David on the Balcony. Picture generated by A.I. One morning during a series of wars, two military men had an interesting conversation: “Haven’t you been on a long journey? Last night you finally arrived in town. Why didn’t you go home and see your wife?” “The ark, and Israel, and Judah are living in tents.Continue reading “ARE YOU ENTITLED? Busy David and Lazy David. 2 Samuel 11:1.”
Category Archives: True Repentance
When Will You Repent? Revelation 8 and 9.
A woman once told me she had never been spanked, that she was so sensitive, a strong word from a parent was enough to change her behavior. I could not relate to that. As a child I heard strong words every day. I ignored them. I was a strong-willed child. Nothing would deter me fromContinue reading “When Will You Repent? Revelation 8 and 9.”
RENEW YOUR VOWS. Revelation 2:4-5.
My father frowned on the notion of married people renewing their vows. “When you renew your vows, it implies you broke those vows—or at least that you didn’t take them seriously the first time.” Daddy took vows seriously. There was no way he would need to renew his—not when those vows shaped his life likeContinue reading “RENEW YOUR VOWS. Revelation 2:4-5.”
Sorry is Not Enough. Matthew 27:4.
Did Judas go to heaven? “Then Judas, His betrayer, seeing that He had been condemned, was full of remorse and returned the 30 pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders. ‘I have sinned by betraying innocent blood,’ he said. ‘What is that to us?’ they answered. ‘See to that yourself.’ So he threwContinue reading “Sorry is Not Enough. Matthew 27:4.”
JOE’S CANCER STICKS. Ezekiel 11:19-20; Colossians 2:6.
Joe attended the college department at FBC. I was working at another church, but kept running into Joe at FBC events I was able to attend—Bible studies on unusual days of the week, scavenger hunts on Saturday nights, etc. Joe and I became friends. One night the two of us went on “visitation” together, drivingContinue reading “JOE’S CANCER STICKS. Ezekiel 11:19-20; Colossians 2:6.”
STREET THEATER 3: Runaway Scrape. Ezekiel 11:19-20; 12:2-5, 10-13.
Trump gets Covid-19 one month before the election. Coincidence or sign from God? I don’t know. But in November of 2020, EVERYONE was talking about it! If it had happened in ancient Israel, people would have SCRUTINIZED this thing with a jeweler’s loop trying to figure out what it means. People in pre-enlightenment cultures consideredContinue reading “STREET THEATER 3: Runaway Scrape. Ezekiel 11:19-20; 12:2-5, 10-13.”
LOOKING UP FROM THE BOTTOM.
Remember Oscar the Grouch? He lived at the bottom of a trash can on Sesame Street–and somehow he was happy there. I always thought he had sunk about as low as anyone could. Have you reached the bottom? Different people have different bottoms. For one, a single failure in school or bad performance review on theContinue reading “LOOKING UP FROM THE BOTTOM.”
THE WEEPING PROPHET. Jeremiah 7:34.
Image: The wedding of Andy and Christy in the spring of 2020. Due to COVID-19, family and friends could not travel from out of the country and watched on a livestream. Read these verses—don’t they sound like the year 2020? “I will remove from the cities … and the streets … the sound of joyContinue reading “THE WEEPING PROPHET. Jeremiah 7:34.”
Jeremiah’s Nickname. Jeremiah 9:1.
Scholars suggest Jesus must have exuded joy or children would not have flocked to Him. In fact, Hebrews says Jesus was more joyful than anyone else. WHY was Jesus joyful? Because He was obedient. “You loved righteousness and hated wickedness, therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of joy above all your companions”Continue reading “Jeremiah’s Nickname. Jeremiah 9:1.”
REND YOUR HEARTS AND NOT YOUR GARMENTS. Joel 2:12-13.
I remember fighting with my brother as a small child. Mama stopped us from squabbling and insisted that we apologize to each other. We grumbled something. “Now say it again, and this time, say it like you mean it.” So we would apologize a second time, much more sweetly. We were learning a valuable lesson—oneContinue reading “REND YOUR HEARTS AND NOT YOUR GARMENTS. Joel 2:12-13.”
Household Words: 