"Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness"

Two-hundred and forty years ago, our Founding Fathers penned and affixed their names to a document that freed a people and ushered in a new chapter to world history. And now, as we look back and celebrate the founding of this great nation, we are grateful for the courage and bravery these men expressed when they declared:

WE, THEREFORE, the REPRESENTATIVES of the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, IN GENERAL CONGRESS, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by the authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly PUBLISH and DECLARE, That These United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be, FREE AND INDEPENDENT STATES…

These majestic and powerful words gave birth to one of the greatest nations in history; however, over two hundred years later, we are starting to see the beginning of its demise.  How could a nation with such a strong, sturdy foundation begin to slide downward so quickly?  And, more importantly, what spiritual lessons can we learn from the state of our Union?

Oh Troubled Heart Be Still

Welcome to a new chapter of the gospel of John!  I pray that your studies are going well and that God has been opening your eyes to the great treasures He has for you in each passage.  I apologize for not writing last week, but hope you enjoyed my Valentine’s gift to you.  In this week’s study of John, we’re going to focus on the first verse of chapter fourteen.

Life can be full of worries, anxieties, stressful situations, and sometimes tragedy, and these cares and concerns often burden our soul.  However, as we learn from the verse above, Jesus commands us to trouble not and believe in God.  Yet how often do we forget this and instead waste our time fretting over mundane concerns?  Why do we so easily forget that God is always in control?

To Everything There is a Season

We’ve come to the beginning of yet another new year.  Yes, I know that this post is late and that the first month of the year is already almost over; however, I’m still trying to get my head around 2016!

Father, Glorify Your Name!

Is your soul weary or troubled?  Are you in the midst of or approaching a difficult journey and don’t know how to go on?  Does your heart want to cry “Save me from this trial!”?  Well, I have encouraging news for you, you are not alone!  Our Savior, Jesus Christ the perfect Son of God, also faced heartache and unrest on the journey to the cross.  In John chapter twelve, we get a glimpse of His inner turmoil and how He managed to continue on the road placed before Him.  So let’s study and learn from our Lord’s perfect example.

Let Us Remember

Today is a day of remembrance and reflection for our country.  A time to remember lives lost, sacrifices made, and a war begun.   On this day, fourteen years ago, terror struck America as three hijacked planes hurled into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.  The attackers’ objective:  terrorize the most powerful nation in the world and bring fear and devastation.  They accomplished their mission and ignited the War on Terror.  Since that fateful day in 2001, there have been many other terrorist attacks in America and around the world where innocent people have lost their lives and military personnel have sacrificed theirs.

Refiner and Purifier of Silver

Author Unknown

"He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver." 

- Malachi 3:3 -

This verse puzzled some women in a Bible study and they wondered what this statement meant about the character and nature of God. 

One of the women offered to find out the process of refining silver and get back to the group at their next Bible Study.

Be Still and Know that I AM God

“Then the LORD said to Abram, ‘Know for certain that your offspring will be sojourners in a land that is not theirs and will be servants there, and they will be afflicted for four hundred years.  But I will bring judgment on the nation that they serve, and afterward they shall come out with great possessions.’”

-Genesis 15:13-14-

While God was making His covenant with Abraham, He told Abraham that his descendants, the Israelites, would be sojourners in a foreign land and that they would be afflicted for four hundred years.  Now this is not something I would want God to tell me, would you?!  But as always there’s a promise,

Movable Type

“These pains and trouble here are like the type which the printers set; as they look now, we have to read them backwards, and they seem to have no sense or meaning in them; but up yonder, when the Lord God prints us off in the life to come, we shall find they make brave reading.”      
-Martin Luther

Luther penned these words on his death bed, amidst the pain and torment of his final illness. The Lord is the mastermind of our lives, choosing the text with extra care, for every word has divine purpose.

Tools in the Master's Hand

"But now, O LORD, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand"   - Isaiah 64:8

Like a gigantic puzzle with all its pieces strewn about, so also situations in life can look like the aftermath of a hurricane. However, it is from the chaos of the scattered pieces that we come to truly appreciate the beauty of the completed work. Many times, though, we don’t get to see the finished product or the purpose behind the chaos.