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I Desire Mercy Not Sacrifice
Experiencing the mercy of God in our lives
Ready & Faithful
Looking to Jesus for help now and hope in the future
Why Suffering?
Help your church understand God's plan in pain
Knowing When We Don’t! (11.03.05--Faith That Flies!--Job 1:1) I do much better when I know all the little details! When I can see the whole picture it is far easier to sit down and think through even the toughest of problems. Unfortunately there are those things in life that simply don’t lend ...read more
Scripture: Job 1:1, Job 1:20-25
Tags: Faith General, Doubt
Denomination: Lutheran
Pointed Sticks! (10.31.05--Faith That Flies!--Judges 6:25-30) “If you walk around with a pointed stick you are liable to hurt yourself.” There was something about a pointed stick that just put mothers on edge. Pointed sticks weren’t risky from our perspective at all. As boys we were willing to ...read more
Scripture: Judges 6:25-30
Tags: Faith General
Making It! (10.28.05--Making It!--Jeremiah 52:34) He had a job most people despised. In fact, his job most often elicited laughs than it did applause. He lived alone since his wife died. There were times that he would go on long fasts, sitting in front of his humble home, drawing stares from his ...read more
Scripture: Jeremiah 52:34
Tags: Faith, Believe, Peace
Ask the Coach! (10.27.05--Making It!--Joshua 9:14-15) I grew up in a time and place of heroes. Mostly my heroes were TV cowboys like Roy Rogers or the Cisco Kid. In those days there was something common to nearly every TV show--the hero had someone else standing beside him. Roy had Dale, his wife; ...read more
Scripture: Joshua 9:14-15
Tags: Character, Peace
When Things Are Just Working Out! (10.26.05--Making It!--Judges 18:27) IF life is going well and I am in all things successful, does that me that God is pleased with me? That’s a good question! If I am successful in the things that I do, does that necessarily mean that God is behind that success? ...read more
Scripture: Judges 18:27
Tags: Joy, Christian Disciplines
God Knows I Tried! (10.25.05--Making It!--Genesis 31:1-2) Success is a measure of looking down and not looking up. It all about winning and losing. For me that winning and losing began when I left college over thirty years ago. I had spent four years and a lot of money along with thousands of ...read more
Scripture: Genesis 31:1-2
Tags: Peace, Christian Disciplines
It’s The Fruit and Not The Tree! (10.24.05--Making It!--Psalm 1:3) Each year as the seasons change, so does the selection of fruit that is available at my local Piggly Wiggly. In early summer there are the tangy apricots and sweet plums along with nutty peaches and nectarines. As summer passes, ...read more
Scripture: Psalm 1:3
Tags: Leadership General
Leveling the Ground! (10.21.05--That Person!--Genesis 5:3-5) As I paid for my fuel purchase in he came. Everyone in town knew him as just plain Frank. He was dirty, loud and smelly. Most people avoided him because he was just different from most other folks. He didn’t bath or shower but once in a ...read more
Scripture: Genesis 5:3-5
Tags: Racism
Judging Books! (10.20.05--That Person!--Esther 3:5-6) The other day, a jehovah’s witness came to my door. I’ve seen them many times in the past as they slowly travel down my driveway and descend upon my doorbell. I know what differentiates my faith from theirs and have learned stock answers to ...read more
Scripture: Esther 5:5-6
He Chooses Whom He Will! (10.18.05--That Person!--Judges 4:4ff) My first job out of college was a long time in coming. It was with a small publishing company that published inspirational magazines, greeting booklets and high quality cookbooks. I met my immediate supervisor at the receptionist ...read more
Scripture: Judges 4:4
Just Something I Believed! (10.17.05--That Person!--Mark 6:2-3) Sometimes we want to believe something so hard that even when we know the truth, we cling to the error. I grew up believing that all cats were sneaky and couldn’t be trusted. All dogs were rather dumb and couldn’t be devious if ...read more
Scripture: Mark 6:2-3
Seeing Only You! (10.14.05--Sacrifice!--Leviticus 1:2) Think about it; a world free from the chains of pain and suffering--a place where accomplishment reigned and failure rarely reared its ugly head. Since sacrifice requires so much effort and consumes so much valuable time, wouldn’t we be far ...read more
Scripture: Leviticus 1:2
Tags: Cross Agony
Making God-Hugs Possible! (10.12.05--Sacrifice!--Matthew 19:21) Does God place limits on how far He wants us to go when it comes to committing to His will? If His will is our sacrifice, can there be any limits? Is our God reasonable when it comes to our ability to forbear or to bear? God, of ...read more
Scripture: Matthew 19:21
Tags: Hardship Of Life
Order of the Wooden Cross! (10.11.05--Sacrifice!--1 Chronicles 21:22-24) Recently I was asked this question: “What have you sacrificed lately in light of all the sorrow, desolation and bloodshed that have gripped the world?” It was a challenge from a friend of mine who regularly gives to ...read more
Scripture: Hebrews 11:17-19, 1 Chronicles 21:22-24
Tags: Giving General
Not By Might! (10.08.05--Beginning Again!--2 Kings 5:12) “That’s simple--too simple!” I thought. I had been looking for a simple solution to overcoming a seemingly complex problem for a long time now. How could I get better mileage and performance on an engine that was nearly 40 years old? I had ...read more
Scripture: 2 Kings 5:12
Tags: Sin General, Sin Wages Of
Those Nasty Redo’s! (10.06.05--Beginning Again!--Genesis 16:7-10) Time is one of the most precious commodities that God gives us daily. The time to do things is always limited. And, we need to balance the things we want to do with the things we need to do. Therein is the tension. I start each ...read more
Scripture: Genesis 16:7-10
Tags: God's Forgiveness, Promises Of God
Stop the Bleeding But Heal the Wound! (10.07.05--Beginning Again!--Genesis 16:7-10) There is one good rule for starting over. If something’s broken, don’t try to fix it with anything less than your best effort. The odds are that the more you try to “band-aid” things, the longer it will take for ...read more
Tags: God's Provision, God's Forgiveness
Fresh Starts! (10.05.05--Beginning Again!--Numbers 20:1) A number of years ago my wife had an opportunity to spend several days camping at a church camp with several of her friends. They kept the little ones and the family pets with them. The only thing lacking for the time was husbands. It was ...read more
Scripture: Numbers 20:1
Tags: Hardship Of Life, God In The Hardships
Game’s Only Half Over! (10.04.05--Beginning Again!--2 Samuel 12:20-24) Is there anyone who hasn’t felt the sting of regret and discovered just how bitter it is to live with the thought that if only we hadn’t done this or said that we’d be a whole lot happier at the moment? Beginning again is one ...read more
Scripture: 2 Samuel 12:20-24
Tags: God's Provision, Regret, Remorse, God's Forgiveness, Face Your Fears, Embarrassment (view more) (view less)
Knee Work! Knee Work! (09.29.05--Teach Me to Pray!--Luke 6:17-19) When it comes to some things in life, I’m pretty dedicated. Take mornings for instance. I am dedicated to my morning time to such an extant that even when I’ve had a difficult night with little sleep, when 4:45 comes around, I’m up ...read more
Scripture: Luke 6:19
Tags: Prayer Persistence, Prayer Adoration