In Matthew 4:19 – 20 we read that when Jesus told some fishermen that if they followed him he would make them fish for people they left immediately to follow him.
Interesting – there was no two week notice, five or twenty year plan to get ready to follow Jesus. Immediately they dropped what they were doing and followed. Maybe that’s the problem with most people today – we want time to plan for the future. We want to make…..
Several days ago I participated in a Walk for Hope hosted by Columbia County Prevent Suicide. It was the third annual walk. I had attended the first one which was in a different location and it seemed there were many more people in attendance. This year the walk was held at the High School Track.
I have a somewhat funny story to share with you although a little sad. I heard a name read and know a person of…..
Today I attended an event called “Peace Grows” Nurturing a Culture of Peace: Transforming to End War, Poverty and the Climate Crises.
Another day of the Lord settling deeper into my soul. Another day of healing, of listening to the hopes of the speakers, musicians and actors. Listening to stories of people who have struggled in life and who have found peace and healing.
Words and phrases that I remember from the day are
– Nonviolent Revolutions
…..
Last evening I attended a local International Day of Peace event at the public library. I wasn’t exactly sure what the facilitators were going to lead us through and was surprised and pleased and I am still a little bit in awe of how the Holy Spirit worked personally in my life during those brief two hours. I’m only going to share from a portion of the evening as I am still allowing the full work of the Holy Spirit…..
I’m asking this question because I believe it’s a very important part in balancing our lives and in the healing process.
I believe that spiritual trauma is very real and I’m going to pull out a few examples from Scripture in the Old (Hebrew) Testament, the New (Christian) Testament and the Psalms.
The first verse that I think begs us to consider the effects of spiritual trauma is this one:
“Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God,…..
These three words spoken by Jesus have the power to transform lives, yet we rarely use them today. Instead we are telling people to take any number of things . . .
a chill pill another shot anti depressants a drink a smoke or a hit
It’s so easy for us to rely on taking things that change the physical chemistry in our bodies. But doing the hard work of soul and mind work requires the heart. Spiritual transformation…..
So much of our life is about making choices. One way to make choices is to observe the way in which other people make choices. Another way is to have someone tell you what to choose. And yet another is to think things through and make your own decision.
Parenting is an interesting task in regards to teaching children how to make their own choices. Some children relish making their own choices while others resist and seem to be…..
Someone asked me once if it was possible for a person to ‘lose their salvation.’ Not understanding what they meant I had to ask them and they replied: Well, do you believe in the saying “Once saved, always saved.” or do you think we can lose our salvation?
I had to think about this for a moment because I hadn’t heard that saying before they quoted it to me and it sounded rather odd to me. Finally I answered ……
This morning I came across a book given to me by my mother many years ago: A Child’s Faith: Fifty-two Lessons for Home and School. By Sibyl Harton. First published in 1938 and reprinted several times – the last date in my copy is 1951. I remember seeing my mother study this book when I was very young, no doubt in preparation for teaching Sunday School Lessons or for helping us with ours. I remember reading from it when I…..
In my last post I told you the thought behind writing “A Litany of Prayer for a Loving Attitude.” And I admitted that I, like many others, have struggled with loving myself.
Having struggled and won that battle I’m going to touch on the topic of Love and Perfection.
I think there are two ways of looking at Perfection. One is in the way of thinking everything and everyone have to be perfect. The other is in thinking about…..