Climbing Out of the Valley

 “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.” (Lamentations 3:24, ESV) One time I decided to climb a mountain with a group from the church. When I was in the military I trained in mountaineering while going through Army Ranger School, I was in peak physical condition. Yet atContinue reading “Climbing Out of the Valley”

Medication for Perfectionism

“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28, ESV) Years ago, I had a home project to renovate a bathroom. I decided to put in a marble tile floor as part of the project. There was a section that I built that elevated the showerContinue reading “Medication for Perfectionism”

House of Mirrors

6 Then I said, “Ah, Lord God! Behold, I do not know how to speak, for I am only a youth.” 7 But the Lord said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am only a youth’; for to all to whom I send you, you shall go, and whatever I command you, you shall speak.Continue reading “House of Mirrors”

The Monkey on Your Back

“Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?” Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy-seven times.” (Matthew 18:21–22, ESV) In 1822 Thomas Gillet published a collection of stories. One of them is titled “The Devil and the Doctor.”Continue reading “The Monkey on Your Back”

No Regrets

“I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten, the hopper, the destroyer, and the cutter, my great army, which I sent among you.” (Joel 2:25, ESV) There was a Milky Way chocolate bar commercial that aired years ago that pictured a tattoo artist and a client. The client wanted aContinue reading “No Regrets”

Our Pet Rocks

“And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.” (Hebrews 10:10, ESV) Many years ago, a man named Gary Dahl came up with an idea. He created a fad called the Pet Rock. These were being marketed and sold in retail stores in theContinue reading “Our Pet Rocks”

Defeating the Blame Game

“So then each of us will give an account of himself to God.” (Romans 14:12, ESV) When I was a boy, my brother and I used to get in trouble a lot. We would be doing something that we should not have and possibly break something. My mother would try to investigate the problem. However,Continue reading “Defeating the Blame Game”

The Right Question

“When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had already been there a long time, he said to him, ‘Do you want to be healed?’” (John 5:6, ESV) There was a college student one time who was taking an exam just before the Christmas break. He did not study and did not knowContinue reading “The Right Question”

Group Exercises (Part 1)

“And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.” (Acts 2:42, ESV) When I was in the military, we would run in formation and do certain exercises, calisthenics, as a unit. The idea here was to train together and to be in peak physical condition.Continue reading “Group Exercises (Part 1)”

Digesting Spiritual Food – Joshua 1:8

“This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.” (Joshua 1:8, ESV) WhenContinue reading “Digesting Spiritual Food – Joshua 1:8”