When I was a little boy, my father disciplined me frequently. Daily, it seems. Hourly, perhaps? It was so frequent! But I loved my daddy and I respected his authority. I feared the discipline (not gonna lie), but I never ran from it or fought it. I took my licks with a good attitude.[1] IContinue reading “Consider All Your Problems to Be God’s Discipline. Hebrews 12:5-6.”
Category Archives: God is sovereign
Where Do Hard Times Come From and How Should We Respond? Proverbs 3:11-12.
The discussion generated by the question above is complicated enough that I am going to begin with the answer: Hard Times come from several places, but God is in control no matter the origin. Because we trust God, we should embrace painful experiences and assume God is actively using adversity to help us grow moreContinue reading “Where Do Hard Times Come From and How Should We Respond? Proverbs 3:11-12.”
Hospice Care, “MAiD,” and End-of-Life Decisions: Scripture Addresses the Controversies of the Day. 2 Timothy 3:16.
“In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes” Judges 21:25. Which is better: to do what seems right to you, or to follow the leadership of a King who has given us 66 books of guidance? If God had given us a single page, the Ten Commandments,Continue reading “Hospice Care, “MAiD,” and End-of-Life Decisions: Scripture Addresses the Controversies of the Day. 2 Timothy 3:16.”
The Book of Job Refutes the Prosperity Gospel. Job 17.
Image: Jim Bakker in 2025. “If I want to believe God for a $65 million dollar plane, you cannot stop me.” –Creflo Dollar, as quoted in God, Greed, and the (Prosperity) Gospel: How Truth Overwhelms a Life Built on Lies, by Costi Hinn, Zondervan, 2019. It is true that we reap what we sow. SowingContinue reading “The Book of Job Refutes the Prosperity Gospel. Job 17.”
SHOCK AND AWE: the Lord in Heaven Laughs. Psalm 2.
When Saddam Hussein’s Iraqi forces invaded Kuwait on August 2, 1990, the world was outraged. On January 17, 1991, a coalition of 42 nations invaded Iraq in order to beat the Iraqis back into Baghdad. The people in Arabian lands have come a long way from the days of camels and tents. But Saddam wasContinue reading “SHOCK AND AWE: the Lord in Heaven Laughs. Psalm 2.”
Trust God With Complicated Matters of International Diplomacy. 1 Samuel 29:3-4.
One day David finds himself trapped in a complicated matter of international diplomacy. Saul’s quest to murder David had driven him to live among the Philistines. A year later the Philistines begin assembling armies to attack Israel. This creates a sticky situation. David claims to be loyal to the Philistines, but he knows he willContinue reading “Trust God With Complicated Matters of International Diplomacy. 1 Samuel 29:3-4. “
Insomnia. Esther 6:1.
Could there be anything more irritating than insomnia? I was always a night owl and a light sleeper. I have so many memories of lying in a dark tent for hours with mosquitoes in my ears and the thunderous snoring of my buddy next to me. I would count the seconds until morning, miserable. ItContinue reading “Insomnia. Esther 6:1.”
COOKIE CUTTER. Joshua 18:6-7; Jeremiah 29:11.
I used to watch my mom use a rolling pin to make a sheet of thin, flat cookie dough on wax paper. Then she stamped it with tin cookie cutters to cut out shapes: doughy little Christmas trees or stars or bells or stockings. She would bake them, spread icing on them, and—voila! Christmas cookies.Continue reading “COOKIE CUTTER. Joshua 18:6-7; Jeremiah 29:11.”
God Subdues the Uproar of the Barbarians. Isaiah 25:5.
I saw a video today of Antifa protestors burning an American flag. Sadly, that has become commonplace with America-hating protestors. But this time they took it further, and burned a Bible. Why? How did a love letter from the God who created them and died for them become something worthy of burning? They pretend toContinue reading “God Subdues the Uproar of the Barbarians. Isaiah 25:5.”
Don’t Despair.
When things look dark and life seems hopeless, don’t despair. Return to the simple truths. Have you ever faced a tragedy or a series of unrelenting disasters—a job loss, a car repair, a health problem, a broken appliance, the illness and death of a loved one? Sometimes when it rains it pours and life feelsContinue reading “Don’t Despair.”