My wife and I were returning from Pennsylvania this past weekend, when I saw a license plate that read Ask12B1. That got me thinking in two different directions.  The most obvious was the fact that our language is changing.  Some may claim it is deteriorating, others say it is becoming outmoded.  But, in reality, it is simply evolving–as all languages have since the beginning of time.

  

I have had a hard time keeping up with the current crop of new words and acronyms that seem to change almost daily.  Remember, I’m still one of those guys who doesn’t even own a cell phone.  I do, however, have a small presence on Facebook, Twitter, and this website, so I’m not totally archaic.  Seeing what people do to the English language in the name of speed and convenience is sometimes scary.

But the license plate also got me thinking about what it actually meant. …

Those of us who have spent time beside a dying loved one know how precious are their last words. We remember them and cherish them for many years. I well remember the huge smile on the face of my mother as (I believe) she saw the face of her Redeemer as she passed from life on this earth. She hadn’t really known us for years, was blind, and was unable to talk, but her smile said it all. I also remember with sadness and pity the torment of my evil stepfather as He died. His eyes were full of sheer terror.

Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full–pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back.   (Luke 6:38)

I know every bird of the mountains, and everything that moves in the field is mine.  If I were hungry, I would not  tell you, for the world is mine, and all it contains. (Psalm 50:10-12)

So let’s get one thing straight from the start.  God doesn’t need anything from us.  It’s all His to begin with.  We are His stewards or caretakers.  He not only owns the cattle on those hills, he owns the hills themselves, the air above the hills, and anyone taking care of those cattle–not to mention everything else.  Remember, this is His creation.  Maybe that’s why so many Christians have a problem with giving something back to…

I never thought of God as someone I could talk to like a best friend. I have always given Him the reverence He deserves but to talk to Him like a long-time friend really never crossed my mind. A couple of Sundays ago Pastor Donna Slocum and Pastor J Lillie performed a skit depicting how God wants to be our friend.  I truly had an epiphany while they were speaking.  I was not conversing with Him like He wanted me to.  I wasn’t treating him like a good friend never mind a best friend. I was holding back on our relationship. If someone heard me speaking to Him, one might say, ‘Why are you being so formal, Deb?’

I know I can tell Him anything and I do, but am I talking to Him like He’s my friend and the answer to that would be, No! Why am I having a hard time wrapping…

Lately I’ve been asking the Lord to help me in my dealings with those around me. People can be cruel and the Lord showed me that it’s not the people, it’s Satan. Those around me are being used by the enemy to try to distract me from the work the Lord has called me to do.

I’m reminded this is a spiritual battle we’re fighting. Therefore we have got to see people and the things they do to hurt us as it really is. When we begin to see the true battle, our hearts change. Our hearts cry out for them. We pray and accuse Satan as the culprit. We take authority over him in the name of Jesus and cast him down and bind him up.

This battle can’t be fought with fleshly weapons and therefore we can’t attack one another in the flesh. Having this knowledge, we bring…

Announcing a literary contest for writers of short creative prose. You may submit a mini-essay, short-short story or prose poem.

About the Contest:

• There is no entry fee. 
• We are looking for a short work incorporating a symbol.

Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it .  (James 4:17)

Why is it that people tend to focus on the things we shouldn’t do, rather than the things we should?  In The Word for You Today, the authors remind us that a man was put out of a wedding because he didn’t have on wedding garments, five virgins were excluded from a wedding because they had no oil in their lamps, a servant forfeited a talent because he didn’t do more than bury it in the ground, a rich man who failed to care for his neighbor was condemned for it, and a barren fig tree that failed to produce was cursed and died.  These were not bad things that were done, but good things that were not done–errors of omission rather than commission. Christian people are often tagged with the name,

  I’m sure we all can think of a time in our lives when there was a storm that seemed it would never end.  Did you struggle for a long, long time before realizing you needed to ask for help?  Did the storm calm down soon after you invited Jesus to help or maybe after you started praising Him for His will to be done and not yours?  Luke 8:22-25 (NLT) says this:

²² One day Jesus said to his disciples, “Let’s cross to the other side of the lake.” So they got into the boat and started out. ²³ As they sailed across, Jesus settled down for a nap.  But soon a fierce storm came down on the lake.  The boat was filling with water, and they were in real danger.  ²⁴ The disciples went and woke him up, shouting, “Master, Master, we’re going to drown. When Jesus woke up, he…

The LORD remains near to all who call out to him, to everyone who calls out to him sincerely. (Psalm 145:18)

Why is it that we seem to ignore God until something in our little world starts to fall apart?  D.L Moody believed that there are three kinds of faith in Jesus: struggling faith (like a man floundering and fearful in deep water; clinging faith (like a man clinging to the side of a boat); and resting faith (like a man safe inside the boat–strong and secure enough to reach out his hand to help others).

But how we get there when the trials and challenges of this life seem about to overwhelm us?  Only by staying in tune with God on a daily basis and by believing in God’s faithfulness enough to trust Him.  It’s not always easy to maintain that faith or to clearly hear what He is…