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  • To Be Remembered

    I responded to a question on Answerbag.com and I was surprised at my answer. Someone asked if we wanted to be remembered when we were gone and I answered what follows. I must say, I was somewhat influenced by conducting a graveside service in an old cemetery this past week and reading some of the…

  • STEP UP DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS – Week of February 2-8

    Monday, February 2 –“(2 Sam 22:37 ) Thou hast enlarged my steps under me; so that my feet did not slip..” – God has given you enough room to walk wherever He wants you to go. While it may seem that the circumstances of your life are overly restrictive and crippling for your ministry, the…

  • Digest and Links to Religious Subjects in the News for This Week

    What should be the focus of the first 100 days of the Obama administration? http://www.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/the-first-100-days/the-first-100-days-be-attentive-to-the-vulnerable-stick-to-your-ideals/2092/   On the death of John Updike and his relevance as a writer on theological themes: http://www.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/episodes/january-27-2009/john-updike-1932-2009/2078/ and http://blog.christianitytoday.com/ctliveblog/archives/2009/01/john_updike_nor.html   According to a new Pew research report, African Americans surpass the rest of Americans in religiosity. http://blog.beliefnet.com/news/2009/1/report-african-americans-surpa.php   The Poe…

  • STEP UP Devotions for January 26-February 2

    Luke 6:20-49 These thoughts come from the Sermon on the Mount from Luke’s gospel. They are both a review of the sermon in Matthew 5-7 and another perspective. Our comments are brief here and designed to propel questions for digging deeper into the scripture passages.   January 26 – “(20 ) And he lifted up…

  • Fear that Leads to Knowledge

    The concept of the fear of the Lord has only relatively recently come into some disrepute and distaste. Somehow it does not find a comfortable seat at the table of our kind and gentle theologies where a grandfather God presides over the earth with benevolent indifference to how we respond to truth and where there…

  • STEP UP DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS: Week of January 19-25

    January 19 –(Mat 7:24 KJV) “Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock” – There are two steps to the process of preparing for a wise and productive life in the Kingdom of God. The first is to…

  • Proud to Be American

    I am sitting here with tears in my eyes, a lump in my throat, and a chest that is swelling up with pride and gratitude for the unique privilege of being an American. I am full of hope and courage for whatever we must face. I know enough not to put all my confidence in…

  • Add Value to What You Already Know

    The author of Proverbs crescendos his litany of purpose for compiling the teachings contained therein with this goal in Proverbs 1:6, “To understand a proverb, and the interpretation; the words of the wise, and their dark sayings.” The implication seems to be that we keep learning more so that we may better understand what we…

  • Wiser and Wiser

    Why do wise people get wiser? It is because they listen and commit themselves to a lifetime of learning. It is because they are not afraid to get guidance and counsel. They are discerning enough to know that they don’t know everything. They are wise enough to recognize the gaps in their wisdom. They are…

  • STEP UP DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS: Week of January 19-25 January 19 –(Mat 7:24 KJV) “Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock” – There are two steps to the process of preparing for a wise and productive life in…