Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Romans 14:13 My wife recently was reading a book called The Know It All. As I understand the theme of the book it is about a fellow who read through the Encyclopedia Britannica. For most this is boring reading and most of us would only...
Read more »
Tags: juding, maturation
Posted in Blog, From the Desk of..., James | Comments Off
For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. II Corinthians 1:20 It is easy for men to live inconsistently. We can say one thing and do the opposite as easy as eating melting ice cream in our hot summer temperature. Inconsistency is the one thing that will remain...
Read more »
Tags: consistency, inconsistency
Posted in Blog, From the Desk of..., James | Comments Off
But at the beginning of creation God ‘made them male and female. Mark 10:6 Language is a strange thing. We can carry old ideas in language for generations after they have lost their meaning. The way we use words can affect the way we perceive others. The words “male” and “female” are words that...
Read more »
Tags: gender roles, manhood, society, words
Posted in Blog, From the Desk of..., James | Comments Off
The reason I left you in Crete was that you might straighten out what was left unfinished and appoint elders in every town, as I directed you. Titus 1:5 It was always Paul’s custom to appoint elders as soon as he founded a church (Acts 14:23). He understood that leadership was the key to the...
Read more »
Tags: elders, leadership
Posted in Blog, From the Desk of..., James | Comments Off
It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Galatians 5:1 Freedom! It’s one of those words that has become sacred to us in this country. It is a word that takes on special meaning at this time of the year. July 4th is not just about firecrackers and barbeque. It is about freedom...
Read more »
Tags: freedom
Posted in Blog, From the Desk of..., James | Comments Off
May you rejoice in the wife of your youth. Proverbs 5:18 The Gores have split after 40 year. Yep! Tipper and Al are going their separate ways. One daughter had already divorced and the other decided to call it quits as well. It seems that more and more people are splitting their marriage and...
Read more »
Tags: love, marriage
Posted in Blog, From the Desk of..., James | Comments Off
If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Romans 12:18 This verse has always fascinated me. I have often heard the expression, “He is impossible.” It doesn’t take long to run into some of those impossible people in our daily walk. We pray “Lord! Give me...
Read more »
Tags: difficult people, peacemaking
Posted in Blog, From the Desk of..., James | Comments Off
Endurance produces character, Character produces hope. Romans 5:4 Have you spent much thought about your personal integrity? We don’t want to become obsessed with showcasing our character but it might be good to give it some consideration. Here are some questions to ponder: * Am I the person others believe me to be? *...
Read more »
Tags: character, integrity
Posted in Blog, From the Desk of..., James | Comments Off
My kingdom is not of this world. John 18:36 I love to sing the song “The Kingdoms of earth pass away one by one but the Kingdom of heaven remains.” It points to an everlasting truth that God is the only guarantee of permanency in our ever-changing world. If I go back to where...
Read more »
Tags: church, eternity, kingdom
Posted in Blog, From the Desk of..., James | Comments Off
Who was I to think that I could oppose God? Acts 11:17 There is an apocryphal story about a village warrior in a cannibal village in a remote South Pacific Island. He came down with a stomach ailment and went to the local witch doctor for help. After the good doctor had given him...
Read more »
Tags: belief in god, learning, sin
Posted in Blog, From the Desk of..., James | Comments Off