If it weren’t for the miraculous conception, the surprise tour stop of heaven’s angel choir to a group of sleepy shepherds, the mysterious arrival of Eastern wise men or angel visits to both Mary and Joseph … the birth of Jesus would be just like the birth of any baby. But God didn’t orchestrate […]
Archive | Fresh Heart for a New Week
RSS feed for this sectionA Missing Baby!!
It happened while we were out of state celebrating Christmas with our family. During a rare prolonged period of freezing weather, a water pipe in our attic burst and for several days sprayed water over the area. A neighbor saw water running out our front door. As a result the ceiling over our family […]
3 Things On God’s Wish List
POST ‘BLACK FRIDAY’ ALERT!! Listening to people who had survived the Great Depression talk about Christmas gifts ‘back then’ and overhearing some of the lists that the mall Santa Claus is given by kids today … well, it’s pretty obvious that consumerism has won. We look for and expect more each year to add to […]
Why Tomorrow Matters
“And Esau vowed, thereby selling all his eldest-son rights to his younger brother. Then Jacob gave Esau bread, peas, and stew; so he ate and drank and went on about his business, indifferent to the loss of the rights he had thrown away.” Genesis 25:33-34 TLB ‘Now’ is often part of a fool’s philosophy […]
How A Stick, Flashlight, Horn and Pot Changed History
“When what’s in your hand isn’t sufficient for your harvest, make it your seed.” Evangelist Mike Murdock It’s startling, but we hardly ever conceive of the difference God will make in a situation! Most of us should know better. We’ve been around long enough to see that when God is combined with any […]
Running On Empty
“God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble.” Psalm 46:1 NLT There we were – on our first ever vacation after graduating from college. Driving our brand new (fire engine red with white bucket seats) 1964 Rambler 440H we had made the first three quarters of our […]
Oops!
My motivational gifting is that of an ‘exhorter.’ As such my primary objective is to convey spiritual truth in a way that makes sense. Accuracy is also part of my goal each week. Well, this week it wasn’t just the slip of my computer keyboard, but a slip of my mind. I muddled enough Scriptural […]
Why Obedience Matters
“The Lord had clearly instructed the people of Israel, “You must not marry them, because they will turn your hearts to their gods.” Yet Solomon insisted on loving them anyway. He had 700 wives of royal birth and 300 concubines. And in fact, they did turn his heart away from the Lord.” I Kings 11:2,3 NLT […]
4 Prayers That Raise God’s Eyebrows
Any prayer has power. However, there are several prayers that cause God’s eyebrows to raise … that make him a bit uncomfortable. Watch out for these less than ideal prayers: “If You Can” prayers. In Mark 9 Jesus meets a hurting father whose son is distressed by the devil. He pleads with Jesus: […]
Why We Grab Bannisters
Author John Powell tells a rather poignant personal story about his mother’s last days. Each evening at bedtime he would carry her up a flight of stairs to her bed. Invariably, as he began to climb with her in his arms, she would reach out and grab the banister. “Mother” he would gasp “don’t do […]