There aren't many of us who do not deal with at least some type of stress on a regular basis. Sometimes we even feel like we may be, (as Dr. Adrian Rodgers put it), "the chief rat in the rat race!" But stress is actually the gap between the problem and the ability we have to handle said problem. Sometimes, no matter how prepared we try to be, or even think we are, we just cannot meet the demand, then stress ensues. Then there are those problems that have no explanation. We have a devouring difficulty that threatens to consume us, and it is completely out of our hands. The Covid-19 virus is one of that type of problem. We didn't bring it here, we can't control who around us has it and who doe

There are many ways to view our lives. Some see life as a straight line of events, one following another. Others may see life as being a collage of events either happening all at once, or perhaps some are happening as they decay to the past while other are currently continuing, yet others are in the infancy of their time, or maybe they are in the distant future but some of the things happening today will bring about their eventual birth in reality. I am not sure about time and reality and how these intersect, but I am sure of one thing; God is in control of all things! When we think of God, we must consider His reality. God is apart from time although He created it. While speaking to God, Jo

Many times when we send up a prayer, we are asking God to help us with a situation. Who are we trying to protect with our petition? When we think about it, a large part of our prayer life is asking God to take away or alter a situation in which we are a key player, and through which we might ultimately be embarrassed before our peers if things didn't go the way we think they should. But have you ever been worried about embarrassing our Father in heaven. Too many times we are so self-centered that we only are thinking of ourselves, and not about how the actions we are taking will affect the ministry of Jesus who has sent us here to do His will upon the earth.Perhaps we would do better to trus

The following devotional is from the book, "Best Loved Passages of the Bible: A Daily Devotional", (P.12). Overcoming loneliness: The Lord your God goes with you. He will never leave you nor forsake you, Deuteronomy 31:6. A grandmother was once asked, "Have you ever felt lonely?" "Who isn't lonely? Who isn't lonely? she repeated. "From the moment we are born, we are lonely." Lutheran professor and psychiatrist Paul Morentz says: "Loneliness is still mankind's greatest problem. And it stems from the original sin of mankind's self-imposed isolation from God back in the Garden of Eden." And this sin of self-imposed isolation from God needs repentance and forgiveness. You and I may be on the run

It is said there is a cult in Chicago where the followers go to their "temple" where there is a room in which the followers are to "think pure thoughts." The room is said to have beautiful ornamentations and pictures- a place of peace and serenity. Well, I am not sure anyone this side of heaven can actually think thoughts that are totally free of any sin, but our God who is in heaven thinks nothing but pure thoughts; and one day I am certain, when we are with Him, we will do the same. Our Bibles tell us "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on Thee; because he trusteth in Thee," (Is. 26:3 KJV). So, when we trust in God, our minds are capable of being kept in perfect peace

That's a really strange title for a writing that has nothing to do with ball! But let me explain. There is an ancient game known as the "shell game." You may have watched it being played many times. In the game, an object is placed under one of three half nut shells. Then the shells are slidden around on the table top. Your part is to keep your eye on the shell that has the object under it. The controller's part is to distract you while he slides the shells around in an attempt to make you mistake the true position of the shell with the object. You may not realize it but you play a version of the shell game every day of your life! Satan, the master of deception and our enemy as Christians, w

I think we are all glad no one can read our minds! We would likely be in a peck of trouble if they could! But there is one who can! He is our Lord. But our Father in heaven doesn't betray our thoughts like an earthling would do. Though we have loyalties to our family and friends here, occasionally our thoughts go astray. When it happens, we can easily forgive ourselves and get our minds back on the right track. But when others find out we have had an errant thought, they are usually not so quick to forgive us, though as afore mentioned, they have no trouble forgiving themselves. Why is that? Our Bible says not to judge other people. In fact in Matthew 7:1-3, "Judge not that you be not judged

Okay, so what is Cinco de Mayo? It is celebrated in Mexico to remember the victory over the French army, May 5th, 1862, under the leadership of Gen. Ignacio Zaragoza, at the Battle of Puebla. That was easy, but what's the significance? I use the example to remind you of events of the past in our own lives, whether they are painful or pleasant. Everyone seems to have some unpleasant events that hold us prisoner to the past- whether it is a sorrowful memory, or an accident with pain, or a sad relationship; some anchor seems to hold onto us. Conversely, we may be held prisoner to wonderful memories as well! Sometimes, when life used to be really great and now has gone downhill on us, we can't s

So what!! Well, actually, our birthdays are a reminder that time is short for us to fulfill the mission God has sent us here to do! I think most of us, even the most dedicated Christians, don't have "use before expiration" on our radar screen. Thus, we haven't prepared our "schedule" of Christian activities for the day. Which day? Well, Jesus said, "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own," (Matt 6:34). So the answer is "each day!" What should we do today? What would Jesus do? Again we go to the Scripture. Jesus said, " Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works that I have been doing, and they w