John 15:1-16a — “(Jesus said), “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in […]
2385) Stay Connected (1 of 2) Read More »
By James Dobson, in Hide or Seek, 1974, pages 176-178. ————————– A woman told me recently about her experience as a room mother for her daughter’s fourth-grade class. She visited the classroom on Valentine’s Day to assist the teacher with the traditional party on that holiday. This mother said the teacher announced that the
2306) Harassed and Helpless Read More »
Painting above: Christ With Martha and Mary, by Henryk Siemiradzki, 1886. *********************************** (…continued) Those same attributes that made Martha a capable, effective manager also got her in trouble. She was aggressive, assertive, and strong in conviction. She was also quick to criticize, intolerant of others’ differences, and prone to self-pity. Maybe
2153) Type ‘A’ and Type ‘B’ in the Bible (part two of two) Read More »
From a Confirmation Sermon I gave a few years ago. (…continued) We should not be surprised that matters of life and death and God and eternity are not foremost in the minds of 8th and 9th graders. At that age, they are surrounded by life and it still seems like an endless future
2132) What’s the Use? (part two of two) Read More »
A sermon I gave on Confirmation Sunday a few years ago. ————————————— “I Love to Tell the Story,” is a good hymn for Confirmation Sunday. At baptism, parents promise to bring their children up in the faith, vowing to make sure their children will hear that ‘old, old story of Jesus and his
2131) What’s the Use? (part one of two) Read More »
When You Don’t Feel Like It, Take Heart by Jon Bloom, posted November 11, 2009 at: http://www.desiringgod.org —————————————— Did you wake up not feeling like reading your Bible and praying? How many times today have you had to battle not feeling like doing things you know would be good for you?
1911) Remembering What You Want Read More »
Hold on! —————————— By Rick Warren, posted December 28, 2017 at: http://www.pastorrick.org ——————– Faith unlocks the promises of God, it shows us the power of God, it turns dreams into reality, and it gives us the power to hold on in tough times. God doesn’t always take you out of the
By Randy Alcorn, Spring/Summer 2018 issue of Eternal Perspectives, http://www.epm.org Life in this world—the way it is now and the way we are now—can be difficult, can’t it? It’s easy to become burdened, discouraged, depressed, or even traumatized when you suffer the loss of a loved one, when your health is failing, or when your dreams—your
1857) Finish Line Just Ahead Read More »
By NFL veteran tight end Benjamin Watson, posted September 20, 2015 on his excellent website blog at: http://www.thebenjaminwatson.com In 2001, The University of Georgia introduced Mark Richt as its new head football coach. One of the first things he did as coach was implement a new motto for our football program. The words
1834) Finishing the Drill Read More »
Ron Boyd-MacMillan shares the following insight from his teaching, “Why I Need to Encounter the Persecuted Church” (www.opendoorsusa.org) —————————— On his first visit to America, I took a Chinese Bible teacher to a Christian bookstore. I was not prepared for his reaction. I thought he would be overwhelmed by the variety of Bibles,
1738) Keeping Faith Simple Read More »
