Is That for Sale, Too?

Posted on February 22, 2020 by

Though it may not always be spoken out loud, there’s a question making the rounds these days. That question is whether the leadership of the free world is for sale. Can the most powerful position in the country, and probably the world, be bought if enough money is thrown at it? Beyond that, how many other public offices and highly influential leadership positions, elected or otherwise, might be purchased if enough money is offered in the right places? Perhaps only Continue reading →

Posted in Faith and Politics, Insights, Right Side Up, Wake Up Calls | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

A Valentine’s Day Afterthought

Posted on February 15, 2020 by

Curiosity is an intriguing phenomenon. The first thing I recall being taught about curiosity was that it has a lethal effect on cats. No one bothered to explain to me exactly how that process worked, and I don’t recall anyone ever actually producing a dead cat to validate the theory. Nonetheless, the lesson was clear, curiosity could be dangerous, and we should avoid adopting such feline proclivities. After all, just look at what that kind of thing did to Continue reading →

Posted in Devotional, Faith, Family, and Culture, Humor Turned to Insight, Insights, Right Side Up, Valentine’s Day | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Personal Ministry ~ Reaching Higher by Going Deeper Series, Week 5

Posted on February 8, 2020 by

Going Deeper through Personal Ministry

The principle underlying this week’s challenge to “reach higher by going deeper” isn’t complicated or complex, so in recognition of its pragmatic simplicity, I’ll get right to it. The prevailing decadence of the popular culture is a constant reminder that the message of Jesus Christ is not making contact with the upcoming generation. We’re failing in the area of personal ministry and need to go deeper and reach higher in this fundamental process. Every day we see ideas and behaviors that stand in blatant contradiction to God’s most vital and foundational principles. Worse yet, they’re not only approved and accepted, but heralded as desirable preferences. And to complete the cycle of unbridled foolishness, these contradictions are being adopted as public policy in legislative houses across the land. One question that begs to be asked is, “Why aren’t the followers of Jesus doing more to counteract these awful trends?” Continue reading →

Posted in Faith and Politics, Faith, Family, and Culture, Insights, Reaching Higher by Going Deeper, Right Side Up | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

Prayer ~ Reaching Higher by Going Deeper Series, Week 4

Posted on February 1, 2020 by

~ Going Deeper through Prayer ~

Receiving a personal invitation is usually a welcome experience that evokes pleasant anticipation, but there are exceptions. For instance, being offered the privilege to watch Uncle Burford pledge his undying love to the woman who will become his fourth wife may not leave us enraptured at the prospect. Continue reading →

Posted in Devotional, Insights, Reaching Higher by Going Deeper, Right Side Up | Tagged , , , , , | 6 Comments

Relationships ~ Reaching Higher by Going Deeper Series, Week 3

Posted on January 25, 2020 by

~ Going Deeper in Relationships ~

As we began the new year, we extended a challenge to “launch out into the deep” and applied the phrase as a metaphor to encourage leaving the safe familiarity of the shallows and risk going deeper with God in 2020. Because the obvious question confronting us initially is how to do that, one of the areas we suggested targeting was the realm of personal relationships. Every endeavor we undertake is affected to some degree by Continue reading →

Posted in Devotional, Faith, Family, and Culture, Insights, Reaching Higher by Going Deeper, Wake Up Calls | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

Reaching Higher by Going Deeper Series ~ Week 2

Posted on January 18, 2020 by

Even with all the crazy stuff going on in the world, we can begin our third post of the new year on a positive note. The good news is that in spite of all that craziness, we’ve managed to make it past the halfway point of the first month of 2020. The not-so-good news for a lot of us is that this is about the time when our determination to transform ourselves begins to fade. By now, many of us have discovered (again) that all those self-improvement plans, workout machines, and diet programs promoted by the beautiful people on TV aren’t Continue reading →

Posted in Devotional, Faith, Family, and Culture, Going Deeper - Week 2, Insights, Reaching Higher by Going Deeper, Series Topics | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments