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Showing posts from March, 2014

Integrity, Values and Opportunities

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LORD, who may dwell in your sacred tent?   Who may live on your holy mountain? — Psalm 15:1 In September 2013, a Dairy Queen customer shared the following in an email that went viral: As a blind man was paying at a Dairy Queen in Minnesota, a $20 bill fell out of his pocket. A woman standing behind him picked it up. The DQ employee, Joey Prusak, thought that the woman was going to return the money, but instead she tucked it into her own wallet. When she approached Joey to place her order, the nineteen-year-old asked her to return the money to its rightful owner, but the woman refused. Joey asked the woman to return the money or leave the store because he could not serve such a disrespectful person. The exchange went back and forth until the woman finally left with the money still in her pocket. Joey then reached into his own wallet, took out $20 and gave it to the blind man who had been sitting and eating his ice cream. Joey said to the man, “Sir, on behalf of Dairy Qu

A seeing eye, a hearing ear, and all your deeds

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The fool says in his heart,   “There is no God.” They are corrupt, their deeds are vile;   there is no one who does good. — Psalm 14:1 During an interview with a famous comedian who is notoriously anti-religious, the interviewer asked the person about her relationship with her sister, a devout believer. In answer, the comedian described a conversation that the two had about God. “I mockingly said, ‘Do you really believe that there is some God in the sky? Like there is a man watching us? That’s ridiculous!’ My sister took it in and softly said, ‘Personally, I like to live my life as though there is one.’” When the comedian remarked that her sister’s response left her speechless, the interviewer said, “But you kind of do that, too — you’re a good person!” The comedian replied, “Well, yeah – you don’t have to believe in God to be good.” Really? Is that true? In Psalm 14, King David wrote, “The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God.’ They are corrupt, their de

Matthew McConnaughey wins Best Actor Oscar award for 2014

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On March 2nd, 2014 Matthew McConnaughey won the Oscar for Best Actor in a Motion Picture "Dallas Buyers Club". What I most liked about the Oscars was actually his speech. It was powerful and resonated with me. In his acceptance speech, he mentioned:  "There's three things that I need each day. One of them is something to look up to, another is something to look forward and another is someone to chase," he said in the run-up to his acknowledgment of God. "First off, I want to thank God, 'cause that's who I look up to. He's graced my life with opportunities that I know is not of my hand or any other human hand. He has shown me that it's a scientific fact that gratitude reciprocates. In the words of the late Charlie Lawton who said 'when you got God, you got a friend and that friend is you,'" he said before continuing the rest of his speech. McConaughey's surprise acknowledgement of God in his speech drew

Drawn towards broken people

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I recently read these statistics: “If you have food in the refrigerator, clothes on your back, a roof overhead and a place to sleep … you are richer than seventy-five percent of this world. If you have money in the bank, in your wallet, and spare change in a dish someplace … you are among the top eight percent of the world’s wealthy.” How many luxuries do we have that we so often take for granted? Let us consider our gifts and say, “Thanks!, I appreciate it, and I am grateful”. From the time we are young, we are told what to do and how to do it. But part of us wants to try things our own way. Sometimes, this is a smart move, but other times, not listening can get us into big trouble. As we grow older, we are better able to discern whose advice we should listen to and whose we should disregard. But there are directions that we must never pass up: those coming from God. Sometimes when we are feeling hopeless, stressed, or afraid, we lack the vision to see how we can help oursel

There is always hope

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To look at Catherine and to listen to her talk, you would never have thought she was dying of cancer. She always had the same smile on her face and a kind word for everyone who came to see her. The other patients spent a lot of time with her, because her spirit seemed to be contagious. She ministered to her roommates by remaining cheerful and positive. Even the thought of death couldn't take Catherine’s dynamic humor from her. Cancer does not seem to pick and choose whose body it’s going to invade. It is a growing problem among all walks of life - both adults and children and Christians and non-Christians alike. It is not a friend to Christian people. But we must understand that the Christian can face cancer with a different outlook and attitude than the non-Christian or unsaved person who is not in touch with the living God. They can face this dreadful monster with reassurance that God is on their side and God’s promises are never taken away from them in the time when th

" How do you want to be remembered?”

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We talk about providence, but what is providence? Providence means to see ahead of time and to make provision. This is what God does. He sees events before they ever get here and moves everything toward the goal that He has in mind. Now there is a lot of evil in the world, so don’t get the idea that everything that happens is God’s will. Rape is not God’s will. Murder is not God’s will. Racial hatred is not God’s will. Adultery is not God’s will. Sodomy is not God’s will. Man has a will and man has an evil heart. And in God’s grand design, He gave man a free will. Even when man does evil, where God does not rule, God overrules. God’s good plan for your life includes pain and difficult times! David Wilkerson said, “Jesus didn’t save you so you could cruise to heaven in a luxury liner. He wants you to be useful in His kingdom! The moment you got saved, He enrolled you in His school—the school of suffering and affliction.” That doesn’t mean God is the source o

You, Your Spouse, and Integrity

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I liked the article  “4 Ways To Maintain Integrity When Your Wife Isn’t Around”,   by Tito Brown.  H e speaks about being faithful to your wife and   remain obedient to Christ against all odds.  The day had arrived. My wife was going out of town for two weeks. The world tells me that this is every man’s dream – so why did it feel like a nightmare to me? While many men would wrongfully relish at the idea of getting time to themselves, I was terrified because I knew Satan is always waiting to destroy. If you were honest with yourself, I am sure you could admit that when you are left on your own – your mind, heart, words, and eyes can wander in directions they do not belong. At least, I know that’s true for me. So how in this world would I survive two weeks alone? Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. (1 Peter 5:8) Take captive your MIND and make it obedient to Christ. Our minds con