Almost everyone knows that New Year’s resolutions are ineffective. We have good intentions and make good plans. Yet, before long the resolution is forgotten. If not forgotten, we have already broken our resolution after a few days or a week. If you like to make resolutions, go for it. Still, give Solomon’s wisdom in Ecclesiastes [...]
Read moreDo Angels Molt?
December 23, 2011
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The angels may have lost some feathers because of the excitement of that first Christmas. At Christmas we have a good chance of seeing real excitement. An excellent example was shown on “America’s Funniest Home Videos.” A little boy was so excited for his birthday that he was physically shaking. His arms were shaking. His [...]
Read moreDry Bones’ Valley of Hopelessness
December 6, 2011
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Israel was spiritually living in the country of hopelessness. That sounds too similar to people in our day – different points of hopelessness, but still hopelessness. The people of Israel had been deported. The city walls of Jerusalem had been destroyed. The temple had been razed. The feeling of the majority was that God had [...]
Read moreThe Heart Filled with Passion
October 20, 2011
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Martin Luther, the founder of the Lutheran church, was a man of passion. He started out as a man filled with religious passion and completed his life as a man filled with passion for Christ. While none of us are Luther, there is a fire of passion for Jesus in your heart. That fire was [...]
Read moreIs There any Mongoose in You?
October 5, 2011
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Mongooses are the natural predators of the cobra. The cobra may look more intimidating, sinister and lethal, but the mongoose can triumph. Take a look at the facial expressions in the picture from the movie Rikki Tikki Tavi when Rikki faces off with Nag, the King Cobra. Rikki is determined to win and Nag looks [...]
Read moreGod Restores Old Cars
September 22, 2011
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One of my favorite classic cars is the Pontiac GTO. Not the body style that some called the “Judge” with its swept back roof, but the classic, all be it, boxy, so as the restored car pictured here. Great car! The GTOs I like are now antiques. Of old cars we see two types – [...]
Read moreRemember the Enemy
September 14, 2011
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Shown with this post is one of the best renditions of Satan. The individual slide is from Disney’s Fantasia, first shown in 1940. The artist for Disney was Vladimir Tytla. While the depiction was spoken of as Satan by many people, it was conceived as a Slavic Chernabog, or black god. The picture is negatively inspiring because [...]
Read morePassion – Dying or Comatose
September 12, 2011
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Is the passion for our spouse, especially when younger, a product of the animal nature to procreate or is it part of our need for intimacy with someone special? Passion is energetic love that shows itself in excitement ABOUT our spouse, excitement FOR our spouse, excitement IN our spouse, and a willingness to be intimate [...]
Read moreThree Points for Spiritual Growth
August 26, 2011
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Martin Luther, the great reformer, presented three points for spiritual growth (see AE Vol 34:285-287, The Career of the Reformer IV). The first two are expected. The third is a surprise, but makes total sense as we look at our lives or the lives of other Christians who well reflect the love of Jesus. Biblical [...]
Read moreCan’t or Won’t
August 22, 2011
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On occasion a person will say or think, “I can’t do that,” when they really mean “I won’t do that.” A person may say, “I can’t control my temper.” What they should honestly say is “I won’t control my temper.” If the person they were getting angry with was important to them, or stronger than [...]
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