Thought For the Week

Dear Friends, Over all the years I've been sending out these "thoughts," I have rarely (maybe one other time?) shared one from me as opposed to others. Today is one of the few other times I will do that. It is part of a sermon I preached two weeks ago, but after considering the length of the message, I took it out to shorten it a bit. (Yes, we pastors do sometimes try to be sensitive to that!) Yet, I thought I would like to pass it along to you now for your encouragement. I know it's content will not fit with the theological framework of some, but I send it out anyway -- not to be controversial, but to edify. Not to discourage, but to encourage any who may struggle with that sense of abandonment by God which most all of us have probably all dealt with to some degree on certain occasions (and if not, then someone we know). One or two of you receiving this thought, may be included in the group who shared that struggle with me in the ...

Dear Friends, Today's selection is simple but helpful. For his point is well-taken: many professing Christians who say they "believe" (that is, who give mental assent to a certain fact, or set of facts), really do lack the "faith" that should move them to act upon what they claim to believe! Most of us (if totally truthful and honest) would admit we've fallen prey to this sad inconsistency at one time or another. In fact, if we were completely honest, we would probably admit that the disconnect between believing and following-through likely stems from how costly (in terms of money, time, emotional investment, or personal sacrifice) the corresponding act of obedience called for by our belief might be! Yet, all that being said, the following devotion, taken from "The Gospel In Miniature" by Martin Copenhaver, is helpful in pointing out a distinction many people fail to make: That there is a necessary correlation between belief, and/...

Dear Friends, Today's entry comes from a book I recently purchased at a local Barnes and Noble. It's title is: "Live in Grace, Walk in Love - A 365 Day Journey" by Bob Goff. Today's selection is the 7th entry in the book. Enjoy. DON’T LET ANYTHING BUT JESUS DISTRACT YOU “When you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” Matthew 6:6 I read that the average person spends one out of every five minutes on social media. It’s literally taking over our lives, minute by minute. To minimize the distraction, software companies have developed apps to keep you off social media for twenty-four hours, no matter what. Some apps are designed to restrict your internet access completely, and you can’t turn your computer off or on, restart your internet, or do anything to get around it.  This is how seriou...