WHEN YOUR BAG RIPS

“We've been surrounded and battered by troubles, but we're not demoralized; we're not sure what to do, but we know that God knows what to do; we've been spiritually terrorized, but God hasn't left our side; we've been thrown down, but we haven't broken.” (2 Corinthians 4:8b-9 The Message Bible) You load up your cart as you check out at the grocery store.  You gently and carefully place...

STAYING ON THE LINE

“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” (2 Timothy 4:7 ESV) Every Sunday a little , pre-school age girl, comes to the pulpit where I am setting, waiting for church to start.  She comes with her grandmother who faithfully shows up early.  She matches my definition of on time, “If you are early, you are on time and if you are just on time,...

THE OF OXGOAD, THE OXEN, AND COURSE, YOU!

“Now after him came Shamgar the son of Anath, who struck and killed six hundred Philistines with an oxgoad; and he also saved Israel.” (Judges 3:31 NASB) This is a very appropriate verse for this new day, a new Monday, a place in time that we have never seen before.  What a blessing! Thirty-one years ago, in another blessed period of life, I preached on the topic. “Small Mean, But...

I WON’T BE LONG! REALLY!!

“After leaving the synagogue that day, Jesus went to Simon’s home, where he found Simon’s mother-in-law very sick with a high fever.  “Please heal her,” everyone begged.  Standing at her bedside, he rebuked the fever, and it left her. And she got up at once and prepared a meal for them.” (Luke 4:38-39 NLV I know!  We say it all the time, “I won’t be long.”  Well...

DON’T PASS HIM BY!

“For God in all his fullness was pleased to live in Christ, and through him God reconciled everything to himself.  He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of Christ’s blood on the cross.  This includes you who were once far away from God.  You were his enemies, separated from him by your evil thoughts and actions.  Yet now he has reconciled you to himself through...

DON’T FORGET “THE STRETCH!”

“Father, I stretch my hands to Thee, no other help I know; if Thou withdraw Thyself from me, ah! Whither shall I go?” (Hymn by Charles Wesley Either I was not paying attention, or I don’t recall being told the importance of stretching prior to any athletic event during my high school days.  We just ran laps, many of them; a multiple number of them; a multifarious number of them!...

FREE TECH TRAINING FOR BELIEVERS

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (I John 1:9 ESV) As I am walking down the hallway one morning this week, my wife, working in her home office, asks me if I sent out the meditation on that particular day because she had not received it yet.  I said, “Yes.  You should have received it early in the...

TAKE IT A STEP FURTHER

“I can do all this through him who gives me strength.“ (Philippians 4:13 NIV) There is one person being helped by the customer service clerk at the one open register.  The clerk is having some difficulty ringing up the order, but the customer making the purchase was very patient.  There are only two other people in line, an irate customer, next to be served, and myself.  The...

IT’S YOUR TURN TO WRITE

“Your very lives are a letter that anyone can read by just looking at you.” (2 Corinthians 3:2b The Message Bible) Good Tuesday morning to you!  I have been writing Mark Writes since the beginning of 2018.  From then to now I have given you a few assignments, took the liberty of setting themes for you, and even prompted you to fulfill our task as disciples; making other disciples...

NOT GONNA HAPPEN!

“He who watches the wind will not sow , and he who looks at the clouds will not reap .” (Ecclesiastes 11:4 The Amplified Bible) This is not a lesson on agriculture, it is a lending of advice to help you all throughout the week.  It deals with procrastination.  You know how we are.  We say, “This is the week ‘m going to get a home improvement project done,” but we...