Category: Advice

10/31/2022 0 Comments

Bad Advice

I walked to a church near my home to learn more about it. The service was attended by about thirteen people. Three of them were wearing masks, and most of them were elderly women. Several of them warmly introduced themselves, and after I sat down, Phyliss* came over and gave me a brief history of the church. “We are very small . . . the church split before Covid and over half of the congregation and the pastor left . . . Covid really did a number on us . . . . many still watch the services online.” At least they were blessed with a Liberty University professor who accurately preached the Word of God.

10/17/2022 0 Comments

Just a Youth

In 336 B.C., Alexander III of Macedon succeeded his father, Philip II, in becoming king of Greece at the age of twenty.[1] Alexander was not content to rule Greece. By age thirty, he had conquered so many nations that his rule extended from Greece to northwestern India. Alexander was undefeated in battle and is considered one of the greatest military commanders in history. No wonder he was called Alexander the Great. But did you know that Alexander was tutored until the age of 16 by the Greek philosopher Aristotle?

2/13/2022 0 Comments

Explain This

Meditation
Proverbs 30:2-3--I am more stupid than any other man, and I lack man’s ability to understand. I have not gained wisdom, and I have no knowledge of the Holy One.

10/11/2021 0 Comments

Triangulation

Meditation
Proverbs 26:20--Without wood, fire goes out; without a gossip, conflict dies down

Dr. Henry Cloud shares a concept called triangulation in his book The Power Of The Other. Triangulation sets up what he calls the victim-persecutor-rescuer (VPR) triad. I’m A and you are B and someone else is C. If I’m bothered by something you, B, have done, disagree with you or somehow feel victimized by you, this makes you the persecutor. Rather than go to you and share my concerns I go to C and share making C the rescuer. I want C’s support. This then becomes triangulation and it is always wrong despite the many reasons Christians contrive to justify this behavior.

9/20/2021 0 Comments

Woe

We know from Genesis 5 that Enoch was the seventh generation from Adam, and he is the supposed writer of The Book of Enoch considered an apocryphal book and part of the Pseudepigrapha. Enoch 100:8 states:
“Woe to you, ye obstinate of heart,
Who watch in order to devise wickedness;
Therefore shall fear come upon you
And there shall be none to help you.”

3/7/2021 0 Comments

Mama, You're Singing in the Cracks!

Randy told us the following story at our elders’ meeting. A young boy was sitting at the piano playing a well-known song when his mother came up behind him and started singing. The boy stopped playing and looked up at his mother and said, “Mama, you’re singing in the cracks!” The poor woman was off-key and the boy wanted her to know it.

2/26/2021 1 Comment

Read Only

Monday, I received a message from my antivirus program telling me that a Microsoft Word App was trying to access my protected files. I checked the block to prevent that access. The next day all my Word documents were Read Only which meant I could not edit them and anything I copied and pasted also reverted to a Read Only status. In essence I was shut down from working. Microsoft user support spent half the day trying to help me without success. The next day, the antivirus company sent me a fix and I was able to get my documents running again. Until the following day when suddenly everything was again Read Only! Talk about being frustrated—this was just not right! Once again, I contacted Microsoft and again a technician worked with me after I gave her permission to access my computer remotely. This time she was successful in solving the problem. What a relief to be able to type in new additions and to make needed changes.

4/30/2020 0 Comments

Lord God, What Can You Give Me?

Do you ever have times where confusion is far more real than clarity? Has God given you a word in the past that seems impossible to fulfill based on current realities? If you answered “yes” to either of those questions, it should not be hard to relate to Abram.

11/16/2019 0 Comments

Live Securely!

Meditation
Proverbs 1:32,33—For the turning away of the inexperienced will kill them, and the complacency of fools will destroy them. But whoever listens to me will live securely and be free from the fear of danger.

10/24/2019 0 Comments

Essentialism

Greg McKeown is the author of an excellent book entitled essentialism. Greg contends that the disciplined pursuit of less is a major key to success. Lin Yutang says, “The wisdom of life consists in the elimination of non-essentials.” From this premise, McKeown lays out a compelling case which helps us understand why it is important to: say “no” and not overextend; prioritize our lives; exercise the power of choice; discern what is important; know when to make tradeoffs; know when to play and to sleep; know what to select and what to eliminate; set boundaries and focus; etc.

9/30/2019 1 Comment

A Charge to PRESS

Recently I spoke at the retirement ceremony of my good friend Chaplain Bruce Sidebotham. Rather than focus on what he did in the military the Lord led me to address his future with a charge. A charge is an exhortation to action to fulfill an intended outcome. As an example, Paul exhorted Timothy, “I solemnly charge you before God and Christ Jesus and the elect angels to observe these things without prejudice, doing nothing out of favoritism” (1 Timothy 5:21). My charge to Bruce was a message to all of us attending his celebratory event based on the acrostic PRESS.

6/14/2019 0 Comments

Psalm 15--Unmovable

Have you ever wondered, What do I have to do to live a stable life, to not be twisted with every fierce wind of opposition or pulled from what is right to what is ultimately degrading? How can I have the kind of healthy fellowship with God that will bring joy and fulfillment?

2/5/2019 0 Comments

Gamaliel's Advice

Meditation
Acts 5:34,35,38,39—A Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law who was respected by all the people, stood up in the Sanhedrin and ordered the men to be taken outside for a little while He said to them, “Men of Israel, be careful about what you’re going to do to these men . . . And now, I tell you, stay away from these men and leave them alone. For if this plan or this work is of men, it will be overthrown; but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them. You may even be found fighting against God.” So they were persuaded by him.

8/20/2018 0 Comments

Selecting Leaders

The Ascent Church in Monument, Colorado is in the process of selecting new elders. Two of us, who are currently on the elder board, recently met with one of two prospective elders to gauge whether he would be a good addition to our team. The process will continue with several more meetings with our pastors and elders and, then if nominated, the congregation will vote to bring them on as elders. It is a solid method and it works well for our church.

Meditation
1 Timothy 5:22—Don’t be too quick to appoint anyone as an elder, and don’t share in the sins of others. Keep yourself pure.

5/18/2018 0 Comments

Between a Rock and a Hard Place

Have you ever been in a situation where no matter what action you took nothing good was likely to happen? We call this “stuck between a rock and a hard place.” In 1917 a lack of funding caused by an earlier banking crisis led to a dispute between copper mining companies and mineworkers in Bisbee, Arizona. The workers, some of whom had organized in labor unions, gave their company management a list of demands for better pay and conditions. Management refused their request and many workers at the Bisbee mines were forcibly deported to New Mexico. “Given that the mineworkers were faced with a choice between harsh and underpaid work at the rock-face on the one hand and unemployment and poverty on the other” this is probably the source of the phrase.[1]

2/1/2015

Worst Economic Advice?

Meditation
Matthew 6:33—But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you.

I would imagine if you quoted Jesus’ advice above to a secular financial advisor he might laugh you out of his office after you explained that “all these things” referred to food, drink and clothing (6:25,31). “Are you crazy! Don’t put your trust in some ancient religious leader. After all, God helps those who help themselves. If you want to live the good life and be secure, you better make lots of money.”

4/26/2014

Choosing the Right Advice

In the book of 2 Samuel chapter 15, King David’s son Absalom decided to kill his father and take his crown. Absolom was not the firstborn, nor was he in line to rule Israel. But he was overly ambitious, handsome, popular, and disillusioned enough with his father to plot his ruin. In a four-year time frame he managed to form a loyal army of followers and recruit David’s top advisor, Athithophel, to his cause. So formidable was his rebellion that David was forced to flee for his life from Jerusalem.

8/5/2012 0 Comments

The Three P's

Meditation
Colossians 3:5,8,12,13—Therefore, put to death what belongs to your worldly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desire, and greed, which is idolatry . . . But now you must also put away all the following: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and filthy language from your mouth . . . Therefore, God’s chosen ones, holy and loved, put on heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience, accepting one another and forgiving one another if anyone has a complaint against another. Just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you must also forgive.

10/22/2011 0 Comments

Subtleties

According to our guide, if a person spent four seconds looking at each item in the Musee du Louvre in Paris, it would take four years to see everything! Ranging from paintings like Michelangelo’s Mona Lisa, Tiziano Vecellio’s Titien, and Antonio Puccio’s Pisanello, to amazing clay and marble sculptures, to the architecture and ceiling paintings on the edifice itself, the Louvre was both inspiring and thought-provoking.

9/11/2009

Bowling

The difference between a strike and a split is but a matter of inches. If the bowling ball hits the center pocket correctly, all ten pins fall down. But if the ball veers just slightly off its intended course all kinds of crazy formations can appear to include the dreaded split where pins are left standing on opposite sides of the lane. I had my share of splits last night as the bowling ball just missed the strike zone!

Photo used under Creative Commons from Rachel Maxey Miles