God is not a god of wishful thinking based on my expectations or sentiments. Religious sentimentality and religious wishful thinking may feel good but give little value or substance to face the difficulties of life. Although I like to feel good, and the holiday season is very pleasant, I must go beyond this if I am to have a relationship …
Miracles Part of the Journey Not the End: June 3, Devotional Readings
This post Miracles Part of the Journey Not the End and the previous two are an experiment to make the blog more relevant and useful to readers. Starting with tomorrow’s post, I will narrow the discussion to one chapter from the New Testament. Miracles part of the spiritual journey, not the end, in other words, the purpose of miracles was …
Idolatry or God
Today we build economies by creating marketing messages or stories to make ourselves believe that we want a product and ultimately need it. In comparison, in the ancient world, pagan prophets served as marketers, and entire economies were built on idol worship. Idolatry continues to flourish; even today some idols live among things we think necessary. Modern forms include: materialism, …
In What or Whom Do I Trust?
In What or Whom Do I Trust? In What or Whom Do I Trust? Some common themes are woven into today’s readings, and each day we have to decide who or what we are going to trust. Taking up our cross and trusting God will always involve leaving behind what is comfortable and known. The call of Abraham is ours, …
Twitter Followers
Twitter Followers if reading this, I probably invited you to do so. Thank you for your favs and retweets. Please follow each other from the tweeted invite. I appreciate the encouragement and dialogue. I wanted to share with you some of the things I’ve learned about Twitter since I started using it this past March. Do I view Twitter Followers as …
The Portability of God’s Provision
I just posted on Twitter, ‘I love the portability of God’s provision.’ I mentioned it as a random thought of gratitude, but as I thought about it a little more, the idea expanded and deepened for me. I travel a lot, and I backpack. The thing I dislike about both, the packing. Packing for normal trips comes almost as second nature. I don’t …
Your Best Life Now? I Thought that Came Later
Your best life now depends more on the angle of your view rather than on your circumstances. Although anyone dealing with difficult circumstances, chronic disease, economic hardship, persecution, or difficult people agrees that it would be better if these circumstances would change, having your best life now is more about your inner life than your outward life. Perhaps Jesus wanted to …
Pray and Fast for Syrian Christians
Pray and fast for Syrian Christians. According to The Voice of the Martyrs, “Christians in Syria are fleeing en masse from threats, kidnappings, rapes and murders. …hundreds are crossing the border into Turkey and Lebanon daily. Sadly, these panic-stricken refugees have faced horrific circumstances and ongoing threats. A Government that Failed to Protect Them Some point to a government that …