NAME CALLING!

ByDr. Mark September 23, 2025 4 Comments
“You’re familiar with the command to the ancients, ‘Do not murder.’ I’m telling you that anyone who is so much as angry with a brother or sister is guilty of murder. Carelessly call a brother ‘idiot!’ and you just might find yourself hauled into court. Thoughtlessly yell ‘stupid!’ at a sister and you are on the brink of hellfire. The simple moral fact is that words kill.”...

RAINY DAYS? NO NEED TO WORRY!

ByDr. Mark September 22, 2025 4 Comments
“He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will remain secure and rest in the shadow of the Almighty .” (John 5:1-9a NLT Version) This is your Monday Short meditation! If by some slim chance you have any concern about rainy days that may show up in the week ahead, let me assure you that there is no need to worry. Whether the rainy days are in the form of actual weather-related...

LET’S GIVE HEAVEN REASON TO CELEBRATE!

ByDr. Mark September 21, 2025 3 Comments
The church where I have pastored since 1990 celebrates it anniversary today! The fact that we are still standing is something to celebrate. I think Heaven will be rejoicing with our congregation not just for hitting a milestone, but for continuing to be faithful over the years, regardless of changing attitude toward the value of church, regardless of the number of members, in spite of a...

WHERE DO I GO FOR GUIDANCE!

ByDr. Mark September 20, 2025 2 Comments
The Lord says, ‘I will teach you the way you should go; I will instruct you and advise you.’” (Psalm 32:8 Good News Translation) This week I got a call from a person who lives in another part of the country. He knew I pastored a church and started our conversation by sharing that he had some things on his mind and he wanted to know where to go for wisdom. Instead of acting like I was the...

NOBODY HEARD WHAT YOU SAID? REALLY!

ByDr. Mark September 19, 2025 0 Comments
“Before a word is on my tongue you, Lord, know it completely.” (Psalm 139:4 NIV) At an elementary school nearby, they had a Parent Teacher Association basketball league. Participating students practiced once a week and played one game a week over a six-week period. It was at one of these games that a player, a fourth grader, went up for a layup that would have won the game right before the...

A LETTER TO DADDIES

ByDr. Mark September 18, 2025 0 Comments
“Fathers, don’t frustrate your children with no-win scenarios. Take them by the hand and lead them in the way of the Master.” (Ephesians 6:4 The Message Bible) (Serious Sisters: Please read this letter, even though it is for fathers. And know that you can help by forwarding this to some men who are not in the church or who have drifted away from the church. Thank you!) Dear Sir: The world...

SUBLIMATION IS NOT ALWAYS BAD!

ByDr. Mark September 17, 2025 0 Comments
Decades ago, I taught Psychology at the secondary education level. One of the topics we discussed every semester was on “Defense Mechanisms.” Defense mechanisms, by definition, are the unconscious ways, or better stated, unconscious strategies, by which people protect themselves from anxiety or troubling thoughts produced by troubling times. There are a variety of defense mechanisms, some...

WHEN YOU LOVE YOURSELF

ByDr. Mark September 16, 2025 1 Comment
“On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” “What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?” He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as...

TODAY

ByDr. Mark September 15, 2025 3 Comments
“Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow has not yet come. We have only today. Let us begin.” – (Mother Teresa) This is your Monday Short meditation and even though this is a brief message, I want you to think long and hard about what I am about to write. The words are few, but the weight of these words is heavy.  How many times have we procrastinated, postponed, put off doing something;...

LIKE RIDING A BIKE

ByDr. Mark September 14, 2025 0 Comments
In January of this year, Gary Johnson wrote an article answering the question, “CAN YOU FORGET HOW TO RIDE A BIKE.” In that article, Mr. Johnson stated, “An individual can never forget riding a bike. It is a skill embedded in our brains as part of our long-term memory.” The author goes on to elaborate on his answer: “Long-term memory is divided into two parts: procedural and...