O-Dark-Thirty

I think I'm starting to lose my hair, which is too bad. I have great hair. Even my brother Barry says so. Many of the other side-effects of the Chemo beset me as well. Literature mentions mouth sores, but I wasn't sure what to expect on that front. I found out. It's like I was too quick to take a bite of hot pizza all over the roof of my mouth and partly down my throat. So, not to be too obvious, but it feels the same way on the other side of that gastrointestinal tract. You figure it out. I've gone full circle, I think. Thank you, Desitin. Yeah, you probably didn't want to hear that one. I have the leg pains. Some days I feel like someone kicked me in the crotch five minutes ago - except it feels like that all day. Like today. Other than that, I feel better today. So ... yeah! I spend a lot of time complaining about the side effects, but I don't think I want to do that for this post. There are other side-effects to talk about. The blessings. I sat with Darling ...

Here’s the question put to me: What do I think of the statement - The goal isn’t to “speak with God;” the goal is to let the Holy Spirit pray through you. (referencing Romans 8:26) My first reaction contended with that statement. Surely, we followers of Christ have the ability to pray without “channeling” the Holy Spirit. After all, James talks about prayer in this way: James 5:16-18 ( NASB1995) The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much. Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the earth for three years and six months. Then he prayed again, and the sky poured rain and the earth produced its fruit. I am certainly not a prayer warrior like Elijah. Prayer is a constant thing with me, but not with that sort of power. Yet, the idea of the Holy Spirit praying through us certainly has biblical merit. Rom 8:26  NASB1995 26 In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do no...

So many people accept Jesus as an add-on to their lives, another app in the toolbox of their life. People - Jesus should be your operating system. Anything less just won't do it. We sow a thought and reap an action. We sow an action and reap a habit. We sow a habit and reap a character. We sow a character and reap a destiny. Unseen thoughts produce visible consequences in our life. What we want, as children of God, is to see ourselves as God, our Father, sees us. Rom 12 : 2 (NASB) A nd do not  be conformed to  this  world, but be transformed by the  renewing of your mind, so that you may  prove what the will of God is, that which is good and  acceptable and perfect.

A year ago, Sagemont pastor Dr. Freeman Tomlin and his wife lost their son. As a parent, I cannot even fathom the pain. In a Sunday sermon last week, Freeman gave the most fabulous two minutes and forty-seven seconds  of preaching I ever heard. So powerful that I had to share it. If you would like to hear the entire sermon, here's a link to the page at Sagemont .

I write a lot of Bible stuff. You probably know that, since you're here. I have a few reasons for that. First of all, I'm getting old and eternity looms ahead of me. Face it, how futile is this life if there is nothing else? Also, the Bible has a lot of wisdom in it. It even says something about my first point: I have seen all the things that are done under the sun; all of them are meaningless, a chasing after the wind. (Ecclesiastes 1:14 NIV) Most people ascribe this to Solomon, who was sad and weary at the time he wrote it. He was getting old, too, and though he had an enviable relationship with God, Solomon veered from the path. He never forgot God was God; I think he forgot God was Lord. You can love God and you can serve Him faithfully - but break the rules and there are consequences. Of course, if you don't believe in God, the same principle applies: Actions have consequences. You see, the principles in the Bible apply whether you believe in God or...

A few weeks ago I wrote a little bit about the  Seven Churches in Revelation . I guess the Seven Churches captured my attention much longer than I thought. Here's a bit I wrote in 2006, just for my own edification. Enjoy! Commendation Criticism Instruction Promise Ephesus Rejects evil, perseveres, has patience Love for Christ no longer fervent Do the works you did at first The tree of life Smyrna Gracefully bears suffering None Be faithful until death The crown of life Pergamos Keeps the faith of Christ Tolerates immorality, idolatry, and heresies Repent Hidden manna and a stone with a new name Thyatira Love, service, faith, patience is greater than at first Tolerates cult of idolatry and immorality Judgment coming; keep the faith Rule over nations and receive morning star Sardis Some have kept the faith A dead church Repent; strengthen what remains Faithful honored and clothed in white Philadelphia Perseveres in the faith None Keep the faith A place in God’s presen...

There are questions no one can answer, and I shy away from the person that assures me they do know. I draw upon ancient sources, including the Bible, for the names of sagacious men, men of great knowledge. Abraham was a man of great knowledge in the ancient times.  Josephus says this of Abram: Berosus mentions our father Abram without naming him, when he says thus: "In the tenth generation after the Flood, there was among the Chaldeans a man righteous and great, and skillful in the celestial science." But Hecatseus does more than barely mention him; for he composed, and left behind him, a book concerning him. And Nicolaus of Damascus, in the fourth book of his History, says thus: "Abram reigned at Damascus, being a foreigner, who came with an army out of the land above Babylon, called the land of the Chaldeans: but, after a long time, he got him up, and removed from that country also, with his people, and went into the land then called the land of Canaan, but...

God is. That is actually His name: I AM. YHWH. Did you know that God is a PERSONAL God? You might think "Oh, He can't have time for me and my problems, then. There are too many people..." We're not talking about the same God. YHWH is infinite in power, which means He can devote 100% of His attention to each person - and never feel overwhelmed. (Yes, I know the math doesn't add up. That's the point. Though we ascribe human elements and limitations to God, YHWH is God - not human.) This all leads up to a story. It is one story of many in my life, but this one just happened, so here goes. Our number one prayer - always - is for us to be in the center of God's will. It is often difficult to determine where that is, but we always pray for direction. So we did some car shopping. We chose a 2018 Toyota Highlander - a very nice vehicle. Darling does all the hard lifting. I just needed to test drive it. We went last Friday for me to test drive t...

On the surface, Revelation reads like the fevered dream of someone at the doors of death. In a way, it is. God sent His angel to John the Revelator ( also known as "the disciple whom Jesus loved" in John 13:23 ) with the details of this final prophecy, and John shares it as He is told. Though shrouded in mysterious comments, some of the book is simple. Here are my notes for the simple bits for the  The Seven Churches for whom Jesus has direct words. Ephesus 2:2-5 I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked people , that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary. Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first . Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. Though Jesus commends the church for their perseverance, He does point ou...

The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost speaks of two paths. It's a famous poem. Even if you don't like poetry, it's worth reading. Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, And sorry I could not travel both And be one traveler, long I stood And looked down one as far as I could To where it bent in the undergrowth; Then took the other, as just as fair, And having perhaps the better claim, Because it was grassy and wanted wear; Though as for that the passing there Had worn them really about the same, And both that morning equally lay In leaves no step had trodden black. Oh, I kept the first for another day! Yet knowing how way leads on to way, I doubted if I should ever come back. I shall be telling this with a sigh Somewhere ages and ages hence: Two roads diverged in a wood, and I— I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference. When Jesus surrendered Himself to die on the cross, two paths em...

Some objectors to Christianity express concern about the "other people" in the world, whether it is "the man on the mountaintop" or just those who never have the chance to hear the Gospel of Jesus. "So what is God going to do about them?" they ask. "Is a loving God going to condemn people to Hell who never had the chance to hear the Gospel?" Quite frankly, I had the same issue when I was younger. We don't know everything, but we do know that God loves all men and wants them to come to Him. You know what? Believing in God means that I trust Him. If I don't trust Him, I can't follow Him. Trusting Him means that I believe God will do the right thing. In fact, that's part of His nature, and without that characteristic, we aren't talking about the same god. Now that I'm older, I do have an answer. You can ask God when you get there, but He's going to ask you a question first.  He isn't going to ask ...

The Apostles were dismayed and brokenhearted, for their Master and friend died on a Roman cross. They knew the Sanhedrin orchestrated the crucifixion of Jesus of Nazareth. The terrified Jewish leaders eliminated the single biggest threat to their continued leadership of Israel, and they used the Roman occupiers as their weapon. The High Priest thought he killed Jesus. You cannot kill God. The Roman cross did not kill Jesus. Jesus gave his life up. When he declared "It is finished", Jesus meant that the debt for sin was paid. God gave us the greatest gift we never deserved. God gave us forgiveness. Someone needed to tell the Apostles that God's ultimate forgiveness was in the cleansing blood flowing down the cross on Good Friday. So on Easter Sunday, Jesus, the Christ, rose from the dead. The grave could not hold him. Death could not claim him. Jesus is Everlasting Life, the Savior, our Lord, God made man, the Way, the Truth, the Son of God, the King of k...

Jesus died. The lives of the Apostles changed irrevocably. Never again would they walk with Jesus, expecting an exalted place in the new kingdom after the restoration of Israel. I'm sure they shed copious tears, for their Master,  their friend and their hopes. The followers of Jesus hid from authorities, afraid their fates were inextricably tied to the fate of their Teacher. They were right.

Easter. Easter is the most joyous of events in Christendom. Easter should be the greatest event for all mankind, but it doesn't work that way. We only have to look at the original Bible account to see why the world thinks of bunnies and not resurrection. On Palm Sunday, according to John 12, the world celebrated the coming of the Messiah to Jerusalem. The next day the great crowd that had come for the festival heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem. They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting, "Hosanna!" "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!" "Blessed is the king of Israel!" Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, as it is written: “Do not be afraid, Daughter Zion; see, your king is coming, seated on a donkey’s colt.” At first his disciples did not understand all this. Only after Jesus was glorified did they realize that these things had been written about him and that these things had been done to him. Now...

We are born selfish. God knows this, as do all parents.  Marriage is not a contract, as society would have you believe. A contract states that one party will do something for the other party, who in turn has certain obligations. A contract is binding as long as both parties do what they said they would do. A marriage is a covenant. In a covenant relationship each person pledges to do what they are supposed to do. God entered into a covenant relationship with Abraham, which is fortunate for Abraham and for us. The covenant God gave certain promises and Abraham answered with promises of his own. Abraham and his descendants (us) break those promises all the time. God, however, remains faithful to His covenant. Here’s the point. Marriage can NOT be selfish. The Marriage covenant says that you will put the needs of your spouse above your own. That sounds so simple… … but if you are reading that and have the slightest twinge of “See, I told you so! You are supposed to be ...

How do you define your relationship with God? I could give you a few seconds, but if you are trying to list all the ways you deal with God, then you are probably wrong. You don’t define your relationship with God. God already defined it. That relationship is simply Creator and Created. Our rebellious nature cringes at the thought that we must be servants to God. Funny thing is, that’s exactly where Satan went wrong too. We are created to be the servants of God. The plus side is that God loves us enough to actually create us for that purpose. Think about that for a second. God, the Almighty, Omniscient, Omnipresent God of Everything actually created you. Nobody is an accident. God is never surprised. Not one individual was ever born that God wondered “Now what am I going to do with him/her?” Each of us is special, and that is a point we must learn and know all the way the very center of our beings. God is a personal God. Even most Christians don’t fathom that statement....

Predestination and Free Will Tough topics - and not for the faint of heart. I grabbed a post I did August 14,  2014 and I'll repost it now, but I will certainly need to delve into the subject again. Repeatedly, no doubt. That's probably predestined. August 14, 2014 Last Sunday, Pastor Dr. Denny Autrey (our interim Pastor at First Baptist Church Pearland ) preached a familiar sermon on Romans 8:28 and a bit more. It was almost familiar, but it got me thinking. You'll see what I mean. First of all, Romans 8:28 is a verse a lot of Christians hold on to during bad times, that God will knit all these bad times into something good. I have no doubt that God does this, but it is good according to His purpose, and sometimes I just don't see it. If you're like me, you know what I mean. You've known people who got hurt, died, suffered horribly in their lives and you have to wonder. Maybe you ARE that person. My heart goes out to you. Most of us have seasons ...