Bible, Christian Living

The Fluffy Snow Christian

Today I woke up to my least favorite sound on a winter morning. The snow plow. And it was loud. It sounded like it was ripping off bumpers as it drove down the street. Then it came a second time. Something in my head said that I was in big trouble this morning. So I rolled over, picked up my phone and dialed the school storm line. If the kids do not have to school, I can wait a little bit to shovel. But school was on. It was time to get up.

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I got dressed, brushed my teeth, and started downstairs. As I reached for my boots I noticed that the dog had made it outside this morning, but no one let him back in. Opening the door I stumbled on the best part of my snowy morning. It was just fluff. You see, I have glasses and I need to update my prescription. I looked out the bedroom window after the plow may his second trip this morning and saw what looked like six inches of snow. But if you know anything about shoveling snow, you know that six inches of fluff is a lot easier to move around than six inches of a regular snowfall, or worse, a “wet” one.

In Bible College we had a way of describing the writing of those students who knew how to spin a line. They were often the ones who waited until the last minute to write their papers, and still managed to get a high grade. We used to say that those papers written with excellent vocabulary and logic but no substance from research were “all fluff and no stuff.” The six inches of snow that welcomed me to the driveway was all fluff and no stuff. And sometimes there are Christians who are “all fluff and no stuff.”

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Bible, Christian Living

Understanding the Biblical Blessing (part 1)

Do you know what it means to be blessed? We understand being blessed as having favor with someone greater than ourselves. In Christian circles we seek to be blessed by God. And who would not want to be blessed by God?

Being blessed by God means being in His favor. I am considered a notch above the rest. He takes special interest in me. He gives me things He does not give others.

For a number of years the idea of blessing has grown into a widely discussed topic. Not only is it possible to be blessed by God, but we have the ability to speak God’s blessing into the lives of others. Scripture gives evidence of the power of a parent to bless a child.

Yet for all I have seen about such a blessing, there is always one key component that is left out. It is obvious in the Scriptural appearances of the blessing. So why do we ignore it? Missing it leaves us in danger of forfeiting something God intends for us to live in.

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Book Reviews, Christian Living

Living Second: Vain

Imagine what it would be like to have access to any and everything you want. No fee is too great. No location too remote. Don’t know how to do it? You have the time and the tutors to learn it. Wonder if it is legal or moral? All restrictions are out the window and the red tape is put through the shredder.

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What would you do? Where would you go? This is much larger than your “bucket list.” It isn’t what to do before your final moments, but what to fill your living days with. Projects, travels, people, acquisitions. You have your pick of the world. What will you choose? What will you leave behind?

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Christian Living

Have You Really Met God?

If you have spent any amount of time in the church you know something about God. You have heard and sang songs, sermons have come to you from the Holy Bible, you partake in the bread and cup of Communion, and you have heard innumerable prayers. While all of these have a valuable place in our spiritual lives, you may enjoy them regularly and never experience the most important part of Christianity.

As the worship portion of our service ended on Sunday, in that transition time before the message that I have to make on those days when I lead worship before speaking, I felt the need to ask whether or not we have really met God.

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Bible

Planning for the Future (Hebrews 11:22)

By faith Joseph, when his end was near, spoke about the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt and gave instructions about his bones. (Hebrews 11:22)

What do you plan for? How far down the calendar do you look from day to day? What do you know is coming, even when it feels very far away in terms of months, days or hours?

In this way, all of our future planning is based on faith. We have confidence in what we do not see: time. We are sure of what we hope for: that day or season that we love. God wants us to plan for our futures with faith in Him and His promises to us.

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Book Reviews

Book Review: “I Am Second” (Thomas Nelson)

ias-bookThe Bible is more than a bunch of stories gathered over time. It is a historical record of people from the beginning of time to the end of the first century or so. It talks about how people related with God and how He intervened in their lives. There are success stories and there are failures.

At times we pick up the Scriptures and wonder if the stories of lives that are thousands of years removed from our own will be able to speak to us. If only we could see how God relates to us in our time, with our problems. Maybe we can finally believe that He is real and that He wants to be part of our lives.

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