Free Download of the Month – January 2011 (EXPIRED) Read the rest of this entry »

Resolutions for the New Year?

Each year at about this time, A lot of people make decisions about what they plan to accomplish in the upcoming year. Some people call them “resolutions” while others name them something else or nothing at all. Some determine to stop or start a habit. Some decide to gain or loose weight. Most everyone has some formal – or informal – goal(s) for the the next 12 months.

One common resolution among Christians is that they will read through the entire Bible in the next year. It really is not difficult but does require some discipline.

Probably the WORST plan is t0 just begin reading at Genesis 1:1 and go from there. The problem is that some O.T. Scriptures are boring genealogies that may go on for several pages. Other O.T. Scriptures (like the Jewish dietary laws and rules for animal sacrifice) do not pertain to us directly. Since such rules are not appropriate for today’s Christian (Jesus Christ has fulfilled all that law), they can be misleading and/or boring.

To keep Bible reading lively and enjoyable, I recommend the use of a formal reading program.  See the bottom of this post for more on reading programs.

Read the rest of this entry »

New “Bible Lookup” page on this site.

Use this page (find the link in the menu bar – black line – across the top of each page) to find any Scripture reference, word or phrase, or topic in the Bible. You can even select the version (including the Message Bible and many others). If English is not your first language, there are even other language Bibles to select from.

Use this on FaceBook:

A neat trick is that when you are reading a verse online, you can copy the address (from the top line of your browser).

You can then open FaceBook and write your comments in your status and then paste the address as a LINK.  When posted, both your comments and the actual verse will display in FaceBook.

I seriously need your HELP! The very best way to help is to share your appreciation for anything that you like here.

If you find something helpful on this site, would you consider sharing the link with your friends on Facebook, Twitter, Buzz, etc? You will find links to Twitter at the top-right of each post. The Facebook link is at the bottom right.

Across the bottom of each post is a line of icons representing most common social media sites. Click on any icon for a site where you have an account and you will be led through the process of sharing the link with your friends on that site.

I will not let you go unless you bless me!

Jacob made this statement when he was wrestling with God at Peniel (Gen 32:26). But is such determination complimentary? Is it appropriate for the creature to demand anything from his Creator?

Should Christians be seeking some “blessing” or “prosperity” for themselves? Certainly, I would never decline a blessing from God – provided that I understood its value to me. But should I be spending my “fervent prayer” time (James 5:16) seeking things for myself? Is that what a “righteous man” would pray for?

These are some really difficult questions and ardent supporters present various viewpoints. Some would argue “We have every right to demand whatever God has promised.” I am not certain that I agree with “demanding” anything from God. But even if the argument is true, it would not support Jacob’s demand.

Read the rest of this entry »

In the last article, we looked at destiny and what it means. Each of us is born with a destiny. At a minimum, that means that God has designed a purpose or destination for our life.

Some people believe that destiny and fate are the same – that their destiny/fate is sealed and irresistible.  But my personal opinion is that our destiny is not irresistible. God has set it as a destination that we have the ability to reach – if we make the correct decisions.

It seems clear that in order for Jacob to fulfill his destiny (become the patriarch of the 12 tribes of Israel) HE had to make some changes. Before Jacob could lead the great nation that God had promised (Gen 28:14), he had to learn to follow.

Until Jacob submitted to God, he could never be the great leader that God intended. Jacob demonstrated his inability to follow God in the bad choices he made:

• He deceived Laban, leaving without telling his father-in-law/uncle (Gen 31:20)
• He tried to pacify Esau rather than trust God to manage the reunion (Gen 32:20)
• He submitted to Esau as a “servant” (Gen 32:4) when the prophecy (his destiny) said “the older [Esau] shall serve the younger [Jacob]” (Gen 25:23)

God wanted Jacob to make some changes in his character. He asked Jacob his NAME. Biblical names often represented a person’s character. God already knew Jacob perfectly (including his name) but He wanted Jacob to admit that his character was true to his name. Read the rest of this entry »

Dave Burchett just posted an article under this title on his “Confessions of a Bad Christian” blog. Here is a quote:

Buffalo Bill’s wide receiver Steve Johnson settled under a well thrown pass that would be the game winner against heavily favored Pittsburgh. The ball tumbled off the hands of the open receiver. Johnson sat in the endzone with a stunned look on his face. After the game he sent the now infamous Tweet questioning what God was up to.

“I praise you 24/7!!! And this how you do me!!! You expect me to learn from this??? How??? I’ll never forget this!! Ever!! Thx tho.”

Pretty insightful of Dave to see how Christianity and the social media are merging. Also insightful that he would see the deeper issue. Here is Dave’s assessment of the event:

…Steve Johnson may have chosen an odd forum to express his frustration but his response is not uncommon for honest believers. It makes sense in our performance based culture that if you commit to praising and proclaiming God that you should get a little something in return. Shouldn’t it go a little better for me than for that other player who frequents bad places and does bad things? Shouldn’t God have my back?

I agree, Dave! The REAL issue is that we want everything in our lives to be comfortable and pleasant. And, if it is not, then we look for someone to blame. The reality is, life is tough, even for Christians – sometimes ESPECIALLY for Christians. (See Todd Starnes’ recent tweet  http://twitter.com/toddstarnes, “Happy Ramadan – no problem. Happy Hanukkah – no problem. Merry Christmas – you’re intolerant.”)

What do YOU think is the CAUSE of hardship in a person’ life?