O-Dark-Thirty

Pastor John Morgan of Sagemont Church addressed “saved” Christians in his sermon Sunday (5/15/2016) . Too many Christians think they are “saved” - but are they? Firstly, you need to know that God has a plan for you. God says “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” [Jeremiah 29:11] * But, frankly, if you don't do what God called you to do, you'll have a miserable life, and everyone around you will be miserable too. You will always feel that emptiness inside you. God perfectly fills that emptiness, and that's what “salvation” is all about. It is a relationship, not a religion. You are not saved because your parents are. Everyone accounts to God for their own life. “Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed - not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence - continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling.” [Phil 2:12] Yo...

Darling and I are binge watching West Wing. The show forces me to view political liberals in a new light, and gives me some insight into what liberals think of conservatives. I am not sure if the characterizations are always correct, but it does make me ponder. I ponder what the American people think. Betrayed. Our government uses statistics and news services like a great chef uses a fillet knife. When the government is finished, we have no idea what the real food was; we only know what they served us. We, the people, need real people in the House, in the Senate and in the White House. We need brilliant, capable minds in the Supreme Court. We might have the latter. I'm no longer sure of the former. I am afraid, as are most of we, the people , that our representatives are self-serving politicians who make laws for us that we don't understand but that somehow better the circumstances of the governing. From watching the primaries, I am afraid that all it takes to beco...

I published my first novel, Hunting August Moon , last year. People like it, so that makes me happy. One friend of ours reads it to her mother. Her mother loves the book and is anxious for me to finish a sequel. I write about writing on my Author website . I don't blog much there, and I'm not as consistent as I should be, but I am not very consistent here either (sorry!). Starting this Wednesday I will publish a chapter from Hunting August Moon on this, my personal (not Author) blog. I'll do this until the entire book is finished. Of course, if it does capture you, please feel free to buy it on Amazon ! So there you go. From me to you, on Wednesdays. (ps - I still plan to post other blog posts)

Summary: Why are you reading this? Go to the movie! Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice running length is about two and a half hours, but it sure didn't seem like it to me.  Whisked into the world of cinema, I felt they finished it just a bit too soon. I wanted to see more. More Batman! Ben Affleck did a great job. More Superman! Henry Cavill - nothing else to say. More Wonder Woman! Gal Gadot - perfect casting. All the rest of the cast brought the movie exactly the tenor it needed. (Jeremy Irons  did a superb job  as Alfred.) There was a lot more, but ... spoilers.  The reviewers that complain - well, I read those reviews and think they need to go watch it again. I think they might be disappointed if someone gave them cotton candy and a free trip to the fair. Don't trust them. Trust me. The movie transported me to the story, and that's what movies are supposed to do. So go see it. Thanks for reading, though.

Did you ever notice how we worry over things that haven't happened? Even in the Bible, Jesus himself said " do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day  is  its own trouble." Like many things in the Bible, that one is easier said than done. I struggle with it, as do most people I know. Here are three tips that might help. Is there is anything you can actually do about your worry? If so, you can use problem solving methods to resolve the issue. If not, then remind yourself that you are wasting energy in needless worry. Do something physical when you are worrying. Go for a walk. Do some deep knee bends. Do something that gets your cardio working. Consciously take some deep breaths. Listen to your favorite music. I don't know if that helps you, but it sure helps me. Our Pastor said something the other day that got me thinking about worry. He gave the Biblical view, of course, but listen to his words...

The Apostle's Creed sums up the Christian belief. I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of Heaven and Earth. I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended to the dead. On the third day he rose again. He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Holy Catholic Church, * the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen. *To avoid a sticky point on this, I believe “Catholic” refers to the Merriam-Websterdefinition meaning “of, relating to, or forming the church universal” instead of the Roman Catholic church. There's an even nicer song about Christian beliefs sung by Hillsong Worship . I think there is a life ...

Priscilla Shirer Armor of God Week 3 During the third week in her book The Armor of God , Priscilla Shirer gets to the heart of the matter: The Breastplate of Righteousness. Righteousness literally means justice, and is the quality of being upright. Righteousness aligns with God's expectations of us, but not on our own. The Belt (previously discussed) affirms God's standard. The Breastplate aligns your life to it. Unrighteousness creates an environment that invites Satan to move into your life. Humans are made of three parts - body, spirit and soul. The soul is composed of mind ( your thoughts), will (your ambition), emotion (your feelings) and conscience (your moral compass). The intersection of these four internal characteristics is your Biblical heart. The heart is the centerpiece of the soul. I liked this description better than any other "you are a three-part being" description I've heard in the past. Day 2 God is perfect, and that's Hi...