Since the big Thursday that is Thanksgiving Day is on top of us, I wanted to turn our stomachs from the turkey and our focus from the football and instead fix our minds and hearts on the term Thanksgiving. In our country Thanksgiving has been observed as a national holiday for close to four centuries. It’s an annual holiday discernible by religious observances and a traditional dinner in which the main menu feature is turkey...
Read MoreWhen my wife, Gloria, and I were raising our three boys, we established standards for appropriate behavior in our house. The boys knew that in order to enjoy the benefits of our home, their words and actions needed to be acceptable in accordance with our criteria. Gloria and I had the right to establish these standards because it was our home.
Read MoreIt has been said that everybody has played the fool at sometime in their lives. The only exception to this rule is the One that rules the universe: Jesus Christ. Other than our Lord, we all have made foolish choices. I submit to you that a fool’s art is a seduced heart. In order to prevent ourselves from becoming fools, we must inoculate our hearts from seduction’s insidious infection.
Read MoreQuestion: Do you have a personal possession that you purpose to protect at all costs? Whatever is considered our most prized possession pushes us to protect it with unconquerable and robust resolve. I submit to you that too many of us are captured by a culture whose hearts are cemented in mammon. Mammon is a word that our Lord Jesus employed to describe a heart that is held hostage by material things we possess or want.
Read MoreAccording to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention more than half of U.S. adults use dietary supplements which consist of multivitamins, minerals and herbs. As a result, Americans are spending an astronomical amount of money on supplements. The Vitamins, Minerals, and Supplements (VMS) industry is one of the fastest growing industries in the world. In 2012, this industry produced about $32 billion in revenue for just nutritional supplements alone. According to the Nutritional Business Journal, this industry is projected to supplant that total in 2021 and is expected to generate a staggering total of $60 billion in revenue.
Read MoreHave you ever taken the time to consider or examine a spotlight? A spotlight is a strong beam of light that illuminates a small or specific area. For example a spotlight will focus on a performer on a stage in order to make him or her the center of attention. This concept can also be applied to a Christian’s life. This week, my objective is to shine a spotlight of focus on our service to God.
Read MoreIn today’s technologically-infused society, it is not uncommon for a person to have a laptop or computer that is configured to print to multiple printers. In order to distinguish between multiple printers, the user establishes a default printer which becomes the “go-to” device for that computer. When you consider a Christ-centered mindset or a carnal mindset, which have you established as your spiritual default printer?
Read MoreIn this passage, the Apostle Paul was writing to the Corinthian believers in order to address behavior that was not Christ-like. The apostle called them out because did not behave like people that were taught by the Holy Spirit. Although they were believers, they acted like unbelievers by quarreling and being jealous, establishing cliques, gossiping , etc. Does that sound like a church near you? The Corinthians were caught in a cloud of carnality!
Read MoreDo you remember playing the game “Hide and Seek” as a child? Believe it or not there was a time when children could and would go outside and play with other children. The game “Hide and Seek” was beneficial on a number of fronts: mathematically - you counted by one or by multiples of five; physically- you moved your body to run; mentally - where you had to think and use strategy to hide and and socially- you interacted with others!
Read MoreWhen my sons were younger, my wife, Gloria and I created chores in order to champion personal responsibility and stamp out the seductive spirit of slothfulness. On one occasion one of my sons was instructed to clean his room and complete his homework before playing with his toys or watching a video or television. The expectation of his parents was well established and he was fully aware of the consequences for not carrying out his responsibility...
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