Parent Relationship

I was thinking the other day about how basically I have been without meaningful employment for the last couple years and that others may be able to relate.   This has been a time where my faith has been challenged and I have had to sort things out.

In the Bible Jesus told me not to worry about what I will wear, what I will eat or where I will live.  But when I still have a stack of bills and no money to pay them, it can make you think that this Bible stuff may be bogus.

For me, that’s when I start to think, that’s when I begin to pray for clarity, for some kind of answer.  We are told in the Bible that God disciplines us as a father disciplines his son.

So how do fathers and children relate?  First and foremost they love each other.  The parent counts on this love being present in the child when they continue to strive with the most disobedient child long after everyone else has given up. If they can just fan that love into a flame, the child can be saved.

The child relies on that love to believe the parent will always be there, even when the child has rebelled and caused the parent great pain the child still expects the parent to be there for them.

Unfortunately many children and parents fall short of this standard but never the less, most of us would acknowledge that this is part of the ideal in a parent/child relationship.

So back to where we find ourselves.  I believe because I am a child of God John 1:12 said to those who received Him and believed on His name, He gave the right to become God’s children.  As God’s child I will be disciplined.  As with my parents, the discipline is given based on love.  As parents we don’t discipline our children because we enjoy inflicting pain.  (If we do there’s something wrong with us).   We do it so they can learn and grow. Remember, the love that our parents have for us and ours for them is based solely on our relationship and so it is with God.

In Romans Chapter 8 vs. 28 it says God will work “ALL” things for good for those who love Him and are called (hear the voice and follow) by His Spirit.  God is not our parent unless he is our father.   Once he is our father we can live our life knowing that, even though things are tough, He will finish what He started.

Now for me to always believe this can be difficult.  Don’t forget about the pile of bills.   But what else could possibly build faith?  When things are going great and we have plenty of cash and no worries, will that build our faith and trust, not so much?  It is during the difficult times that we learn whether what God says is true or not.  Unfortunately many never get to find out because they never become God’s child.

Even while writing this I still admit that I wonder, what other options have I?  When I look at them all I am convinced that my best bet is Jesus Christ.  My most consistent relationship is with God.  How does God become my parent?  By adoption, we ask and He receives.  Just ask Him.

Mary and Martha

During my study time this morning I was in Luke Chapter 10.  There are 3 specific lessons taught in this Chapter.  The first is when Jesus sent his disciples out into the field because it is ripe for harvest; the second is the story of the Good Samaritan where He taught what it means to truly love your neighbor and the third is where Mary and Martha, (Lazarus’s sisters) were reacting to Jesus’s visit in two different ways.

I was primarily struck by the story of Mary and Martha. The standard focus is on how Martha was being practical and Mary unpractical.  Yet Jesus commended Mary for choosing the better thing.  I am a Martha in many ways.  I value my job search time greater than my God search time.  Why do I do that?  Because inside I still buy the lie that the things of this world are where I am going to find satisfaction and peace.  

I just read the line of valuing God search time to my wife.  She said she does not necessarily believe that and feels that we are similar to those who do not work but expect God to drop everything in our laps.  The balance between being responsible and God’s will can be murky.  Setting aside Jesus’s comment about Mary choosing the better thing, we would commend Martha for sharing her gift of helps and would laud her for working her ministry behind the scene, a real servant.  Yet Christ looked deeper and loving Martha, wanted her to realize that first you are called and then you serve.  Any time we serve before we are called we are self-serving.   

How would anyone become a missionary, why would anyone give their time and treasures to the kingdom if they had to rely on themselves and their talents to provide for their daily needs?  Why are we told to, “Seek first the kingdom of God”?  There is only one place where we are told to test God and that is in the area of our finances.  God knows exactly where we are weakest, what the last thing is that we will bring under submission to Him.  That’s why He has emphasized it so heavily and so often.  That is why the rich young ruler left Christ dejected.  (Mark 10: 17-25)

It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a person who totally relies on money and the things of this world for their security.   We as Christians are not immune to this deception.  I am not immune to this deception, often I am consumed by it much to the detriment of what God would have me do.

What is the balance? Is there a balance?  I think we would like there to be but Jesus said that once you put your hand to the plow, you should never look back.  He wants all of us. He will use all of us and will provide what we need. Do I really believe this, not always and if I don’t believe it always, do I believe it at all?

A Prayer for Al

Letters from Manitowoc County Jail:

A prayer for Al

God help my brother Al to peace.
I pray that he be right & just peace come to his family
because he has faith & trust in you Lord.
He helps us to help, to pursue your "WORD".
he keeps sets us free, with aid from you God
be his leader and guide
may his every good, be attain.
May your guidance give him peace and gain.

Written exactly as presented.

You cannot lead unless you are led

You cannot lead unless you are led.

There is a reason the word “calling” is used to refer to those who are involved in Christian service.  All Christian service is subject to the will of God. When Christ humbled Himself and became a man there was never an action, never a moment, never a thought that was not “SUBJECT” to the Father’s will.

John 5:17-20 ¹⁷ But He answered them, “My Father is working until now, and I Myself am working.” ¹⁸ For this reason therefore the Jews were seeking all the more to kill Him, because He not only was breaking the Sabbath, but also was calling God His own Father, making Himself equal with God. ¹⁹ Therefore Jesus answered and was saying to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, unless it is something He sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, these things the Son also does in like manner. ²⁰ For the Father loves the Son, and shows Him all things that He Himself is doing; and the Father will show Him greater works than these, so that you will marvel.

In Roman’s Chapter 10 we are told, “that if we confess with our mouth Jesus as LORD”.  The question is, what is a lord; a king, a ruler, a pontiff, a leader?  By subjecting ourselves to Christ’s authority we take an active role, we make a decision, to subjugate ourselves to our Leader (Christ Jesus).  But sadly many who claim to be Christian have no patience or inclination to be led by anyone.  As leaders this is disastrous in the business world, it is devastating in Christian leadership to both those being led and to the leader. How can one lead who has no direction?

Romans 10:3 New Life Version (NLV)  They have not known how God makes men right with Himself. Instead, they have tried to make their own way. They have not become right with God because they have not done what God said to do.

Problems arise in Christian ministry when we bring our own agenda or, when we get out ahead of our Leader.  An even more ominous scenario is when the Christian leader does not know their Leader and have not been led by the Leader to lead. A college degree does not make a Christian leader.

Matthew 10:24 (NLV) “A follower is not greater than his teacher. A servant who is owned by someone is not greater than his owner.

Jesus told his disciples that He had to go to the Father so that He could send the “Helper” (Holy Spirit) Luke 24.

Each of us are called to be followers of Christ whether we are called into formal leadership or not. Romans 8:14 For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.  How do we know when we are no longer being led?  “When our activities for the Lord take time away from our spending time with the Lord, our activities are not of the Lord.”

Jesus Christ and be led by the Holy Spirit

Hebrews 13:7 Remember those who led you, who spoke the word of God to you; and considering the result of their conduct, imitate their faith.

Luke 4:1  Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led around by the Spirit in the wilderness.

Acts 13:17   The God of this people Israel chose our fathers and made the people great during their stay in the land of Egypt, and with an uplifted arm He led them out from it.

Romans 10:3   For not knowing about God’s righteousness and seeking to establish their own, they did not subject themselves to the righteousness of God.

THE WAY, THE TRUTH, THE LIFE

John Chapter 14

I am the WAY, the TRUTH and the LIFE . . .

The Way:

As we traverse this world of sin we often stumble spiritually because we lose our way.  As followers of Jesus Christ our way should always be led. Too often we lead or look to others or other things to lead us in the way we feel we should go.  In many cases our motivations are good and we mean well but when we stray from being led by our Master, He ceases being our Master and something else supplants Him. It can be a social conscience, it can be a noble agenda but in all cases WE become the master and WE begin to choose the way.

It begins almost imperceptibly, let’s dedicate ourselves to this cause; our membership is waning, let’s try this; or this other thing.  The way of Christ is obedience.  If you will follow Him you are to pick up your cross, you are to put on your armor, you are to put on Jesus Christ. The path is clear but it conflicts with our human nature and many times our societal vacillations. 

When we continue to keep our eyes on Jesus, we will continue to respond to the higher calling that is Christ Jesus.  Philippians 3: 13 & 14 ¹³ Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, ¹⁴ I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

If your church is struggling, if your life is empty, you may have lost your first love. Dear Lord help us to evaluate our plans and schemes in the light of your Spirit. If our plans be outside of your WAY, give us the courage and conviction to put our feet on the path led by You.

The Truth:

What is truth?  A question asked of Jesus by Pilot, a learned man. This statement has been the mantra of many theologians and philosophers throughout the ages and could be the anthem of the modern tolerance movement. If truth cannot be demonstrated, then any statement of fact, beyond those that can be empirically proven, are arbitrary at best.

But if there is a truth, as the Christ claims there is, then this truth would be a powerful thing. This truth would define many more perceived truths to be untruths.  This truth would also constrain us to validate what we do, how we think and what we say in relationship to this truth. The truths of physics would force us to call a person a fool who says the window won’t break if I throw this rock against it. We know the truth is far different even though it has not been empirically proven in this instance.

Jesus claimed to be the truth and if that is so, then we are called to measure ourselves according to that truth. Not the most comfortable thought. Jesus said, “If ye love me, keep my commandments” (John 14:15).  Here’s a few of His commands courtesy of “Institute of Basic Life Principles”.

•Repent  •Follow Me   •Rejoice    •Let Your Light Shine  •Honor God’s Law   •Be Reconciled   •Do Not Lust   •Keep Your Word   •Go the Second Mile   •Love Your Enemies   •Be Perfect  •Practice Secret Disciplines  •Lay Up Treasures   •Seek God’s Kingdom •Judge Not (with exceptions)  •Do Not Cast Pearls  •Ask, Seek, Knock  •Do Unto Others  •Choose the Narrow Way  •Beware of False Prophets  •Pray for Laborers   •Be Wise as Serpents  •Fear Not  •Hear God’s Voice  •Take My Yoke  •Honor Your Parents   •Beware of Leaven (sin)  •Deny Yourself  •Despise Not Little Ones  •Go to Offenders  •Beware of Covetousness  •Forgive Offenders  •Honor Marriage  •Be a Servant  •Be a House of Prayer  •Ask in Faith  •Bring In the Poor  •Render to Caesar  •Love the Lord  •Love Your Neighbor  •Await My Return  •Be Born Again  •Keep My Commandments  •Watch and Pray  •Feed My Sheep  •Receive God’s Power  •Make Disciples

No wonder many of those who call themselves "Christian" deny that exclusive (as if there is another kind)basic truth exists. The list is not only impossible but overwhelming. When we lose our first love we become incapable of keeping His commands, even comprehending that such an endeavor would be possible.

We as Christ followers would say, “exactly”.  Jesus said that when He goes to the Father that He will send us a Helper, the Holy Spirit (John 16:7) The Spirit causes us to be Born Again, born of the Spirit.  The Spirit creates in us a new perspective; a God perspective. Instead of running from good towards evil we now run from evil towards the good. When we read Romans Chapter 7 the incredible thing about Paul isn’t that he continues to struggle with sin and admits it, but that he does not want to sin.  God through the Spirit initiates a 180 degree perspective shift from evil to good.

When we no longer teach the TRUTH that God transforms individuals, via the New Birth, we lose the ability to see the things of the kingdom and to be part of the kingdom.  We are left to seek the Kingdom relying on our own strength and good works. We try to recreate God’s TRUTH by feeding the poor, and supporting the United Way.  The good we do no longer comes from our relationship with God and ultimately the power of the Holy Spirit, but the good we do becomes our god.  We become frustrated and ultimately give up.

The Life:

Once we have lost THE WAY and we no longer believe THE TRUTH how can we expect to have THE LIFE.  The Way, The Truth and The Life form a symbiotic relationship. If you lose your way you will never find the truth and if you can’t find the truth because you don’t know the way you will not attain the life. 

If you need an operation to save your life and you have directions to the hospital but you are not familiar with the streets and you get lost, you will die.  If you need an operation to save your life and you know the streets quite well and someone gives you un true directions, you will not be able to find the hospital and you will die.  Knowing the streets and having truthful directions will get you to the hospital and you will live.

Why are so many of our church pews and souls empty today. We have chosen a more enlightened way, we no longer stand for the truth and the result is we are lost and cannot find the life.

Blood, Guts, Death and the Winter Blahs

Blood, Guts, Death and the Winter Blahs

Isaiah 60: 17-22

¹⁷ Instead of bronze I will bring you gold, and silver in place of iron.  Instead of wood I will bring you bronze, and iron in place of stones.  I will make peace your governor and well-being your ruler.
¹⁸ No longer will violence be heard in your land, nor ruin or destruction within your borders, but you will call your walls Salvation and your gates Praise.
¹⁹ The sun will no more be your light by day, nor will the brightness of the moon shine on you, for the Lord will be your everlasting light, and your God will be your glory.
²⁰ Your sun will never set again, and your moon will wane no more; the Lord will be your everlasting light, and your days of sorrow will end.
²¹ Then all your people will be righteous and they will possess the land forever.  They are the shoot I have planted, the work of my hands, for the display of my splendor.
²² The least of you will become a thousand, the smallest a mighty nation.  I am the Lord; in its time I will do this swiftly.”

Winter blahs? An unbeliever once told me that Christian music is depressing, all they sing about is sin, blood and death. The crucifixion, blood atonement, sin estrangement, these are fundamental truths of the faith but are they our hope?  I suppose so in a sense, but I would propose that they are more like truths than hopes. The truths are the foundation of the conversion experience and are never to be minimized or forgotten but as with everything, once experienced we must move into further revelation.

Hebrews 6:17-19 ¹⁷Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of his purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised, he confirmed it with an oath. ¹⁸God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope set before us may be greatly encouraged. ¹⁹ We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain.

Our hope is in Jesus Christ and nothing less. We were redeemed to dwell in heavenly places. Titus 3:7  So that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life. If the joy of the Lord is our strength it may be time we begin to stretch our spiritual muscles.

We are Christ’s workmanship, created for good works in Christ. Our hope should be reflected in our countenance and our daily walk.  We are not those who have no hope, we have the only hope for the world. Why do we hide our hope under a bushel? What are we so worried about?

In John 17 we see that Jesus is not of this world – we are not of this world, yet we affirm that Christ’s home is heaven and don’t see it that way for ourselves.

If it is possible

Philippians 1

"If it be possible, let this cup pass", we pray if it be possible don't demand ALL of me, let me keep some.  Some of the things that bind me to the world are my fears and insecurities. I trust in the things of this world more than I trust God. 

When we are "all in" with God we look to Him and His promises for our security. We look less and less to the things of this world. Our initial declaration, “You are Lord” is a denial of self and a reliance on Him. Does the Holy Spirit cause this to happen instantaneously? No, this is precisely what sanctification is; the process of Christ becoming the Lord of our life. 

Jesus concluded His prayer with, not my will but your will be done".  I on the other hand rarely truly conclude my prayers that way.  How can we crucify the world to ourselves and us to the world (Gal. 6:14) when we are so tightly bound to this world by our fears, insecurities and desires. I feel that I have released most of who I am to Christ but I still envision the tentacles of the world grabbing and clinging to me and I know this holds me back from all I could be. 

“He who began a good work in us is faithful to complete it”.  Notice two things, God initiated the good work and God completes the good work. We can claim until our face falls off that Jesus Christ is Lord of our lives but I am afraid that will not be fully a reality until we are on the other side. A more accurate statement is, Jesus Christ, by His mercy and grace, is becoming the Lord of my life.

What pitiful weak wretches we are. Spiritually speaking, we are as dependent on our Lord as a new born.  But what about spiritual maturity? When we are truly mature we realize how truly weak and helpless we are.

 Lord take the words from my mouth and put them in my heart.

Why one sacrifice for all

The Old Testament Lamb had no choice.

The New Testament Lamb chose.

Hebrews 2: 5-18 

I don't know if you are like me but sometimes I think Christ skated through the crucifixion and resurrection.  I mean He was God and knew how things would turn out.  But how does that relate to Christ's humanness?  In order to be fully man He had to experience all we experiences that includes: anxiety, fear, apprehension and just not knowing what awaited. I'm not a theologian but if He was to truly experience all of the human condition, He would certainly have had to experience all our maladies. (Hebrews 5:2)

We as humans are like the Old Testament lambs.  We are herded around by this life having no clue what’s around the next corner. Our lives are completely reactionary. We are offered up on the altar of this age, our lives a living sacrifice to the gods of the age. 

Christ by humbling himself and becoming human (Phil 2:8) offered us the opportunity to become a New Testament Lamb. (Romans 12:1)  Through the new birth, we can now choose to offer ourselves or not, just as Christ, the sacrifice, chose to offer himself for the redemption of all. (John 10: 16-18)

Now instead of being reactionary we become sacrificial. Our reactions are no longer focused on our plight but on the plight of others. Our focus is no longer strictly fixated on our condition in this world, our focus is becoming more and more on His Kingdom.

As Christ, we become less and less attached to this world, our faith and obedience grows and so does our peace.  We lose the anxiety, fear and apprehension that made us unwitting sheep of the slaughter and are now, as Christ is, a sacrifice that offers itself.

“Your faith has saved you”

Luke 7:36-50

In these verses there are 3 primary individuals:

1.       The Women – she knew who she was and knowing
        that was aware of her fate and aware of her need to
        be forgiven.  She was who the Pharisees said she was 
        yet with the light.  Where sin did much a bound,
        Grace did MUCH MORE abound.

2.      The Pharisees – they thought they knew who they were

        yet were blind.  If you were to ask any typical

        resident of that community who was familiar with the

        women and the Pharisees (priests) I am sure they

        would have held the priests in higher regard, yet we

        know from the story who should have been regarded 

        superior the Christ.

3.       The Christ – Did not claim a position of authority yet

        was recognized by both the Pharisees and the

        women as having some special place. He was invited

        by the Pharisees because they had heard His

        teachings, seen the miracles and heard of others. They
        were curious and ultimately incredulous. The women
        knew He had power and authority to create and
        forgive. 

The Pharisees did not treat Christ with common courtesy, washing of the feet, greet with a kiss, anointing with perfume.  The women, although it was not her home, lavished the Christ with uncommon courtesy. 

Although her repentance was extreme and her adoration intense when all was said and done, it was her faith, what she believed, that saved her not what she did.  The women recognized Christ for who He was, a person sent by God with the authority to change who she was and ultimately affect her fate for eternity.

Until we begin to see that God's ultimate injustice is that He saves people like us, we will still be looking at God's SOVEREIGN justice from a tainted human perspective. The harlot knew this well, the Pharisees not so much.

The Joy of Knowing You
The Peace of Trusting You
The Assurance Because of You

The Joy of Knowing You:
Seeking approval of others can be an ominous task.  What if we say the wrong thing, act a wrong way, will they still like me, will I get the promotion.  A talk show host sent a reporter onto the street to question passerby's if they had a family fight over the recent Christmas holiday, almost everyone said that they had. 

Once we know Christ the Spirit reveals to us the "futility of pettiness".  Why do we spend so much time and energy on so many inconsequential things? Jesus says I will keep you, I am the same, yesterday, today and forever.  I will never leave you, I will never forsake you.  When we know this, when this becomes a part of us, we can have confidence that who we are matters and that what we are is secure in the creator of the universe.  The little things (petty) become just that.

Romans 8 14 - 17    14 For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. 15 The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to son ship and by him we cry, “Abba, (Daddy) Father.” 16  The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. 17 Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.

The Peace of Trusting You:

We are told in Scripture to do the best we can each and every day.  When we get stressed and things get too big to handle is when our very best seems to not be enough.  Perceived expectations at work, socially, in relationships even put on us by us, these can be greater than we could ever hope to bare.  They crush us and weigh us down.  The expectation is not the problem the perception is.

Jesus said my Peace I leave with you.  Notice He is LEAVING it with us.  He is not taking it with him because, guess what, HE NEVER EVER LEAVES ! ! !  The peace the world offers is temporal at best.  It lasts as long as everyone agrees or the power that enforces it remains.  The world's peace is a state of existence, God's peace is a gift that is always available.  The question is, will you accept it and then rest (trust) in it?

John 14: 25-27  25  “All this I have spoken while still with you. 26  But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. 27  Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

The Assurance Because of You:

Value, Self Worth, by what yardstick do we value ourselves?  Sociologically we know the answer to this question is arbitrary.  Where we live, what our culture values all dictate how valuable we perceive ourselves. The following is a web page that lists in order the 10 countries where obese women are considered the Pinnacle of female attractiveness.  http://www.toptenz.net/top-10-countries-celebrating-female-obesity.php

If the standard is so fickle and our perception so subjective what can we trust.  Our value is in knowing that tomorrow we will be better (closer) than today.  My value is not based on my extraordinary efforts and how those efforts are perceived by others, my value is based on how I am valued by the Father.

How can I lose hope when the One who first loved me has a future for me that I can't even BEGIN to imagine.  All my tomorrows will be better than my todays and yesterdays.  Those aren't my thoughts, those are God's truths.

Phil 1: 3-10  3  I thank my God every time I remember you. 4  In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy 5 because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, 6  being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
7  It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart and, whether I am in chains or defending and confirming the gospel, all of you share in God’s grace with me. 8  God can testify how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus.
9  And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, 10  so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, 11 filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God. 

Plans

Our plans are not His plans
Our ways are not His Ways
Our disappointments may be His victories
His Plans are our best paths.

It seems the only time a prayer is considered answered is when the answer matches our request and expected outcomes.  Perish the thought that the Lord may say "No" or "Wait". 

The Lord is sovereign, not a sparrow falls to the ground that He is not aware.  The hairs on our head are numbered. 

"The prayers of a righteous man avails much" James 5:16.  "For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, His ears are open to their prayers; But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.” 1 Peter 3:12.

Our prayers are hampered by an estranged relationship with the Lord.  Christ died to reconcile us to the Father.  When we continuously sabotage that relationship by a lack of obedience and sin, we will hear more "No" when we pray. 

Obedience is active and elective. Romans 13:14 says to "put on" the Lord Jesus Christ, this means putting on His righteousness and as we do He will open His ears to our prayers and we can be assured that He has heard them. The answer may be "Yes" or the answer may be "No" or the answer may be "Wait" but we know that Romans 8:28 will always apply.

Our prayers are heard and answered to our greatest good.

God Bless
Al

Introduction

Hello,
I began a journey 2 years ago when I found myself unemployed at 59 years old (a phenomenon of this recession that is definitely under reported). Since that time I have experienced many different emotional, spiritual and practical challenges.  Some are blessings, some are lessons others I still haven't figured out.

One of the blessings has been the blessing of time.  I have had time to spend in my Bible and time to contemplate.  At first I didn't necessarily consider this a blessing,  I was, and still am at times, concerned about whether spending this time with the Lord is time best spent.  Should I be searching for jobs, am I using this "God Time" as a cop out, I ask myself this very question often.  I have been literally challenged by a non believing relative on this very point.  Luke 10: 38 - 42 gives a great illustration.  Mary chose the better things and they will not be taken away from her.

I am not a theologian, I am a follower of Christ, and I find writing anything for anyone's consumption beside my most intimate friends and family a bit arrogant.  What I am sharing are little kernels of grace given to me during my quite times over the last couple years. Sometimes the thoughts came from others, and when that is the case, I will give the reference.  But most of the time the thoughts are simply the impressions stimulated by reading the Word and thinking how it applies to life.  Maybe it will be a benefit to others.  I hope that will be the case.

Al Willems