…free from your burdens!

Tough It Out
     'Chip Shots from the Ruff of Life' from Tom Kelley

Golfers are the masters of optimism. They seem willing to tough it out depite the weather. To prove that I need only to go back a couple of days to Wednesday. My day at The UPS Store ended at 1:00 and I was scheduled to meet my good friend Don Clark at the Longview Golf Course outside Georgetown for a round of golf. It was 64 in Lexington as I left the store and headed north to Georgetown. When I got to the West side of Georgetown there was a sign telling me that 460 West was closed a mile ahead. But that posed no problem. I simply turned North on 227 to Galloway Road and still…

Out on a Limb with Saw in Hand
     ''Winging It' from Stan Smith

I am constantly trying to transform my thinking to align with God's Word. I believe that sin rots the brain (Romans 1:28; Romans 12:2) and that the human heart is deceitful (Jeremiah 17:9) -- and that includes mine. Thus, I am constantly reworking, rethinking, rechecking, and revising my views and their subsequent implications for how I live my life. Predicated first on the reliability of God in His Scriptures, I try to examine my own thinking over against His Word and change my own thinking wherever it becomes divergent. Now, we don't live in a world that thinks this is a good…

Paper Route Psychiatry
     'The Way' from Kevin Pauley

Hold unfailing your love for one another, since love covers a multitude of sins. - 1 Peter 4:8 A young boy was once offered a paper route. It didn’t pay much money, but he knew having a job would build good character, so he took it, good character being important to fourth graders. He began lingering on the front porch of one of his customers who was an elderly widow. She’d watch for him to come down her street, and by the time he’d pedaled up to her house, there’d be a slushy bottle of Coke waiting for him. He’d sit and drink while she talked.…

Ashes Like Bread (2-15-11)
     'Today's Little Lift' from Jim Bullington

“My enemies reproach me all day long, Those who deride me swear an oath against me. For I have eaten ashes like bread, And mingled my drink with weeping, Because of Your indignation and Your wrath; For You have lifted me up and cast me away. My days are like a shadow that lengthens, And I wither away like grass.” (Psalm 102.8-11). The 102Psalm from which today’s focus text is taken has an introductory statement at its beginning; it reads as follows: “A Prayer of the afflicted when he is overwhelmed and pours out his complaint before the LORD.” It…

Eight Days After the Birth of Jesus?
     'Word from Scotland' from Sandy Shaw

We move on to Luke Chapter 2 and verses 21 to 40. Amazing circumstances surrounded John the Baptist, when he was 8 days old. Amazing and wonderful things happened, when Jesus was 8 days old, and significant things were said. Many are unaware of the importance of what happened on this occasion. When……

Why did Moses Need a Name for God?
     'Refreshment in Refuge' from Gina Burgess

Have you ever wondered why Moses asked God, "What name shall I give the Israelites when they ask?" Perhaps it is simply that names connotated character or aspects of a person. " And God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM." And He said, "Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, 'I AM has sent me to you.' " Exodus 3:14 YHWH -- self sufficient, I AM, no beginning, no end, eternal, infinite, forever. LORD God. A lesson that not only the Israelites and Egyptians needed to hear. Several places we find YHWH written before the word 'ĕlôhı̂ym…

National Sin
     ''Christ in You...'' from Dale Krebbs

The world is in trouble. America is in trouble. Most thinking people would probable agree. At the risk of seeming simplistic, the key to any nation's troubles is national Sin. Such a small word, and such eternal meaning, and such momentous consequences for ignoring it. The solution to national troubles is national repentance. The troubles and turmoil of any country are the results of it's spiritual condition and lack of knowledge or response to, the God who made them. It doesn't matter if a nation claims to be a Christian nation or not. There are spiritual laws that God has built…

Psalms 91:11
     'Voice of Inspiration' from Andy Castro

'For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. ' Psalm 91:11 AMP Earthquakes shake and shift the ground we walk on. If it's strong enough, the shaking and shifting will damage and destroy the buildings we've settled in. So, it is with God. He destroys the thoughts of comfort and complacency we enjoy under His protective sphere. At this moment in time, God is the earthquake. The time comes when the…

Making A Story Sing
     'Inspiration For You' from Randy Mitchell

Writing can keep you from sleeping, eating, and being around people. It can cause you more stress than you can imagine when all you're trying to do is produce a story which you love, and believe others will feel the same toward. You see, when you're not writing just to please yourself, an audience of one, but to sell your story to the literary marketplace, it can quickly become one of the hardest actions you'll ever do. You must be completely excited about the story, its characters, its places, sounds and energy; because if you don't, others simply will not. And when the last…

Bible and Quote - September 29 - October 3
     'Bible verse and quote' from Jan Couns

The Lord is God, and He has given us light. Psalm 118:27 We carry about with us a light which had come from God; in His light we see light, and in this light we discern everything which the light manifests. J. C. Philpot, 1802-1869, English pastor, Huguenot descendant Blessed are those whose way is upright, Who walk in the law of the Lord. Psalm 119:1 When we truly walk with God throughout our day, life slowly falls into place. Bill Hybels, b1951, pastor Willow Creek Community Church, Illinois How blessed are those who observe His testimonies, Who seek…

God Gives us PIctures
     'God's Words For US' from Cecelia Lester

God gives images to help us through times of trial, or doubt. The following verses are some of my favorites because of the metal image I receive when I remember them. “Give and it will be given to you,. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” Luke 6:38 (NIV) Whenever I read this passage, I think of brown sugar. When we use brown sugar in a recipe, we are told to pack it tightly into the measuring cup. When…