Living life with steps of faith

I've been doing a lot of thinking lately about what it means to be set apart for God and how all of us Christians are set apart for God.  I've thought about how I started the race well as a child, having been confident of my faith and committed to living differently as described in the Bible.  Then considered how my teenage years I gave into pressures to "conform to the world."  It was in little ways that I gave in - telling a dirty joke, laughing when I shouldn't, and wearing "attractive" clothes.  I remember hearing my grandmother say on multiple occasions, "what is so bad about being a nerd?"  Then in college, I chose to be set apart by joining other Christians at a Christian college. I had hoped to be humbled by having others around me of deep faith.  Instead what I discovered were things that I didn't like about Christians.  Yes, I was blessed my first couple of years in a cocoon of growth, but in the later years I began to questio...

There is none like You. There is nothing in all of Creation that compares to You. When I reflect upon Your greatness the things of this world look dull, even life itself - a shadow. Your glory is so bright and we live in the distant glow of your rays. How amazing You are, O God! Oh, what it will be like to stand, or kneel, or even fall in the full presence of Your grace! Amen.

So, I don't write poetry often, but observing the pattern of the week and the weather outside, I felt compelled to write. I feel the raindrops swelling on my eyes. I see the green waves flowing over high. I see the mountain breath crisping in the air. And I feel the drowned out cloud of despair. Yet I stand here Not yet alone. God's grace billows a soft blue tone. My heart quickens beat as the light does not retreat .... and the dish runs away with the spoon.... Okay, this is where I am stuck - on the very last line. how about and angelic whispers remind me of home. So.... I feel the raindrops swelling on my eyes. I see the green waves flowing over high. I see the mountain breath crisping in the air. And I feel the drowned out cloud of despair. Yet I stand here Not yet alone. God's grace billows a soft blue tone. My heart quickens beat as the light does not retreat. And angelic whispers remind me of home.

I have a sneaking suspicion that my hometown is being "punked" by Ashton Kutcher via Facebook!   Thought I'd put this suspicion out in the open!  I have several friends who were good friends with Chris before he became famous and people in our area have many connections with him.  Anyways, I  now have several "mutual friends" with him on Facebook, but none of them are any of his "real" friends.  Looking at his Facebook page, his status updates are all quotes, and the notes on his wall are of locals sharing their "connection" with him.  This is all to say that either Ashton is "punking" us or someone else is!

One of my favorite New Testament stories is of the Samaritan woman's encounter with Jesus at Jacob's well.  I love this story, because it models to me what it means to share the gospel.  In it, I am reminded to speak the truth in love, to invite my neighbor to have his or her thirst quenched by the Living Water, to use what is before me as a tool for witness, and to reach out to those who are marginalized by society.  I typically interpret the woman to represent in modern times those disfranchised in society by race, poverty, or culture.  But, today when I read it, I saw it in a new way.  The Samaritan woman had faith. She believed in the Torah and worshipped God.  She was at odds with the Jewish believer because she chose to worship God in a different way and she rejected parts of the Scriptures.  I read it and I heard an encounter between Jesus and a Muslim woman. I also heard the part about her having several husbands in a new way.  Previ...

1 Kings 2:10-12; 3:3-14 “The Right Request” “Nothing is foolproof to a talented fool.”   “The early bird may get the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese.” “Borrow money from a pessimist; they don’t expect it back.” “Experience is something you don’t get until just after you need it.” What is wisdom? And why do we want it so much and then when we get it we ignore it? There are a lot of advantages to being wise.    According to Proverbs 3:13-18: READ FROM BIBLE Wisdom has the potential to bless us with longer lives, wealth, and peace.   Ecclesiastes tells us that wisdom is better than weapons for war. Proverbs says that wisdom will save us from the ways of the wicked and from the adulterous.   If we don’t let it out of sight, we will find that wisdom keeps us from stumbling and maintains our safety. But it does more than that.   Wisdom protects our reputation.   In Matthew Jesus reflects on the ridiculous...

I am utterly amazed by all that the Bible has to say about wisdom.  I really thought that in doing a word study on wisdom, that I would find one, two, or perhaps three unified themes.  What I am discovering is that the depth and complexity of wisdom is expressed in a variety of ways and that GOD really wants us to grasp wisdom.  It isn't something hidden or difficult to find.  It is there for our taking - if we will just seek it!