At times in life the fog and opaqueness of ordinary routines lifts, if only momentarily, and our experiences are illuminated with fresh meaning. Such moments can change life in a powerful way. These moments are like the wispy strands of a spider's web—we must grasp them, or they may slip away and…
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Dec, 01, 2009 0
On September 12, 2012, I made the longest walk of an addict’s life—the walk from the parking lot into my first 12-step recovery meeting. I was 44, and I had a golden calf residing in my heart—alcohol. I was an ordained pastor who knew that God had placed a special calling upon my life but never…
Dec, 01, 2009 0
Sometimes, I'll admit up front, I'm bored in church. The songs strike no fire in my heart. A stab at a joke or something funny falls flat. The drama just didn't have it. And the sermon, well, to be honest, I worked on my to-do list through most of it. Not every church service can be a flaming…
Dec, 01, 2009 0
In the north, in extreme cold weather, I have often heard an engineer on a railway, when given an order to proceed, reply, "My engine is dead." It meant he had no steam, no motive power—his engine was lifeless. It may have been the most beautiful engine on the road, with a highly polished exterior…
Dec, 01, 2009 0
In the north, in extreme cold weather, I have often heard an engineer on a railway, when given an order to proceed, reply, "My engine is dead." It meant he had no steam, no motive power—his engine was lifeless. It may have been the most beautiful engine on the road, with a highly polished exterior…
Dec, 01, 2009 0
We call it "the gospel according to Lexi and Kayla." Even though these two sisters from our neighborhood are just a few years older than my 10-year-old son, he accepts much of what they say as absolute truth. Almost weekly they present him with a new "teaching" that my wife and I must refute. I…
Dec, 01, 2009 0
What joy and overwhelming peace come when the Lord makes His simple truths clear to us. Abram’s story occurs before the law, before the rules and regulations, and before the set patterns of behavior for the Hebrew people. Yet from the moment he believed, God called him righteous; all was made right…
Dec, 01, 2009 0
Recently, I had a meeting about 100 miles from my home with my district superintendent, Orville Jenkins Jr. Because I am a new pastor on the North Florida District, we are just getting to know each other. During our lunch he shared with me some amazing stories of lives transformed by the power of…
Dec, 01, 2009 0
Paul strongly commended Timothy to the churches because from a child he had "known the holy Scriptures." And the effect of that knowledge was to "make him wise unto salvation."
In a previous chapter we expressed the opinion that lessons from the Scriptures could be committed to memory more easily…
Dec, 01, 2009 0
Paul strongly commended Timothy to the churches because from a child he had "known the holy Scriptures." And the effect of that knowledge was to "make him wise unto salvation."
In a previous chapter we expressed the opinion that lessons from the Scriptures could be committed to memory more easily…