In the last six months, I learned a new card game. It is a rummy style game called Five Crowns. There are eleven rounds and the game can be played in an hour or so. Easy to learn, it seems there isn’t much skill involved in playing the game. The cards are dealt at random, …
As I write this, I am listening to Maple City Chapel Livestream on YouTube. Pastor Jay is talking about accepting one another. Essentially, loving them for who they are and where they are in life. What keeps us from being able to do that well? FEAR! Fear keeps us in a perpetual state of protecting, …
Owe nothing to anyone—except for your obligation to love one another. If you love your neighbor, you will fulfill the requirements of God’s law. Romans 8:13 In a society crippled by debt, followers of Jesus have a different mandate. The debt we owe one another is LOVE. Sounds simple, right? But some days it feels …
Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God. Anyone who loves is a child of God and knows God. But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love. God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world …
Fear is a liar. It doesn’t know how to discern truth from lie. It overwhelms and immobilizes. It creates chaos. As with all automatic responses of the brain, fear has it’s place. It keeps me from walking too close to the edge. It keeps me out of the street. It makes me cautious at night …
Darkness. Terrifying to some due to the unknown. What might be lurking in the shadows? Will I be safe in the dark? To others, it is a place of safety. In the dark, I can’t be seen. In the dark, I can hide. In the dark, I can let down the walls and facades, even …
Parking in Sarasota, Florida is outrageous at this time of year. It helps me to be more patient when I remind myself that I am a part of the problem. Depending on the time of day, I can feasibly circle the lot at the beach, mall or restaurant for fifteen minutes waiting for someone to …
God’s love…it’s been on my mind. How do I know that I am loved? Am I really seeing what he wants me to see? Am I experiencing his love in the deepest possible way? God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might …
Then he added, “Pay close attention to what you hear. The closer you listen, the more understanding you will be given—and you will receive even more. To those who listen to my teaching, more understanding will be given. But for those who are not listening, even what little understanding they have will be taken away from them.” …
The place my light is most likely to dim is with people who I see on a regular basis – my friends, family and neighbors. So what does scripture have to say about neighbors? The first parable that pops into my head is the story of the Good Samaritan. But what about the people who …