Romans 4:4 “Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt". Christmas brings back some really great memories for me from my childhood. How about the lyrics to the song “Santa Claus is Coming to Town”? We used to sing that song all the time, loved it. But as I got older and really listened to the lyrics...
Read MoreStickability
Ephesians 6:18 - “Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;” Stickability. Stick with it. Persevere. Press through until the end. Keep praying until you pray through. So many times, if something doesn’t happen as quickly as we think...
Read MoreAbsalomic Vinegar
2 Samuel 15:2 – “And Absalom rose up early, and stood beside the way of the gate: and it was so , that when any man that had a controversy came to the king for judgment, then Absalom called unto him, and said, Of what city art thou? And he said, Thy servant is of one of the tribes of Israel.” I really enjoy a nice salad with my dinner…and my dressing of choice – balsamic vinaigrette! Did you know that the name balsamic comes from...
Read More"Thanks-given"
2 Peter 1:3 "According as his divine power has "given" unto us all things..." My favorite holiday to celebrate has always been Thanksgiving. As a child, I have great memories of our family going to the big rivalry football game on Thanksgiving morning and then...
Read MoreThe 24-Hour Rule
Philippians 3:13 - “But this one thing I do, forgetting...” After a touch and go, back and forth, high drama battle against a top 10 college team, Hugh Freeze, coach of the Ole Miss Rebels football team, finally came out on top. It was the first time in decades that the University of Mississippi was on the radar for an important game. Amidst the celebration and student stampede to take down the goal post, ESPN interviewed Coach Freeze right on the field. They asked, “You just won one of the biggest games in Ole Miss history, what are you gonna do next week for an encore?” His answer...
Read MoreThe "Mess-terpiece"
Ephesians 2:10 (New Living Translation) “For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so that we can do the good things he planned for us long ago”. If you haven’t seen it already, I highly recommend the movie Moms Night Out for you and your family. It’s a wonderful celebration of the “mess” that sometimes comes with parenting. In the movie, when the moms go out for a much needed night out with the girls...
Read MoreHave Your Logged Onto "Faith-Book" Today?
Romans 10:17 – “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God”. Did you know there are currently 1.32 billion monthly active users on Facebook? That’s astounding to me. Americans spend an average of...
Read MoreWriting in Wet Cement
Proverbs 3:3 – “Let not mercy and truth forsake you; bind them about your neck, write them upon the table of your heart”. A very successful college professor left a lucrative job, one with tenure, at a major American university, to teach…
Read MoreEffortless Flight
Psalm 55:6 - “And I said, Oh that I had wings like a dove! for then would I fly away, and be at rest.” I love this time of year, the sky is so blue and so high, it amazes me. So often, I notice a hawk circling our neighborhood (hence, the name of the local elementary school mascot), just gliding on air, not moving its wings, carried effortlessly by the current. Far more proficient in flight is the...
Read MoreGod is Calling You Forward
Romans 10:17 (Amplified Bible) - "So then faith comes (increases) by hearing, and hearing (understanding) by the Word of God." When you truly meditate on the Word of God regarding a pressing issue in your life, something beautiful happens...
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Let Go of the Rope
Matthew 11:30 - "…My Yoke is Easy and My Burden is Light"
The Oxford English Dictionary says that the phrase "tug of war" originally meant "the decisive contest; the real struggle or tussle; a severe contest for supremacy". Only in the 19th century was it used for what we know today as a contest between two teams tugging on opposite sides of a rope, determined to pull the opposing team across a designated line...
Read MoreLife A La Mode
John 10:10 (Amplified Bible) – “The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have {and} enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows).”
Whoever put ice cream on a pie first is a topic of discussion without a definitive answer. What is known is that it was served at the 1893 World’s Fair in Chicago, where some restaurant venue served slices of pie with a scoop of ice cream on top. The French saw it as audacious...
Read MoreFly a 747
Luke 7:47 – “Therefore I say to you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much. But to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little.”
This past summer I had the privilege of ministering at the International Pastor’s and Minister’s Conference in Gabon, Africa. What an amazing conference, outstanding people and wonderful country. We saw miracles and healing that were a testimony to God’s unmerited favor. However, my multiple flights on Royal Air Morocco to Africa was, shall I say…not quite as invigorating. I left on a Friday night from New York...
Read More10-4, Over and Out
Romans 10:4 – “For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone that believes”.
My friend and me were texting back and forth, and were about to wrap it up when he texted, “10-4”. Remember that phrase? Haven’t heard it in a while. For those of you who are not familiar with the “ten-codes”, they are...
Read More12 Items Or Less
2 Chronicles 20:25 – “And when Jehoshaphat and his people came to take away the spoil of them, they found among them in abundance both riches with the dead bodies, and precious jewels, which they stripped off for themselves, more than they could carry away: and they were three days in gathering of the spoil, it was so much.”
Now, that’s a scripture that will get you shouting! I believe that on the other side of your battle, there’s abundance. Last week, I stopped at the grocery store, picked up two gallons of Raspberry Iced Tea, and went to the Express Checkout for “12 items or less”. The woman in front of me was loading her MORE than 12 items onto the belt...
Read MoreBite Your Tongue
1 Peter 3:10 – “For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile”
Don’t you hate when you bite your tongue? It happens when you least expect it and it really hurts! But it’s in the Bible you know…well, not exactly, but the same principle is…
Read MoreGet Busy Livin' or Get Busy Dyin'
Ephesians 2:10 (Amplified Bible) "…[taking paths which He prepared ahead of time], that we should walk in them [living the good life which He prearranged and made ready for us to live]."
One of my favorite movies of all time is Shawshank Redemption, based on a true story of Andy Dufresne, a man wrongly accused and imprisoned for murder. He spent 19 years at Shawshank Prison, until he escaped through a tunnel, the length of five football fields, that he partly forged with a small rock hammer, and the remainder through raw sewerage.
Read MoreTake Three Times Daily
Proverbs 17:22 – “Laughter does good like a medicine”
A man was driving along the highway, when he saw the Easter Bunny hopping across the middle of the road. He swerved to avoid hitting the bunny, but unfortunately it hopped in front of his car and was hit. The basket of eggs went flying all over, the candy too. The driver, the sensitive man that he was, as well as an animal lover, pulled over to the side of the road, and got out to see what happened. To his dismay, the colorful Easter Bunny was…dead.
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