He offered her a glance and she glanced back. Little did he know what that glance would turn into. There were dates and church functions. Dances and weddings. Graduations and funerals. Family meals and holidays galore! Mission trips and beach trips. College degrees. First jobs in the chosen profession. And now today. He will glance again. And this time he will see his bride walking with her daddy. He will take her hand and her heart. The two will be joined and nothing can separate the love that Christ brings. This new covenant they enter into comes second only to…
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Forty-four for me. 49 for him. The girl has had 22 so far. One boy has had almost 18 and the other 9. The union that started this has counted nearly 25. Looking back they had 47. He has had almost 72 now. She had 65. She didn’t see 66. She didn’t see 67. Or 68. Or 69. And we won’t get to throw a party for 70 next year. Four years. She was mine for 40 years. She pushed me into this world in more ways than one. She birthed 5. She had 4 siblings. She had two parents. …
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I know she is loved. She left the house this morning in anticipation of enjoying the love of good friends. In two short months she will be leaving the house to go to her own house. The house she will share with the one God has chosen for her. But for today she goes to teach a room full of third graders in desperate need of her love. She has certain ones that she struggles with and they are the very ones that need her the most. Her thoughts this morning were focused on getting through those struggles one more…
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The desire to fellowship with God can be overwhelming. In the moment of pure devotion all obstacles to worship become great annoyances. Your heart yearns to explosion for Almighty God. Nothing else can satisfy and any intrusions are unwelcome and demand to be snuffed out. All things become trivial in the Light of Him. He is exalted and is magnificent. The cares of the world become so insignificant. Pure worship. Nothing else matters. Nothing else but Him. Praise to God. Honor and glory are His. He places life in dry bones. He breathes life where death had been. His resuscitation…
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One week from today, the movie “War Room” will open. Check out the trailer here: http://warroomthemovie.com The ladies at my church have talked about the armor of God for a while now. We will be wrapping up our study of Ephesians next Wednesday evening. Toward the end of chapter 6, Paul says in verses 18 & 19: “18 praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints–19 and for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the…
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Do you ever feel like whatever you are doing is not what you should be doing? Not that you are doing something wrong but that the normal thing you do day in and day out just isn’t where your energy should be expended anymore? You could call it unsettled or discontent. Perhaps you could even call it boredom. Mediocrity screams discontent, right? Like when you find that place in a good run where you break out in a full-fledged sprint and find exhilaration. Right there at that moment before you decide to ramp it up is that feeling of needing…
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Practicing can be useful or detrimental. Depending upon that which is being practiced determines its usefulness. Benefits can come from certain practices but harmful consequences can come from others. From the world around us we see that certain practices bring positive results. Drinking plenty of water keeps you hydrated. Eating healthy foods provides all kinds of benefits. Exercise strengthens your physical body. Going to work on time when you are scheduled and doing a good job keeps you employed. Those are just a few worldly examples. Like the water that keeps you hydrated and the food that keeps you nourished,…
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It isn’t very often that I sit and do absolutely nothing. We moved our old wooden swing last weekend to the shade of a Drake elm in our backyard. When he built the swing we wanted it under a shade tree. When he planted the Drake elm we wanted shade. Guess what…. So I sit in the shade with an occasional breeze passing over me and I hear the birds and the quiet. All three kids are enjoying someone else’s house at the moment and the builder of swing and planter of tree is off doing his preparations for hunting…
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Today my first child graduates from college. She will walk across a stage in celebration of the last four years of hard work and determination. I know she will praise God for allowing her the opportunity to live in a time and place that allows this to be so. She has been interacting with children since she was six weeks old. I am not quite sure when she decided this so called major of hers. Her heart has always been on fire for loving others. And now she will make a career out of loving children in the classroom. She…
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The lace of grace that comes from God is so tightly woven nothing can penetrate it. The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you. Romans 16:20 (NAS)