Restored in Him

Last month, our dear friends invited us to join them during their vacation at a house they rented on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. It was awesome. The weather was mixed, but the company was amazing. I had vacationed there as a kid and young adult for countless years. I also invested considerably in real estate up and down the OBX in the mid-to-late ’80s. It was a crazy time in real estate, but it was capped off by a recession brought on by a savings and loan…

John 3:17 comes right after one of the most famous verses in the Bible, and it continues to clarify the manner in which Jesus brings us eternal life. The great gift of God through Jesus comes to all who believe in Jesus as the way to salvation. John tells us that Jesus did not come into the world to condemn the world because of its sin, but rather to save the world through His life, death, and resurrection. It can be easy to feel condemned or guilty because we don’t…

Last year was a terrible summer for roses in our area. It started in early spring with an aphid infestation the likes of which I had never seen before. After I eradicated that problem which took weeks, fungus set in. This was an even more difficult foe that I fought for the rest of the summer. My roses would set buds but never bloom fully as they were encased in disease. This year, I started early so I did not repeat the previous year's drama. Everything looked great…

Last year was a terrible summer for roses in our area. It started in early spring with an aphid infestation the likes of which I had never seen before. After I eradicated that problem which took weeks, fungus set in. This was an even more difficult foe that I fought for the rest of the summer. My roses would set buds but never bloom fully as they were encased in disease. This year, I started early so I did not repeat the previous year's drama. Everything looked great…

Confidence is a term widely used, personally and professionally. We talk about confidence in ourselves. Confidence in others. What is confidence? It represents that feeling of certainty or trust. One of those classic examples is the Trust Fall. A person falls backward into the waiting arms of another, i.e. a fellow colleague. You are supposed to demonstrate your confidence in your work partner that they will catch you.A greater example was written by John in the New.…

Repentance. The act of turning away from self and toward God. Keep reading. I promise you’ll want to hear this. Some read the word “repentance” and cringe. Others roll their eyes and shrug it off as Bible-thumping lingo. But let’s consider what’s actually happening when that word takes action. The hurting heart turns from the temporary highs of the world and clings to the supernatural joy of the Holy Spirit. The troubled mind finds peace with…

Repentance. The act of turning away from self and toward God. Keep reading. I promise you’ll want to hear this. Some read the word “repentance” and cringe. Others roll their eyes and shrug it off as Bible-thumping lingo. But let’s consider what’s actually happening when that word takes action. The hurting heart turns from the temporary highs of the world and clings to the supernatural joy of the Holy Spirit. The troubled mind finds peace with…

We’re havin’ a heat wave. At tropical heat wave. At least here in Pennsylvania, USA. For those in the Southern Hemisphere experiencing something quite a bit different, sorry! It’s hot, hot, hot up here. I’m reminded of the parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus in the Gospel of Luke verses 19-31. Laid outside the gate of a rich man’s house was an extremely poor man named Lazarus who simply hoped “to eat what fell from the rich man&rsquo…

“I will love you, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; My God, my strength, in whom I will trust; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised; So shall I be saved from my enemies.” Psalm 18:1-3 NKJV In this series we are exploring the protective nature of God revealed in scripture, specifically how he is a refuge for his people. God communicates these ideas…