all the plaster—and taken out of the town to an unclean place. ~Leviticus 14:43-45 NIV Mold is hard to get rid of once it … Continue reading →
First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. ~Matthew 5:23-24 ESV The devil would love nothing more than to keep us stagnant and sitting on the bench. He knows in embracing victory of Jesus’ work on the cross in its entirety—both forgiveness and healing—we will be unstoppable. His strategy entails keeping us chained to the past by the guilt of our sin. Therefore, he keeps us as victims who are ineffective warriors and whose lack … Continue reading →
Mom would sprinkle a few drops of dish soap onto our plastic slide, hook up the hose, and away we’d go. Dad would swoop us up at the other side, and we’d run towards Mom, ready for another go-round. Soon, more neighbor kids would hear us, and they would slide with us down the slippery slope. It’s easy to slide downhill, however, trying to reverse course is next to impossible after reaching the mid-point because momentum kicks in. …
Continue reading →After the loss of my father, I experienced a spiritual shift…
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