There is a tension in my life, and maybe in yours too. It battles against my desire to live for God. It is a force that drives me away from trusting in Him at all times and towards relying on myself. It damages relationships, brings out insecurities, drives us to manipulate others, and inevitably governs my ability to have an intimate relationship with God and others.
Read MoreIt’s interesting how some words are so closely connected to others. For instance, the title of this blog is “Premeditated” - what’s the next word that came to your mind? I would bet a slice of pie from The Wooden Spoon that it was “Murder” (Tip: Always bet pie. Win or lose: you get to eat pie). What might surprise you, is that I want to talk about forgiveness.
Read MoreIs It Right for You to be Angry?
Last week I said that anger will never completely disappear from our lives this side of heaven, nor should it. There is a time and a place for anger and it will either be our servant or our master. In order for our anger to be our servant, we need to get beyond anger management to anger control. Anger is an emotion, and we do not have direct volitional control over our emotions. We can’t will ourselves to like people we have an emotional hatred for. We can choose to do the loving thing for them even though we don’t like them; but we can’t simply tell ourselves to stop being angry.
Read MoreWhy do our homes and workplaces become hotbeds for anger? Do we have a right to be angry? What are the roots of all the anger and hostility that we see in our world today? Is anger a normal human trait? Is there a time and place for anger? Can I ever get my anger under control...?
Read MoreSome might recoil a bit at this article…it is about planning for the end of life. There is a lack of knowledge regarding what we can or should do to prepare for the end of our lives. Some don’t want to talk about it, as if talking about death would make it come sooner. I admit that it is hard to talk about and easy to procrastinate...
Read MoreAs I travel the Southwest City area I see large signs nailed to fence post with Bible scripture references on them. One of these is John 3:16. Often we see someone in the bleachers at a baseball or football games holding up a sign bearing that Bible verse. Children who attend church, especially the Sunday School hour, are taught and encouraged to memorize John 3:16...
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