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“He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much.” Luke 16:10Too many of us daydream about doing something great for God . . . someday. Maybe we will be a missionary or bring thousands to Christ through the power of our preaching. It probably isn’t going to happen. But not to worry. Maybe we worry too much about big things. Isn’t it the little things that add up to our lives. We grow not so much by leaps and bounds but by doing the small things well. We also slip into bad habits not with huge moral mistakes, but by slipping up in the little things. A great parent isn’t cherished for the great gifts they gave at Christmas, but for the little words of encouragement that flowed on a daily basis. A great pastor doesn’t become so with the presentation of one tremendous sermon but by serving his flock, day by day in innumerable small ways. The little noticed person who faithful prays and supports ministry is building up a treasure trove in heaven.You probably won’t have the opportunity to do […]

Sleep apnea is a serious disorder that causes people to stop breathing while they sleep. Each time this temporary pause in breathing occurs, the body responds by waking up for a very short period of time. People who suffer from sleep apnea may stop breathing hundreds of times every night. Whether or not the person with sleep apnea realizes how much they are struggling to breath during the night, sleep apnea has very serious effects on the quality and restfulness of sleep on the person’s health. 1 in 5 adults suffer from some form of sleep apnea. More than 1 in 2 people with type 2 diabetes have sleep apnea. 8 out of every 10 people who have sleep apnea have not been diagnosed for it. If you have sleep apnea, your health may be in danger. Sleep apnea is a known cause of high blood pressure and may increase the risk of obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and stroke. People with sleep apnea also have higher chances of traffic accidents and workplace injuries. Helpful solutions and treatments are available. I had a fantastic day yesterday. It didn’t look like it would be a fantastic day just from looking at […]

       I’ve been alone for the last couple of days in Baton Rouge. Oh there have been lots of folks around, but they weren’t my wife or daughter or grand kids. They were not my family. I had a great dinner last night with Tyler, Jesssie’s boyfriend.  He’s almost family and that was great, but then I moved on to the Sleep Center where I spent the night. Alone again. I didn’t like it. I have to spend the rest of today in a seminar in Baton Rouge, alone. It’s not good but it’s not the kind of loneliness I have felt. I guess the most alone I’ve ever been was in Vietnam. I wasn’t  in country or anything that heroic but I was far from Rose and the kids. It was bad. All the worse because I was also far from God. Now since I walk so much closer to Him I am never really alone. I would rather have family around, but I always have Him. He’s all I really need. During the upcoming Kairos weekend I have been assigned a talk called “You are not alone.” Its purpose is to convey the idea that […]

2 Corinthians 10:3-5 New King James Version (NKJV) 3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. 4 For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, 5 casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, We’ve been discussing spiritual warfare for several days. Perhaps a bit of review is in order. It seems that everything is involved in this warfare. We have an Enemy who opposes us in every way. He seeks to disrupt our relationship with God and with each other.  He frustrates our plans, confuses our minds, and promotes anxiety and despair. The battle is real It’s easy to forget what we can’t see. That’s why the natural world so easily overwhelms us. We need time with God to keep us focused on the reality of the spiritual. Our companionship with Him will sharpen our spiritual senses and strengthen our discernment.  The battle is spiritual. Our friends, our family, our pastor our brothers and sisters in Christ are not the enemy; but neither are the worldly, the politicians, the apparent bad […]

Ephesians 4:30-32 New King James Version (NKJV) 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. 32 And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you. There are some folks whom I would like to grab by the shoulder, shake, look deep into their eyes and ask, “What are you so angry about?” You know the kind of people I mean. They are never happy, always grumpy. They move through life with a chip permanently glued to their shoulders. Their anger erupts in unexpected and often unexplainable. Afterwards, they can ask, “Where did that come from?” Sadly, if confronted,  they would likely simply look back at me and say “I’m not angry.” I agree with Joyce Meyer, “Many people ruin their health and their lives by taking the poison of bitterness, resentment and unforgiveness.” This is the condition of racists, homophobes, and anti-whatevers. The mere appearance of some people or even their mention in conversation brings out bitterness and anger. It seems useless to point out that these feelings are […]

After having written over the weekend about how much I enjoy the certainty that comes with fundamental Christianity; I run into one of those issues in which I find no certainty, Halloween. It seems when I was a kid, Halloween was not that big a deal. We threw together some costumes, raided our neighbors’ houses and made off with an unreasonable amount of candy. The next day a queasy stomach and some discussion about which of our neighbors were generous good guys and which were cheap bums, pretty much summed up the event. Now it seems like such a big deal. My neighbors decorate their yards. Stores begin hawking their ghoulish wares as long before Halloween as they put up Santas before Christmas. And that may be the heart of my discontent. I want Christmas, even in its impure form as celebrated these days, to be clearly THE holiday. I don’t like the challenge being put up by Halloween. To me it seems an obvious good guy/bad guy dichotomy. It’s God versus Satan. In that race I have a clear favorite. I know that for many, maybe even most,  Halloween is just good clean fun. I admit having fun last night […]

NOTE: This posting was drafted on Saturday but due to technical difficulties (operator error) it was not posted until now)I come to you this morning from Coffee Call in Baton Rouge. I have just polished off an order of beignets and I’m working on my cafe au lait with real sugar. It’s comfort food for I am suffering the curse of uncertainty. I didn’t leave the sleep center where I spent the night with the expected diagnosis of sleep apnea, curing breathing apparatus in hand, happy snore free wife in future. Instead, I am told maybe I have sleep apnea and maybe I don’t  Further analysis and possibly another night in the center is in my  future, in short, uncertainty. I don’t like uncertainty. Certainty is the reason I am a “fundamentalist”  Christian. I am certain Jesus died for me. I am certain I will live with Him forever.  I am certain He is the only way. The certainty that gives me comfort makes the world miserable. Certainty is politically incorrect. Relative truth is in. The Bible as truth is out. My god is as good as your god, that’s in. The one true God, that’s out. I’m  certain […]

 11-12Friends, this world is not your home, so don’t make yourselves cozy in it. Don’t indulge your ego at the expense of your soul. Live an exemplary life among the natives so that your actions will refute their prejudices. Then they’ll be won over to God’s side and be there to join in the celebration when he arrives. 1 Peter 2:11-12 The Message There is one area of life in which spiritual warfare language already prevails. The  Culture War assumes that  political conflict is based on sets of conflicting cultural values. The two sides are sometimes defined differently: left/right, conservative/liberal, christian/world. This “war” heats up in 4 year cycles. As the Presidential election approaches, the differences between the opposing sides come into focus. Language, and sometimes actions, becomes more strident. The combatants do little to convert “enemies” to their side and, in each election, the “independents” decide the winner.  It is disturbing how “into it” Christians become. We tend to get caught up in the rhetoric and we often become offensive and, sometimes, nasty.  We lose perspective. Although this struggle is important, we need to keep it in perspective.  Consider this: Our salvation is not in politics. Both sides are […]