Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Hebrews 12:2

It was a dumb thing to do, but I did it anyway. For more than a week I had felt, tired, dizzy and light-headed.

My bride told me to go to the doctor, but I didn’t have the time in my schedule (first dumb thing). Then, a week went by and I was in my office and the office started spinning around and I thought I was going to pass out. I knew I needed medical help, so I did my second dumb thing. I drove to the Urgent Care facility. They took me right in and said my blood pressure was 180 and my heart was missing beats. They wouldn’t let me drive and dispatched me directly to the emergency room.

For three days I was prodded, poked, photographed and otherwise submitted to unpleasantries. Finally, my cardiologist reported that my heart was in good shape, but he was calling in “the electrician.” The “what” I asked, and he told me I was going to get a pacemaker to regulate my heart. I did and I am home, and my heart is performing beautifully. My watch is no longer telling me that I have a slow heartbeat.

I am still learning about this marvelous device. Someone said it can be programed to open my garage door and turn on the TV when I walk into the room. I also heard that if I fall asleep in church, it will record the sermon and later that night if I can’t get to sleep that night, I can replay the sermon and see if it will put me to sleep again! But we will see.

Being in the hospital was a spiritual experience. I spent more time laying on my back than Michelangelo and when you are on your back, all you can do is look up and I did. I thought….. God, is this the beginning of the end? Is it a life changer? Then …. God, why did you let me survive this attack when others don’t?

For me it was a great time of spiritual revival and helped me get my priorities in order. It helped me realize what really is important in my life. I was too busy to get medical help and my procrastination could have been fatal. I asked myself …… Am I too busy with the matters of this world to spend time with God?

What is my mind fixed on? Conquering the next financial deal? My next vacation? The Bible tells us to fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith. Hebrews 12:2.

Do you need a heart attack to make you lie down and look up, focusing on the vertical rather than your horizontal matters? Think about it. Stop and pause the world around you and take time to look up.

***

SOMETIMES TRUE STORIES

Our churches are filled with many who have grown up in the church, attending Sunday School, attending church events, giving tithes and offerings, maybe even taking leadership roles. Yet, they have never accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior. Have never asked Him into their hearts or lives. They attend but have not known Him as Lord, nor understood His mission and the hope, peace, grace, love and forgiveness that He brings. Marty Stubblefield

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Note these 5 things that the Scriptures can do for you:

1. The Bible shows you what is right.

Right is not determined by culture, custom, or human creed. An accepted popular practice is not necessarily right. And human legislation enacted by a government doesn’t make something right.

2. The Bible shows you what is wrong.

While the Bible is not a list of “thou shalt nots,” it does offer some specific warnings about what is wrong. Wrong attitudes, wrong actions, wrong associations do not change with the times. If God says it’s wrong, then it’s still wrong today.

3. The Bible helps you get right.

When we’re on the wrong path religiously, morally, or ethically, we need to get on the right path. The Bible, when properly applied, will direct you in the right way in every area of your life.

4. The Bible helps you stay right.

The Bible provides the inspiration, encouragement, and motivation to keep on keeping on. To stay the course. And remain faithful regardless of Satan’s carnal enticements.

5. And the Bible equips you for every righteous work.

What is righteous work in God’s eyes? The Bible defines it. Both collectively in His church. And individually in our personal lives. The Bible furnishes us with just what we need to be successful spiritually.

Make 2022 a year of Biblical renewal. Get into the Word. Read it. Study it. Meditate on it. Live it.

D. L. Moody was right when he proclaimed, “The Bible was not given for our information, but for our transformation.”

–Ken Weliever, The Preacherman

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QUOTES YOU CAN USE

My soul belongs to the Lord and my body and my honor to my country. Oleksandr Usyk – Heavyweight champion after joining a Ukrainian defense battalion

If you don’t understand the resurrection, then your faith is meaningless. Cindy Heiberg

Mission is the reason the church exists. Max Wilkins

There are three billion people in the world who have never heard of Jesus and 57,000 die each day. Andy Ivey

Christians have the responsibility to go tell others about Jesus. Bishop Sharma Lewis

Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all others. Cicero

I am indebted to my father for living, but to my teacher for living well. Alexander the Great

Our First Amendment rights to freedom of speech and freedom of religion are more imperiled than at any time in American history. Jim Denison

The ladder of success is never crowded at the top. Napoleon Hill

Reason and judgment are the qualities of a leader. Tacticus

If opportunity doesn’t knock, build a door. Milton Berle

If a man does his best, what else is there? George S. Patton

Anybody can run the first half of a race, but it takes a true competitor complete in the second half of the race. David Kempston

“For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for you Gentiles—  2 if indeed you have heard of the dispensation  of the grace of God which was given to me for you,  3 how that by revelation He made known to me the mystery  (as I have briefly written already,  4 by which, when you read, you may understand  my knowledge in the mystery of Christ),  5 which in other ages was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to His holy apostles and prophets:  6 that the Gentiles should be fellow heirs, of the same body,  and partakers of His promise in Christ through the gospel,  7 of which I became a minister according to the gift of the grace of God given to me by the effective working of His power.”

Ephesians 3:1-7 (NKJV)

   A number of years ago in my first pastoral charge there was a family which, like me, were (and still are!) avid Miami Dolphins fans (what else?). 

One Sunday night I inadvertently revealed the end of a mystery without intending too.  My neighbor Bill, the Dolphin fan, had taped that afternoon’s Miami/Philadelphia game, which game I had watched live.  He called me to say, “Hey!  After the kids get home from Youth Group, do you want to watch the Dolphin game with me?”.  Of course, knowing that they had already lost the game, I replied with a slight moan, “no, not really”.  Oops!  I spoiled Bill’s viewing of the game because HE didn’t know who had won or lost! I revealed the mystery to him.

   The book of Ephesians reveals a “mystery”.   Unlike our novels [or my Miami game score], the Biblical view of a “mystery” is “that which being outside the range of unassisted natural apprehension, can be made known only by divine revelation”.  Neat, huh?  It can only be revealed when God wants it to be made known.  AND it can only be made known to those enabled by His Holy Spirit.

   Verses 5-7 above reveal the time frame of the mystery.  Up until the book of Acts, there were few Gentiles “saved”, that is, part of God’s family through faith in Jesus the Savior.  The early church was made up mainly of converted Jews – those who recognized Jesus as their Messiah and Savior!   Now, Paul is revealing a new thing!  He is sharing the MYSTERY that Gentiles were now a part of God’s economy – a revelation which at that time was…HUGE!

   We’re interested today in looking at the servant of the mystery, the one whom God uses.  Let’s look at his description:

   First, he was a PRISONER (verse 1).  There are various identifications of a “prisoner”.  He could be a “violator of the law”.  When I worked for the local police department, I used to take school children on tours of the police headquarters building.  They looked forward to two things:  blowing the siren on the squad car AND going into the jail!  (Don’t ask me why about the second desire!).  Maybe it was my old nature, but when they got inside the jail cell, I would SLAM the door shut and hold it tight.  The little urchins would SCREAM!  Now THAT was fun!  The result was that they never wanted to be in a jail cell again!  Many a youth was saved from being a “violator of the law” by the slamming of a jail cell. 

   But the Bible also talks about the “prisoner of sin”.  Christian author Chuck Swindoll told the story of a young man who was put in jail.  Throughout this ordeal, the man experienced many variations of treatment:  from being sent to jail, to being abused in jail, and finally being released from jail.  While he was in jail, he came to know Jesus as Savior through its prison ministry.  And then?  Pastor Swindoll tells how the man wanted to go BACK to the jail – not as a prisoner, but as one set free who could be used to aid others to be set free from being a “prisoner of sin”!

   And the prisoner to which Paul was referring was himself.  Yet in jail he called himself a “prisoner of the Lord”!  Though in jail in Rome, he states he was not Rome’s prisoner but rather God’s prisoner.  In all circumstances, Paul was God’s prisoner, so that he could be used for God.  The circumstances made no difference, only the power of God and the submission to that power.  

   Now perhaps we can understand Romans 8:35-36:

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?  36 As it is written: “For Your sake we are killed all day long;
We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.”

   Paul writes that he was not only a prisoner; he was an INSTRUMENT (verse 2). 

   An “instrument” is a tool which left by itself is of no value.   For Christmas one year my wife gave me a wonderful vice for my workbench.  I immediately attached it and dreamed about all the good that I could do with this new instrument of help.  However, over the course of time, you know what happened!  Like many tables, the workbench got covered with STUFF:  tools not put away, unfinished projects, and the like.  The “instrument” designed to be a big help was now…USELESS!

   Paul was conscious that he was simply an instrument, a vessel through whom God could work on behalf of others.  Here are two verses which describe being God’s instrument:

Romans 6:13:  “And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God.”

Romans 12:1:   “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.”

   The servant of the mystery of God is also a “READER” (verses 3-4).  Note in verse 4 Paul writes “WHEN you read” not “IF you read”.  Nor was this an incident of the past, as “when you read a long time ago”, but rather “WHEN YOU READ” in the very near future.  Paul fully expected that what he wrote to be diligently, deliberately, routinely, habitually, and daily READ.  

   Paul was a reader, taught of Gamaliel (Acts 5:34; 22:3).  Paul learned to be a student of God’s Word even when he wasn’t a Christian.  How much more should we be!

   Can you imagine God giving His Word and no one reading it?  

   Can you imagine God’s riches available to us WHEN we read God’s Word?

   Finally, the servant of the mystery of God is a CARETAKER (verses 5-7).  He is a caretaker of the “effective  working of His [God’s] power”.  

   In today’s business world we have what are known as “efficiency experts” (known by many titles).  They come in to a business as an outsider, and objectively (for the right fee!) tell what is working and what is not working in that business.  After he leaves, the company often takes his advice and makes changes, even though often the company was doing ok before.

   The key here is that God has called us to be caretakers of the gospel of grace.  And when used, it will be effective!  Listen carefully:

Romans 1:16:  “[the gospel of Christ] is the power of God unto salvation”

Romans 10:17:  “faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God”

Hebrews 4:12:  “the word of God is LIVING and POWERFUL…”

   If we use it, if we are a proper caretaker of the Word, then the Spirit of God will use it through us!

   Like Paul, we are to be vessels connected richly and regularly with the Word of God.  We are to be an INSTRUMENT, a READER, a CARETAKER.

   But all that means nothing if we first are not a PRISONER OF CHRIST!

By faith we belong to Jesus by the power of the cross…

By surrender, we belong to Jesus as His prisoner for His glory!

Have you said with John the Baptist (John 3:30):

“HE must increase, but I must decrease” !!!

Everyone, of every nation, the entire earth, and all its creatures, come here and listen! The Lord is angry with all nations; His wrath is on all their armies. He will totally destroy them, He will give them over to slaughter.

Isaiah 34:1-2

Isaiah prophesied to the entire earth and said God was really mad. The world then was an evil place. But look at it now and God must be really mad. Look around!!!!

The war in Northern Europe is torturing, killing and raping civilian women and children. It’s barbarism unknown since Nazi Germany. Look around even closer to home. We have allowed the Devil to subvert our land. It began with a campaign of whispers. As he whispered to Eve “Do as you please.” To the young, he has whispered that the Bible is a myth. He is telling our youth that man created God, rather than the other way around. He is whispering what is bad is good and what is good is “square.” He is suggesting when we look for help, we pray “Our Father, which art in Washington.”

He has educated authors in how to make lurid literature exciting so that anything else would appear dull and uninteresting. First in theaters and now at home on TV, we are saturated with dirtier movies and vulgar sitcoms contrary to traditional and Christian values. We openly peddle narcotics and allow massive illegal drugs to walk across our borders. We are consumed as a nation with alcohol and those who don’t escape reality with alcohol do it with pills. Families are at war with themselves and even our churches are at war within. And with the lure of higher ratings, the media is memorizing our youth with filth. Our schools refine intelligence, but neglect to discipline emotions. Schools now have drug sniffing dogs and metal detectors at the schoolhouse door.

Our prisons are overflowing, which judges promote pornography. We have evicted God from the courthouse and the schoolhouse and soon from the houses of Congress. Our churches have been subverted, often preaching feel-good sermons substituting psychology for religion. We have made the symbol of Easter an egg and of Christmas, a bottle.

We take from those who have and give to those who want, killing the incentive of the ambitious. States promote gambling as the way to get rich, rather that encouraging self-initiative and work. Patriotism is out of vogue and immoral conduct is okay if that’s what someone wants to do. Christian ethics has given way a post-modern country where right is whatever you can get away with. A major university recently announced that students can live together in campus housing regardless of gender or sexual orientation.

Marriage is old fashioned, and swinging is more fun and what you see on TV is the way things ought to be. The sanctity of life is out, and aborting babies is in, in the name of reproductive rights. Boys want to be girls and vice versa. And the Senate confirms someone who can’t define what a woman is to serve on the highest court in the land. The Ten Commandments have become the Ten Suggestions.

What is God saying to the nation and is He as angry as he was? I am sure that His wrath is on our nation and rightfully so. Who would have ever thought that we would ever be where we are? God is love. He created human beings for an incredible purpose—to welcome us into His family as His children! He loves all human beings greatly.

When will our nation get right with God and please Him as our creator? How long will He allow us to wander before His wrath is upon us? It could be coming soon.

***

SOMETIMES TRUE STORIES

Let’s be reminded of where our help and our strength come from. He is our God, our refuge, our strength, our ever-present-help.

“God is our refuge and strength,

an ever-present help in trouble.

Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way

and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,

though its waters roar and foam

and the mountains quake with their surging.” – Psalm 46:1-3 NIV

Ever-present. I love that thought. Knowing that He is ever-present calms me and strengthens me, reminding me that I am never alone. I have nothing to fear. Let’s praise Jesus for the strength and freedom that He provides and for the grace and hope He gives. Let’s be reminded that He is our refuge and our strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear. Let’s Praise God for being ever-present.

And now this is my prayer for all of us and for the world around us:

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” – Romans 15:13 NIV

Read the short prayer again… and overflow with hope… being reminded of who this ever-present God truly is. Marty Stubblefield

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This old lady handed her bank card to the teller and said “I would like to withdraw $10”. The teller told her “for withdrawals less than $100, please use the ATM.” The old lady wanted to know why… The teller returned her bank card and irritably told her “these are the rules, please leave if there is no further matter. There is a line of customers behind you”. The old lady remained silent for a few seconds and handed her card back to the teller and said “please help me withdraw all the money I have.” The teller was astonished when she checked the account balance. She nodded her head, leaned down and respectfully told her “you have $300,000 in your account, but the bank doesn’t have that much cash currently. Could you make an appointment and come back again tomorrow? The old lady then asked how much she could withdraw immediately. The teller told her any amount up to $3000. “Well please let me have $3000 now.” The teller kindly handed $3000 very friendly and with a smile to her. The old lady put $10 in her purse and asked the teller to deposit $2990 back into her account. The moral of this story is…. Don’t be difficult with old people, they spent a lifetime learning the skill.

***

QUOTES YOU CAN USE

The Bible is a book of commands and consequences. Bob Sprinkle

Biblical rest requires a release. Kelly Knouse

The Bible needs to be within us not for information, but for transformation. Cindy Heiberg

Forty percent of all pastors are considering walking away from the pastorate. Max Wilkins

You don’t need to be on social media to make a difference in the world. The Minimalist

The spirit of man is more important than mere physical strength, and the spiritual fiber of a nation than its wealth. Dwight D. Eisenhower

“Virtue is to the soul, what health is to the body,” wrote the French Essayist François de La Rochefoucauld

Education is an admirable thing, but it is well to remember from time to time that nothing that is worth knowing can be taught. Oscar Wilde

Friends are those rare people who ask how we are and then wait to hear the answer.” Ed Cunningham

Don’t go around saying the world owes you a living. The world owes you nothing. It was here first. Mark Twain

Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, that we may rejoice and be glad all our day. Psalm 90:14

Freedom in America is not guaranteed, it is only rented for as long as we are willing to fight to defend every person’s freedom or we will have none at all. Dwight Short

“In Whom the whole building being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in Whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.”

Ephesians 2:21-22 (NKJV)

Today we will be introduced to 3 master picture framers – 2 are human and, I’ll let you know ahead of time, One is the Lord!

My Dad was born in 1905, so while his Dad served in the military, he was too young to serve in World War 1. So when no one was looking (so he thought), he went around town and took down many of the World War 1 posters which were put up to encourage young men to join the war effort. Not realizing their potential “antique paper” value, he simply wrapped them in Christmas paper – where they stayed for decades!

Years later, Dad passed down that wrapping to me. I found one in particular which edges were not tattered from time. I went to Framer #1, who we can call “Jerry”, and presented the 1916 Navy poster “I Want YOU in the Navy”. I had to admit to Jerry that Dad possessed it by stealing it! Master Framer Jerry backed up the poster with acid free matting, then framed the matting with a “red, white, and blue” patriotic theme – a frame which still hangs in our current home. Yes, for a fee, this 106 year old poster has been “fitly framed” and able to be displayed.

Our text today talks about such a framer (verse 21). Let’s see how God – the true Master Framer – does His work!

First, HE HAS A PURCHASE, as seen in verses 11-13. These verses say that we who were once Gentiles in the flesh were purchased, brought near to God by the blood of Christ! I remember after I was first saved, my Dad said to me, “According to what you tell me, the Bible says that I am not a Christian. Does that make me an heathen’?” I explained to him that technically, an “heathen” is a a non-Jew, one who could not nor did not share in the privileges of the Jewish relationship (by works) with God.

Look at the description:

(1) “Uncircumcised” – no privileges of belonging to God

(2) Without Christ

(3) Aliens (“strangers”). That makes you want to ask, “are thhere ‘aliens’ in the Bible?” The answer is YES! They are the non-Jews!

(4) No hope

(5) Without God

The Bible has much to say about God’s care for the heathen (the non-Jew). At least 145 times He refers to them! Look at Leviticus 25:44 where He says that Gentiles/non-Jews will be servants to the Jews. And how about Isaiah 49:5,6, quoted in Luke 2 by Simeon, saying that the Messiah will be a light to the…GENTILES!

What does a slave need? FREEDOM! And he can only get it by a PURCHASE!

We should be familiar with Hebrews 9:22-28. The purchase price is ONLY the blood of Christ!

What is YOUR purchase price? Say it with me: THE BLOOD OF CHRIST!

Second, our Master Framer offers PEACE – WITH GOD! (As seen in verses 14-18).

Note the extensive use of the word “PEACE” in our texts: He IS our peace (verse 14). He MADE peace (verse 15). He BROUGHT the feud (enmity) to an end (verse 16). And He PREACHED peace (verse 17).

What does this mean? First, true peace comes only from God! Some of us remember WAY BACK in the 1980’s when the Nobel PEACE Prize was awarded to United States President Jimmy Carter. He reconciled President Sadat of Egypt with President Begin of Israel at Camp David. They signed a treaty. They declared peace. READY? Is there peace today between Jews and Arabs? NO! Why not? Because the peace is on paper, and NOT in their hearts.

Romans 5:1 says, “therefore having been justified by faith, we have PEACE WITH GOD through our Lord Jesus Christ”.

And second, true peace works to please God, not to earn God’s favor (verse 15). See also Galatians 2:16, 20-3:3. The point is clear: my works SHOW my faith, NOT a need to appease God’s wrath.

Third, our Master Planner provides a PLACE OF GLORY (verses 19-22).

Note that He provides an inhabited place (verse 19): the “household of God”. I remember the parsonage of my first charge as pastor. It hadn’t been lived in for 6 years, and a pastor hadn’t lived in it for 11. In those in-between years, it had been rented out, and unfortunately during that time it was “trashed”. From the time we moved in to the time we put the final coat of paint on the last refinished room was a period of…FIFTEEN YEARS! Now it was most fit to be an inhabited place, just like the Master Planner provides!

He also provides a secure place (verse 20), “built on the foundation of God…the chief cornerstone.” And Who is that “cornerstone”? Jesus Christ Himself!

He provides an holy place (verse 21): “a holy temple in the Lord”, reflecting God’s glory.

And He provides a growing place (verse 22), “a dwelling place of God in the Spirit”, to be like Christ, fit for His presence.

Well, to wrap this up, I promised you 3 framers. The third framer is now with the Lord. Stanley Hartwell was one of our trustees at my first charge. I had the opportunity to hire him to help re-model the parsonage from an early 1900’s building to a late 1900’s parsonage. He was doing great until…he came to a certain door frame. His object here was to “fitly frame” [GET IT, FITLY FRAME???]the doorway between the dining room side of the door (which is square) and the old living room side of the door (which is several inches off square). The dining room was easy – and looked nice. On the living room side he had to do what is called “cheating” – reframing it so it LOOKS square. He indeed was a master framer!

The point is this: perhaps you are “off square” today – you have lost sight of the Master Planner’s work (His purchase, peace, and place). And perhaps you are in need of the Master Framer’s touch, which is perfect from the start!

Come Home to God’s peace!

Come Home to the Master Planner!

Come Home to the One Who will remind you how His design

has always been to “fitly frame” your life together!

For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. Romans 1:16

As a young boy, I grew up chasing fire engines and visiting burned out buildings. My dad, long before they were mandatory, installed automatic fire sprinklers. They saved many buildings from destruction by fire. We visited many sites and watched buildings burn to the ground and then took many photographs, which he used as a sales tool. He would show the photos and sometimes movies to potential customers and say, “This could be your building.”

Convincing businesses to install them was not an easy sell, so my dad came up with an ingenious plan. He went to insurance companies and got them to agree to give a “sprinkler credit” as a premium deduction. Then he hit the road selling and proposed that he would install sprinkler systems and customers would pay him annually whatever their insurance savings were until the system was paid for in full and then they would continue to get the fire insurance deduction. So, essentially their sprinkler system paid for itself and was essentially free.

It makes me think of another “free” offer, the salvation through Christ. The free offer of the Gospel is the offer of salvation in Jesus Christ to all people. We all like to get things for free, no cost, no charge and no payment. I know I do, especially when those things have some value, and even more when they are of great value.

Paul wanted to preach the gospel to the whole world, or as many people as he could reach. And in the words he wrote in his letters that now form part of the New Testament, he has preached to the whole world.

There is no greater gift we can receive for free than to receive the knowledge of the gospel of Jesus Christ which leads us to eternal life in Him and with Him. It does not have to cost you a penny for the free gift from God is eternal life through Jesus Christ.

Have you received that gift? It is there for you, just for your asking.

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SOMETIMES TRUE STORIES

The “pursuit of happiness” is famously enshrined in the United States Declaration of Independence. Not that anybody was waiting for Thomas Jefferson’s permission to seek happiness for themselves. We all naturally want to do it. And there’s nothing wrong with that.

As long as it’s the right kind of happiness. Otherwise, it’s just a distraction.

See, somewhere along the way (or maybe it’s always been like this), it appears we human beings confused the pursuit of happiness with the pursuit of self. As a result, we think we’ll be happiest if we focus on ourselves, spend our resources on ourselves, and meet our own needs and desires—sometimes even at the expense of others. We see this all around us.

All you have to do is watch young children playing and observe how they monopolize their favorite toys, and you’ll know how human it is to be selfish. Nobody has to teach a child not to share.

Now, most of us aren’t absolutely selfish in our pursuit of happiness. We include our loved ones. Maybe a few other people too. But it’s a pretty small list, with “ME” at the top.

Serving ourselves comes naturally for most of us—it always has. But when we try to satisfy our desire for happiness in the pursuit of self, we fall short of the truest, most-lasting forms of happiness. The pursuit of selfish desires may offer some pleasure in the short run, but in the long term, the happiness is never lasting. Misplaced, the pursuit of happiness can become the distraction that keeps us from more meaningful pursuits.

The pursuit of self and the pursuit of lasting happiness are not the same. In fact, at times, they run completely opposite routes.

At the end of your life, would you be prouder of having spent years working and saving to buy a second home, or in doing what you can to help the poor or suffering in your community? Would you find more pride in having spent most of your spare time with sports shows and video games, or in doing the creative work that you were uniquely suited for?

The best, most direct pathway to lasting happiness and fulfillment is to look not only at your own interests but also to the interests of others.

When we begin living our lives for the sake of others, our lives immediately take on greater value. We no longer live for the benefit of one or a few; we begin living for the benefit of many. The Minimalist

— o —

Bills that would legalize infanticide have been introduced in Maryland and in California.

— o —

“A man’s mind is like a garden,” wrote Dee Bowman in That’s Life. “The soil, the seed for sowing, and the seasons have been provided by a gracious and benevolent Creator,” Dee Observed. “But the man must plant the seed, nourish it, cultivate it, and weed it. It’s hard work to care for a good garden. Even then when the harvest comes, a man has no right to say, ‘Look what I did!’”

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QUOTES YOU CAN USE

The old mission idea was from the West to the rest. Now it is from everywhere to everyone. Max Wilkins

Jesus’ Word is for all and not just for me. Andy Ivey

Don’t focus on the resurrection of Jesus until you focus on the price. He paid to forgive the sins of all humanity, both past, present and future. Bishop Sharma Lewis

You are the possessor of a great and wonderful power. This power when properly applied, will bring confidence instead of timidity, calmness instead of confusion, poise instead of restlessness, and peace of mind instead of heartache. J. Martin Kohe

Any fool can criticize, complain, and condemn—and most fools do. But it takes character and self-control to be understanding and forgiving. Dale Carnegie

In sports, justice is meted out at the sound of a whistle; when you hear a trumpet in the sky, I hope you have your answer ready for the Great Umpire…It’s Jesus! Dwight Short

Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe. Abraham Lincoln

The darker the night, the brighter the stars, The deeper the grief, the closer is God! Fyodor Dostoevsky

Never ruin an apology with an excuse. Benjamin Franklin

Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm. Winston Churchill

If you are too busy doing your own agenda, even good things, to spend time alone with God, then you are just too busy!!!!! Kelly Knouse

In the race of life, we see Jesus. Don’t stop until you are finished. Keep your eyes on the future. Daniel Henderson

If you want God to use you, then you must be fully accountable to Him. Jo Mo Cousins

May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had. Romans 15:5

The story is one of resolute endurance.

It occurred in the Antarctic in 1914-1917, during the Imperial Trans-Atlantic Expedition. Its ship, the Endurance, became trapped in pack ice and was slowly crushed before the shore parties could be landed.

The crew escaped by camping on the sea ice until it disintegrated, then by launching the lifeboats to reach Elephant Island and ultimately South Georgia Island. It was an incredible experience and thanks to the leadership qualities of Ernest Shackleton, not one of the 28 members of the crew perished. All survived. Just this year, the well-preserved stern of the ship “Endurance” was discovered in 10,000 feet of water, 106 years after its demise.

Books have been written about Shackleton’s leadership qualities. Shackleton was a cautious leader and a man who would never ask his men to do anything he would not do himself. He was also good at improvisation, a man not afraid to throw away the rulebook or abandon plans if they were not working.

Imagine being stranded on ice for 19 months in the world’s harshest climate, often without light for months on end. Imagine being cut off from the outside world without any forms of communication. No smartphones, tablets, laptops, telephones or faxes, not even a telegraph machine or carrier pigeon! Imagine helming a crew of 27 tired and demoralized men, all of whom depend on you for survival. What would you do in that life threatening situation?

Shackleton’s leadership skills are taught in business schools. He was mission focused, improvised when necessary. He freely shared information with his team, even when it was not good. He learned from his mistakes and made corrections when necessary.

But perhaps Shackleton’s greatest character of leadership was endurance. He never gave up and encouraged his team to never give up.

The Bible tells us to have endurance and not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. Paul tells us to not grow weary in doing good. As Christians, we need endurance, so that when we have done the will of God we will receive what Jesus promised. Those who endure in the faith to the end will be saved.

How is the endurance of your faith?

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SOMETIMES TRUE STORIES

Only GOD: Our moon is 27 percent the size of our planet and yet our planet is so small that 1.3 million Earths can fit inside our sun. While our sun contains 99.86 percent of the mass in our solar system, it is just one of 200 billion stars in our galaxy. Astrophysicists estimate that our galaxy is just one of between one hundred billion and two hundred billion galaxies in the universe.

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When darkness seems to hide His face

I rest on His unchanging grace

In every high and stormy gale

My anchor holds within the vale.

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Psalm-34-4

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There are 4200 recognized religions in the world. Which one is yours?

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Paul warned that “the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ” (2 Corinthians 4:4). Here is how he responded: “What we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ.”

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Have you heard of the latest designer dog? It’s the rage… the all-new St. Pit. It is a cross between a pit bull and a St. Bernard. It will bite your leg off and then go get help.

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QUOTES YOU CAN USE

If you are playing “Follow the Leader,” you must get out of your chair. Max Wilkins

Adopt the pace of nature, her secret is patience. Ralph Emerson

We don’t take Jesus’ word for knowledge, but for transformation. Cindy Heiberg

We need to join Jesus’ mission now and not tarry in the wilderness. Andy Ivey

Worship is essential to the Word of God. Laura Hedstrom

Without Good Friday, the resurrection would be impossible. Bishop Sharma Lewis

If you want your children to be intelligent, read them fairy tales. If you want them to be more intelligent, read them more fairy tales. Albert Einstein

I never considered a difference of opinion in politics, in religion, in philosophy, as cause for withdrawing from a friend. Thomas Jefferson

You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. Deuteronomy 6:5

When taking a public administration course in college, the professor gave us the “In basket” test and then gave us the formula to find the answer. He was referring to the in basket on a person’s desk, but he explained that everyone has there own daily in basket.

I call mine my: TO DO List. I check every morning on my computer, as I plan my day and at the end of the day, I will revise it for tomorrow, often containing items I did not getting around to doing on today’s list.

Organizing our daily schedule and tasks allows us to concentrate on what needs to get done that day instead of being distracted by things around us. At nighttime, we are able to prioritize our sleep and rest easy knowing what needed to be done was done. Prioritizing our sleep helps to alleviate our stress.

The Bible tells us things that should be on our everyday TO DO List. Our faith tells us that God must be the first priority of life. Nothing else works without God as our priority. The remaining priorities fold under God in a specific order. The family is our second priority. It is in the family where we first learn about God and about the other priorities.

God expects us to accept His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, as our Savior. He expects us to give our lives to Him, and in so doing, develop the character of Christ. God wants us to become more like Christ. We are called on to daily read His Word and pray.

Pray to God and admit that you need help putting Him first. Ask God to help you in this area and for the passion and desire for Him to grow. Make God a priority and schedule in time with Him every day first before anything else. Arrange all your other obligations around Him.

I must confess, especially because my wife will edit this before it is published, that I am slack in those areas of my priorities. Too often my TO DO list is about me and my earthly goals. “It has to be done today” or does it?

What’s in your In Basket? Is God there and is He first on the list?

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SOMETIMES TRUE STORIES

The Power of God’s Purpose:

(1) God’s purpose gives meaning to life.

Purpose moves you from survival mode, past success, to significance.

(2) God’s purpose reduces frustration.

Purpose makes life more pleasant and pleasurable.

(3) God’s purpose increases our motivation.

Purpose produces hope. Inspires action. And encourages steadfast endurance.

(4) God’s purpose allows for greater concentration.

Purpose empowers us to stay mentally, emotionally, and spiritually alert.

(5) God’s purpose simplifies your life.

Purpose reduces confusion. And makes life less complex.

(6) God’s purpose keeps your eyes on the goal.

Purpose provides focus on what’s really important in life.

(7) God’s purpose reaps eternal rewards.

Purpose prepares you for eternity. And keeps the reward real.

The person without a purpose is like a ship without a rudder.

–Ken Weliever, The Preacherman

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Would you like to know your actual “biological age”? Would you like to learn whether you have physical conditions that are associated with increased risks of mortality? Your eyes apparently hold the key.

A new study says your retina may be able to provide doctors with a way to “evaluate underlying pathological processes of systemic vascular and neurological diseases” that you would not otherwise recognize. Doctors could then treat these conditions proactively, improving your health and even extending your life.

— o —

The number of abortions per one thousand women has declined by over half from its peak in the early 1980s and a growing number of Americans—now 71 percent—want limits on abortion.

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QUOTES YOU CAN USE

A Christian who is not thankful, is not a Christian at all. Bob Sprinkle

We often put ourselves in some pretty miserable positions because we move ahead without seeking God. Dan Shock

Build your relationships with the Holy Spirit. Jomo Cousins

Prayerlessness is a declaration of independence from God. Daniel Henderson

The greatest curse of Christianity is mediocre Christianity.

Salvation is the basic of Christianity. You can’t be a Christian without being saved. It is more than knowing about it, as it is a personal relationship with Jesus. When you get saved, it is not an end, but a new beginning as you know the resurrection power of Him.

Our self-righteousness is a filthy rag in the presence of Jesus.

Eternity is too long to be wrong.

Prayer without faith amounts to just empty words.

What if God chose you to introduce His Son to the world?

“But God, Who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.”

– Ephesians 2:4-10

Have you ever been to a “crossroad”? You know – where you are traveling along and the road you are on suddenly branches out into 2 roads, and you must choose between the 2? It helps to be prepared ahead of time for that crossroad!

While we were in Alaska many years ago, we learned about a crossroad which was created in 1896 in the Yukon, a stop for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. They placed there one year’s supplies to prevent many deaths. They had to be prepared ahead of time for this crossroad!

God has a crossroad in our text, verse 4, “but God.” In the original that it is all it says, “BUT GOD!”. “But” is a conjunction, a joining together, a word used to connect. It is the brining together at a crossroad of thought.

There are many conjunctions in Scripture. But this, out of 43 conjunctions in Scripture, is the only one where God is at the crossroad! It is the only one in which God Himself intervenes. And interestingly, we will learn that it is not us who does the preparing for this conjunction. It is God Himself!

God describes this conjunction through the subjects of many positions the believer has in Christ. First, he has a “resurrection”, as described in in verses 4-6a. Paul talks about the riches of His mercy. Humanly speaking, there have been many people who are rich. For example, David Rockefeller (who at the time was the wealthiest man in the world) was often asked for a dollar. He instead would give dimes in order to show people the value of a dollar!

Brace yourself: God is richer than all the Rockefellers combined! He owns the cattle on a thousand hills (Psalm 50:10), and Romans 11:32-36 talk about the depth of God’s riches as seen in His mercy and knowledge.

There is also the depths of His love, His “great love with which He loved us”. Jeremiah 31:3 says that God has personally loved us “with an everlasting love”! And how wonderful is His love? Rev. 13:8 tells us that the Lamb Who has so loved us was, in God’s sight and purposes, “slain before the foundation of the world”! Even the cross was prepared, the greatest display of God’s love. God was at this crossroad already. When? “When we were dead in trespasses” (verse 5)! Wo

The reality of this crossroad, of our resurrection, is the interaction of the Trinity! God “made us alive together” (verse 5) and He “raised us up together” (verse 6a). Who did the raising? The Father! (Look up Eph. 1:20) and The Son (John 10:18) and the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:11) as ONE were involved in our resurrection! There’s another WOW!

Why is this resurrection important? Well, let’s imagine a violent criminal is shot and killed. The bullet which killed him is removed, BUT HE IS STILL DEAD. The cases of the crimes he committed are now removed from the record, BUT HE IS STILL DEAD. He needs a new life!

And so did we! We were dead – we didn’t need reform or religion!

We needed RESURRECTION!

So then God RAISED US UP and gave us a new SITTING (verse 6). Notice that we are sitting with Jesus “together in the heavenly places”. Because of Christ’s ascension, Christ is busy preparing a place for us, waiting to come again, and looking forward for our arrival in glory – all those preparations at the same time.

He has given us the REALITY of a position: SITTING WITH HIM! Did you notice the difference in prepositions? He says that we are “alive WITH Christ” (verse 5) but we will be sitting IN CHRIST (verse 6). Paul wrote this from a dungeon in Rome, yet he had the security of eternity now! Take a gander at Romans 8:38-39.

And don’t forget: while we are IN Christ, Christ also is IN US! (See Colossins 1:27-29). This is an important point: as a result, our sitting gives us security now to live for Him throughout our lives! Here we go again: WOW!

Did you notice also that we will be ON DISPLAY (verses 7-9)? One of the highlights of our married lives was our going on a Caribbean cruise for our 15th wedding anniversary, WAY back in 1988. I had read about the ship’s putting contest, and I looked forward to entering! Just as my dad had done many years earlier on a cruise, even so I, too, WON that cruise’s putting contest! On the last night of the cruise, there was an award ceremony, and unbeknownst to me, one of our group took a picture of my receiving my trophy. That trophy with the picture are STILL on display as evidences of a great contest won.

MORE IMPORTANTLY than a trophy for a ship’s putting contest – WAIT, what could be MORE IMPORTANT than a trophy for a ship’s putting contest??? Well, for starters, the fact that believers in Jesus are…brace yourselves…HIS TROPHIES! Verse 7 says that, in reality, the believer is a TROPHY of God’s grace! We will be forever on display, for all eternity, before all the heavenly kingdom!

And did you catch who are the ONLY ones who can be so displayed? That’s right, ONLY redeemed sinners! We must be sinners, and we must be redeemed, in order to be on His display! Here it comes…WOW!

So what do we do with this reality NOW? We serve the King of kings! Verse 10 says that “we are His workmanship”, the purpose of our new creation in Christ! The reality is that the final crossroads is our choice of obedience to the service, the workmanship for which GOD HIMSELF has created us for! We either choose the road of obedience that puts Him on display, OR we choose the road of disobedience that puts ME on display.

I read the wonderful story of a Grandma who wanted to show her love for her grandson. So on his graduation day from high school, she gave him a Bible. He was…FURIOUS! He didn’t want a Bible…he wanted MONEY! So he threw the Bible across the room and it quietly and quickly slid under his bed. Months later he was cleaning his room when his eye caught ahold of the Bible. He picked it up to give it one final throw – into the garbage can – when as he threw it a HUNDRED DOLLAR BILL fell out of it! The wise Grandma knew not only what he wanted; she also knew what he needed!

The point is deep: there are TRUE RICHES to be found at this crossroad. “BUT GOD” – He alone has prepared this crossroad, and His ultimate purpose is our obedience to Him!

HOW WILL YOU RESPOND TO THE CROSSROAD OF GOD’S GRACE,

HIS DESIRE THAT HE ALONE BE ON DISPLAY THROUGH YOU (AND ME!)?

So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today. Matthew 6:34

A New York Post survey found that the average person was struck with worry four times a day ‒ that’s 112 times in a month. About 86 percent of people in a survey described themselves as worriers. And the research revealed we spend on average one hour and 50 minutes a day fretting, amounting to 12 hours and 53 minutes a week – or four years and 11 months across the average adult lifetime of 64 years.

There is a great story that comes out of Greece in the 5th century B.C. During the war between two city-states, a spy was captured and sentenced to death. Before the execution, he demanded an audience with the Ruler of that city. When the interview was granted, he stood before the Ruler and pled “O great king, if you do not execute me, but instead allow me to live a mere two years longer, I will teach your favorite horse to sing.”

The king thought about it, and finally decided, “What’s two years? I can always kill him at the end of it.” So he agreed, and the spy was led away.

Several weeks later, while the spy was in the stables playing the harp in front of the king’s horse, two of his friends who smuggled themselves into the city in disguise found him and asked what happened. After telling them the story they said, “You’re crazy! You can’t teach a horse to sing! The king will kill you!”

The spy then said very wisely, “In two years, anything can happen. The king may die; I may die or, who knows maybe the horse will learn to sing!” And he went on playing the harp.

There is a good moral to this story. How often do we worry about things that may never happen and miss out on enjoying today?

In Matthew 6:25 Jesus commanded His followers, “Do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on”.

Find comfort and peace through Scripture that promises you hope and a future. Fear, worry and anxiety are all weapons of Satan to keep us from experiencing the full life that God has for us. These emotions can overwhelm us and keep us paralyzed. Learn how to leave free from worry and anxiety by meditating on the Word and casting your cares upon Jesus! Start today and take small steps today toward living fully free from anxieties.

What will you worry about today? Remember, it may go away tomorrow.

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SOMETIMES TRUE STORIES

A Good List To Remember and Live By:

The most powerful emotion in life………………………..love

The greatest asset…………………………………………….faith

The greatest joy………………………………………………..giving

The most contagious spirit………………………………….enthusiasm

The most beautiful attire…………………………………….a smile

The most prized possession……………………………….integrity

The greatest “shot in the arm”……………………………..enthusiasm

The greatest problem to overcome………………………fear

The greatest loss………………………………………………self-respect

The ugliest personality trait…………………………………selfishness

The deadliest weapon………………………………………..the tongue

The most worthless emotion……………………………….self-pity

The most powerful channel of communication……….prayer

The two most power-filled words………………………….I can

The fastest path to healing and wholeness……………forgiveness

The most powerful force in the universe……………….God

The best book you can read………………………………..The Bible

The greatest verse in the Bible……………………………John 3:16

–Ken Weliever, The Preacherman

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Minimalism is the intentional promotion of the things we most value and the removal of anything that distracts us from it. It requires a conscious decision because it is a countercultural lifestyle that stands against the culture of overconsumption that surrounds us.

The world we live in is not friendly to the pursuit of minimalism. Its tendencies and relentless advertising campaigns call us to acquire more, better, faster, and newer. The journey of finding simplicity requires consistent inspiration. The Minimalist

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The City of Miami spent $350,000 on new park lights. The park closes at sundown!

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QUOTES YOU CAN USE

I DON’T ACCEPT WAGES FOR JOB HALF DONE. Stephen Bernard

The riches Jesus desires to share with you are eternal riches, which cannot be measured by temporal things like gold or silver. Dan Shock

For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. —1 Corinthians 1:18

Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it. Proverbs 22:6

Life: Said succinctly, it’s not about us.

Treat people as if they were what they ought to be and you help them to become what they are capable of being. JOHANN WOLFGANG VON GOETHE.

The Lord was standing by a wall that had been built true to plumb, with a plumb line in his hand. And the Lord asked me, ‘What do you see, Amos?’ ‘A plumb line,’ I replied. Then the Lord said, ‘Look, I am setting a plumb line among my people Israel; I will spare them no longer. Amos 7:7-8

Standing along a street in Cairo, while waiting for a bus, I couldn’t help, but stare at the building. It was so out of plumb that I had to take a picture. It obviously had not been built to plumb and was leaning heavily to my left.

A plumb line is a cord with a non-magnetic weight attached to one end. When the cord is held in such a way that the weight can dangle freely, an exact vertical can be determined. Painters and carpenters use plumb lines to keep their work straight. It is difficult, while in the middle of a project, to determine a true horizontal or vertical line without an objective measuring tool, so a plumb line is employed. A plumb line applies the law of gravity to find right angles, to indicate the most direct route from top to bottom, and to keep things plumb. A plumb line doesn’t change or move with the whims of the carpenter. It remains true, and all work must line up with it or risk being crooked.

When God said He was setting a plumb line among His people, He was declaring an end to their attempts to justify their crooked ways. The Lord was setting the standard. God does not negotiate His laws. He does not change with the whims of culture. God’s moral law is the plumb line against which we determine right and wrong. Just as a carpenter’s plumb line is not subject to the opinions or the frustration of the worker, so God’s moral standards are not subject to the opinions of man. Wise people are those who line up their lives according to God’s plumb line rather than trying to move it to satisfy their own agendas.

As I look around our contemporary world, we have lost our plumb line. Our plumb is leaning to the post-modern culture and our ways are crooked. We are going for cultural popularity rather than God’s Biblical standards.

The Bible tells His people to pray and seek His face, turning from their wicked ways. Then God will hear from heaven, forgive our sins and heal our land.

Of Lord, may it happen now.

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SOMETIMES TRUE STORIES

The Seminole Heights Baptist Church steeple was a commuting landmark hovering above the Hillsborough Avenue exit since the interstate was built. The church was razed over the summer. But the steeple — a piece of it at least — has been given a second life.

Ella’s Americana Folk Art Cafe owner acquired the top of the steeple, known as the spire, and had it delivered to the parking lot across the street from her restaurant. Deming then had the spire transformed into public art. “We thought it was important to save this piece of Tampa history and keep it in the public,” Deming said. “We’re proud of how it turned out.” She said “this piece is about growth and change, just as it has taken on a different role from a religious symbol to a piece of art. It is about women and the role of women.”

Another loss for Christendom

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What makes someone great?

Greatness in our culture is typically measured by personal achievement and public acclaim.

An athlete who wins Grand Slams or Super Bowls is “great.” CEOs and politicians are measured by the “Three P’s”: performance, popularity, and possessions. For pastors, the standards are similarly alliterated: buildings, budgets, and baptisms.

Sacrificial service is seldom considered. I know pastors who are serving in smaller congregations and towns, but whose ministries are remarkably effective. Police officers risk their lives for us every day, but we seem not to recognize their service unless one of them makes the sacrifice all are willing to make.

In our confused and broken culture, it is as if we must decide between public excellence and personal service. This is a choice Jesus did not need to make. Jim Denison

— o —

In the comic strip BC, the caveman is having a crisis of faith. He cries out, “God, just show me YOU exist, and I’ll believe.”

Suddenly there’s an earthquake. A volcano erupts. Lightning strikes. Finally, a rainbow appears.

In the last frame the caveman is still pleading, “Please, God, just show me a sign!”

Some people will never believe regardless of the evidence. It reminds me of the philosopher Bertrand Russell who said that if he did meet up with God, he would challenge God by arguing, “You did not give me enough evidence.”

Actually, God has given us plenty of evidence. In fact, it is so apparent, so obvious, so visible, that the Bible does not argue the existence of God, it simply assumes it. And the worthy Ancients simply acknowledged what they observed and gave God the glory, honor, and praise for who He is. Ken Weliever, The Preacher Man

— o —

One of the best summary comments on 2020 I have seen is how the world has turned upside down because now old folks are sneaking out of the house and their kids are yelling at them to stay indoors! What a total reversal of life!

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QUOTES YOU CAN USE

There’s no shortcuts to success on the field or in life. Quarterback Tom Brady

The Pro-Life Movement Cannot Stop Until Every Human Life is Respected. Albert Mohler

Speak when you are angry, and you will make the best speech you will ever regret! Laurence J. Peters

Freedom of speech lets us know who the idiots are. Anonymous

Today, the same idols in the Bible are worshiped. Dan Shock

Coincidences are when God chooses to remain anonymous. When God doesn’t want to be out front publicly, He’ll work behind the scenes providentially. Ken Whitten

Church is not a place we come to. It is what we become. Daniel Henderson

It is not a coincidence that we are witnessing a tragic rise in secularism along with our material prosperity. Jim Denison