Musings and Nuggets

I believe that all of us are finally breathing a sigh of relief that all of the political ads that have inundated our televisions, radios, and mail boxes, holding them hostage, finally cease until mid-term election time comes around in two years.  We need a break!! Some people are elated and celebrating because their candidate(s) won.  Some are disappointed and sad because theirs did not.  Still others are considering and actively researching countries to which they would like to reside (instead of remaining in the United States).   Others are gripped by the fear of what seems to lie ahead and are totally disallusioned about the promise of "justice and liberty for all".   For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.  2 Timothy 1:7   (NKJV) As hard as it may seem, we cannot lose sight of the fact that our Sovereign God is still in control no matter how it looks and that we are to walk by faith and not by what we see.  Don't worry

Later today, in many communities there will be crowds of children (and some adults) that will "hit the streets" as part of their celebration or observance of Halloween.  First, a little background. According to  Christianity.org.uk ,  "the one thing that we can be certain of is its name, Hallowe'en is a contraction of All Hallows Eve, and this refers to a christian festival known in old language as All Hallows,  that is All Saints day". According to Britannica.com , "Halloween, [is] a holiday observed on October 31 and noted for its pagan and religious roots and secular traditions.  In much of Europe and most of North America , observance of Halloween is largely nonreligious, celebrated with parties, spooky costumes, Jack-o-lanterns, pumpkins, and the giving of candy." Therein lies "the rub".  There is disagreement among Christians about whether or not Halloween is demonic and therefore should not celebrated or observed, and those (who enjoy

  “You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor? Can you make it salty again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless.                                         Matthew 5:13 ( NLT) Tensions and emotions are quite high in our land right now, as well as, other places in the world.  Some because of the aftermath of events such as hurricanes, tornados, droughts, floods, earthquakes, wars, and even rumors of wars.  As we approach the 2024 Presidential Election in America, the temperature of the country is emotionally charged with anger, threats, racial tensions, distrust, fear, and panic. How are those of us who are "called by His name" supposed to respond?  Can the Lord trust us to be salt, light and peacemakers (Matthew 5:9) or are will we be the ones to "agitate and stir the pot" thus turning up the temperature?  Seeing families being fractured and lifelong friendships threatened, is very sad. The inability to disagree

QUESTION:   If we believe that we are truly in the "last days", what would we be willing to suffer in defense of  our  faith?  What is the line in the sand that we are  not  willing to cross?  We are seeing and experiencing "wars and rumors of wars", earthquakes,  famine and other signs, but Matthew 24:6 tells us the "the end is not yet".  Some died by stoning, some were sawed in half, and others were killed with the sword.    Hebrews 11:37a  (NLT) Included in what has been called the Faith Hall of Fame, is a list of those who fought, were persecuted,  and even killed because they refused to abandon their loyalty to God .    I was intrigued because I didn't recall reading in the scripture where someone was "sawed in half" as a result of their faith, so I did some research. I t turns out that it is recorded in the Talmud, not the Bible, and that that martyr was the prophet, Isaiah.  Peter   was hung upside down on a cross because he felt unwo

Though He was God, He did not think of equality with God as something to cling to.  Instead, He gave up His divine privileges; He took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being.  When He appeared in human form, He humbled  Himself in obedience to God and died a criminal's death on a cross.                                         Philippians 2:6-8 (NLT) The Oxford Dictionary defines fully as "completely,  thoroughly, totally and in every respect".  All of the things that Christ suffered during His 3 years of public ministry, He suffered as a human being.  As a man, He was not immune to disppointment, lies, and the physical pain and torture He endured on His way to the cross. Photo by Tim Wildsmith on Unsplash We see both His humanity and His divine nature as He prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane to the Father asking if He (Jesus) could avoid the suffering that was ahead of Him.  There we see His humanity.  When He refocused on His assignment in the ea

                                                                                       Photo In Collaboration with Joe Eitzen on UnSplash And the families of the scribes who dwelt at Jabez were the Tirathites, the Shimeathites, and the Suchathites.   1 Chronicles 2:55a ( NKJV) Let me say at the outset that this week's post is a bit of a deviation from my usual content.  When I began studying Jabez, I did not know that there was also a town/city which bore his name located near Bethlehem.  According to Wikipedia there is also a town in Kentucky named Jabez.  It is "an unincorporated community located in Russell County, Kentucky, United States."  The Post Office that was built for this community in 1881 is said to still be standing. It also appears that there have been several people named Jabez including a politician, an actor, a rapper and even a church.  Who knew!?!  From a Biblical standpoint, the only times recorded in scripture where Jabez is even mentioned are found