Author: secretary

The woman at the well in John chapter four is an amazing story. One of my favorites. Recently something caught my eye. At the very end of the story, in verse 39, many Samaritans believed because of the Samaritan woman’s testimony. Then they went to Jesus and urged Him to stay. Jesus ends up staying another two days. Because of that many more Samaritans believed. But there is a change that takes place in verse 42. They said to the woman, “We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the World.” What caught my eye was that some of the Samaritans believed because of the Samaritan woman’s testimony. Others believed because…

We live in a society where gadgets, electronics, and all sorts of mechanical items have supposedly made life better. We have great blessings living in this country and living in this century. However, it seems the easier it is for us to be independent, the harder it is for us to truly appreciate what God has done. Let us re-double our efforts to praise God everyday for what He has done for each of us! Ephesians 1: 3-12 3Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. 4For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love 5he predestined us to…

There tends to be a lot of firsts in life. First steps, first tooth, first date, and so on. Sometimes those firsts can be difficult to navigate. For instance, all the firsts that comes after a loved one passes away. Sometimes those firsts can be exciting and scary. Consider our high school graduates as they embark on a new journey away from home or all the new moms who are taking care of those brand-new first-born babies! Firsts are going to happen. Some of those firsts will turn into seconds and thirds and more because they were fun and exciting. Other firsts we never want to go through again. Through all the firsts and more I can not help but think of James 1:1-4. Regardless or how we may feel…

Imagine two scenarios of home life. Scenario one has dad pull up in front of his house in his old beat-up truck that should have been retired long ago, but it is paid for and runs well enough to get by. As he pulls into his driveway out run his children to meet him jumping into his arms, hugs being shared all around. As he enters the modest home, he smells the aroma of fried chicken and fresh bread. Eventually the family sits down to a table without a tablecloth, just placemats, no china, just mismatched dishes…some chipped, stainless steel silverware and paper napkins. Dad reaches out and they all as a family hold hands as dad thanks God for all their many blessings including the love in their family…

No one who is thinking normally, or who is not suffering intolerably, wants to die. Life is our instinct and our basic desire. I'm convinced that this is also true in the spiritual realm. Somewhere inside of the mind of man is the desire to discover the peace and harmony that will give him that happy "connection" with a higher power. Of course, knowing where to find this vital link can be a problem. And a whole range of solutions is proposed. Jesus did say that there is a kind of peace that the world can give (John 14.27). But it is really only a kind of truce, bartered and arranged with the permission of the prevailing societal winds. It's a bubble, really, that no one wants to see popped.…