posted September 21, 2015 under Bondage, Free, Freed from prison, Freedom, Freedom in Christ, Righteousness peace and joy
When inmates have served their time, paid their debt to society, and are released from prison, they are not yet free. They continue to live in bondage. At least that’s what Quovadis Marshall said at the conference of the International Coalition of Prison Evangelists (COPE) in Indianapolis. He has a point. For instance, when inmates are…
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posted September 15, 2015 under Bad things happening to good people, deserve, hope, Is it fair?, Jesus is our hope, what did I do wrong? Questions
Twice lately, I’ve been in conversation with people who asked me, “What did I do to deserve this?” They were speaking of difficult, hurtful, and seemingly unfair treatment from others. I wasn’t part of the happenings and only heard part of one side of the story. I can’t say in either case whether the person deserved…
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posted September 7, 2015 under control, Make new, New man, old man, out of control, redemption, Renewal, renovation, Revival, rot, rottenness, Sin, surrender to God
Our summer has been hijacked. Renovations have taken over our lives. In early summer, Robert began painting the outside of our big, 100- year-old house. The job is long overdue. We knew it wouldn’t be simple and would take time, but we didn’t know it would rule our whole summer. First, Robert power-washed one side…
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posted September 1, 2015 under building walls, fellowship, hurt, pain, protection, refuge, Walls
My focus on walls started while listening to a friend share about a marriage crisis. As she talked, I could sense that she’d erected a protective wall, shielding herself from further hurt. I identified with her. I’ve been there and done that. When we feel the pain of flaming darts–whether thrown or imagined– we instinctively put up a wall…
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posted August 25, 2015 under forgiveness, Judgment, light, Secrets, Sin, spotlight, temptation, things hidden
This past week three well-known, admired people made the news because secrets about them have been revealed. Things they have kept hidden are now in the spotlight for all the world to know. It’s impossible to hide a secret well enough that God’s spotlight can’t find it in the darkness. Once hidden secrets are now the target of…
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posted August 18, 2015 under Covenant, grace, Persecution, strength, strength for trials, Suffering, Trusting God, Trusting self
Have you ever been persecuted? In His final moments with the disciples, Jesus said, “If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you” (John 15:20). If you live in America, you probably haven’t given persecution much thought, because it hasn’t been a common experience in our sheltered world. After all, our constitution guarantees us freedom of religion. However,…
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posted August 11, 2015 under Anticipation, Delight in the Lord, Expectation, fellowship, joy, Waiting on the Lord
A recent visit from our children led to an unexpected end. Our three sons and their families came from out of state for a few days together. With high expectation of a joyous time of fellowship, preparation for their visit kicked into gear weeks ahead of time. First, I needed to clean and make preparations to sleep 16 extra people…
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posted August 4, 2015 under baby birds, Hearing God, Obedience
Last week, I questioned what a Christian is suppose to do when life seems overwhelming and no solution is evident. I answered the question with David’s word from Psalm 81:10, “I [God] am the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt. Open your mouth wide and I will fill it.”…
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posted July 28, 2015 under baby birds, God's grace, God's mercy, Help! Open mouths, overwhelmed by life
At a book signing on Friday for The Great Exchange: Bound by Blood, I met a precious gal who has been a Christian for just two years. When she was saved, she was delivered from 33 years of alcoholism and more recently freed from a 34-year addiction to nicotine. However, her days are marred by…
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posted July 24, 2015
We tend to take those we know best for granted. It’s true of our spouse and of our God. If we want a vital relationship, we must invest in it.
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