Reveration Blog
7/25/2009 FaithfulnessThe nation of Israel pretty much did everything possible to anger and alienate God. They exceeded the sins of the evil nations He commanded them to destroy. Repeatedly they quit following Him. They broke His heart and deserved annihilation which really makes His statement below more than amazing.
8/12/2008 0 Comments StewardshipMeditation
Luke 16:10-12—Whoever is faithful in very little is also faithful in much, and whoever is unrighteous in very little is also unrighteous in much. So if you have not been faithful with the unrighteous money, who will trust you with what is genuine? And if you have not been faithful with what belongs to someone else, who will give you what is your own? 6/14/2007 0 Comments AvailableKathy’s birthday was last Sunday. I’m sure she resigned herself to a lonely day, after all, her husband was in Minnesota and none of her children live close. Cissy, Charlie, Brian, Chad, Roger, Sharil and Paula bought a cake, wrote her a poem, gave her a plaque and took time to come to her apartment and spring a wonderful surprise. She cried so hard they cried!
John and Denise had to leave their home and find a place to store their stuff until they could get into another rental. Charlie and Cis, Will, John, Kevin and Kendy sacrificed their time to help make the move happen. 1/7/2007 0 Comments KnowThe certainty of knowing is a medicine of incalculable worth. I breathe knowing unseen air is present in this room. I know (brake inspections help), my Subaru will slow down when I push my foot against the pedal. If I miss eating several meals I am aware that I will easily get cold outside. After 23 years of marriage I have a good sense of what my wife will or will not do. What I know shapes my behavior, reflects my beliefs and gives me a confidence that ignorance could not manufacture.
6/30/2006 0 Comments ObscurityThey are mentioned in one paragraph in the Bible and then (with the possible exception of Acts 15:22) never again. They walked near Jesus from the time He was baptized by John to His ascension to heaven but we know next to nothing about them. What kind of personality and gifting did each man have? How frequently did they gain access to the Master?
12/20/2004 0 Comments DiscussionThe angel, Gabriel, clearly told Zechariah that his wife Elizabeth would have a child and they were to call him “John” (Luke 1:13). Nine months later, elderly Elizabeth miraculously conceived this special baby and the neighbors and relatives gathered to celebrate his circumcision and to give him his name. According to well-established custom they assumed he would take the name of his priestly father.
11/24/2003 0 Comments TribulationMost American Christians are familiar with the term “rapture.” The belief that Christians will avoid living through the tribulation is largely attributed to 1 Thessalonians 4:17—“Then we who are still alive will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air and so we will always be with the Lord.” The fictional series Left Behindglamorizes this view and reinforces the notion that the church will escape the tribulation.
8/23/2003 0 Comments SteadfastOur neighbors have a new puppy, Sadie. She is a lovable Pit Bull full of energy and eager for attention. To keep her from getting lost or running away, it was necessary to finish fencing in their yard. So, with help from family members, holes were dug, cement was poured, and metal posts for a chain-link fence were sealed into the ground. That fence is not going anywhere; Sadie is quite secure.
6/4/2002 MinistryIn 1725, Franciscan monks established the Convent of Ocopa to evangelize and civilize the tribes of the Peruvian jungle. Located about 45 minutes from the city of Huancayo in the central Andes, this monastery contains a library with over 25,000 volumes of antique literature. Adorning many of the walls of the splendid building are paintings that date 200-300 years in age. It is a most impressive place where the walls literally seem to breathe with stories.
6/2/2001 0 Comments Coram DeoFriday evening I watered the young trees and shrubbery in my front yard. I noticed a plastic soft drink container wrapped in gray tape. It looked suspicious enough, so that not wanting my children to pick it up, I chucked it across our road.* The next morning while Bryan and Stephen and I shot hoops in our driveway, a police car pulled alongside the curb across the street. Someone evidently reported the object and a bomb squad was dispatched. Sure enough, it was a poorly-made bomb that failed to explode. Perhaps you can imagine some of the thoughts that ran through my families’ heads as we pondered the incident.
3/2/2001 0 Comments FaithfulJohann* works for Bernard Haldane Associates. As I sat down in his office he said to me, “During the five years I have worked with this company I have interviewed thirty-four pastors. Thirty-three of them missed appointments, were late, or lied when giving information. Only one was a man of integrity.” He looked me over as if to say, are you any different. If he meant to get my attention, he succeeded. For the rest of the day I pondered his opening statement and grieved.
2/15/2001 0 Comments Traditions and InstitutionsIn 1903 the Russian czar noticed a sentry posted for no apparent reason on the Kremlin grounds. Upon inquiry, he discovered that in 1776 Catherine the Great found there the first flower of spring. “Post a sentry here,” she commanded, “so that no one tramples that flower under foot!”—William Poteet in The Pentecostal Minister
2/8/2001 0 Comments MarriageThe story is told of a conversation between a teenager and his grandfather. The young man said, “Gee Grampa, your generation didn’t have all these social diseases. What did you wear to have safe sex?” The wise old gentleman replied, “A wedding ring.”
10/16/2000 0 Comments HeroicJeff plays the game of soccer. He is not an impact player who by great talent can take over a game. In fact in many ways he is limited. But he gives all he has. At a fifty-plus age in a league where most players are in their late 30’s and early forties, he is quite amazing. You see he never stops looking for an opportunity to score. By sheer persistence he manages occasionally to do what better players fail to accomplish—put the ball in the net! In my book his play is the stuff of the heroic.
7/17/2000 0 Comments TenacityHave you ever observed children competing in sports? I think one of the most hilarious heartwarming sights is watching boys and girls on a soccer field. Usually one or two kids understand the game and are competitive. They typically score the goals or perform heroically on defense. Meanwhile, the rest of the players sort of meander around as a herd not really sure what to do, not overly motivated but having fun.
4/11/2000 0 Comments AssuranceSaturday night I was supposed to be at a banquet in Beaverton. Instead I found myself sitting on a broken plane in Denver. The United pilot informed us that a navigational piece of equipment on our jet was not inoperable. We waited for mechanics to fix the broken system and watched as the little red ball in the sky fell out of view. Finally, our good-humored pilot confessed that the job was more complicated than expected. While he could fly the plane to Oregon without the instrument’s help, he elected not to as a matter of safety. He needed the assurance that if anything should go wrong that system would work and warn us should the aircraft be too close to the ground. Because we knew we would be winging over large mountains we clapped our hands in agreement. Finally, almost four hours later, we took off on a different plane United provided.
3/21/2000 0 Comments Fruit BearingHere’s a nightmare! If we don’t spiritually invest in the generations that follow us who will rise up willing to carry the torch of Christ? A self-centered spiritual body is an embarrassment to the throne of the One who so loved THE WORLD—past, present and future!
2/8/2000 0 Comments WholeQuarantine is a condition of forced isolation often imposed upon those with a contagious disease, or to determine if someone is in fact infected. My computer has the capability to quarantine off sectors in which a virus has been discovered. This built-in protective measure is intended to keep my hard drive from crashing!
9/16/1999 0 Comments GuidanceMeditation
Nehemiah 9:19-21--You did not abandon them in the wilderness because of Your great compassion. During the day the pillar of cloud never turned away from them, guiding them on their journey. And during the night the pillar of fire illuminated the way they should go. You sent Your good Spirit to instruct them. You did not withhold Your manna from their mouths, and You gave them water for their thirst. You provided for them in the wilderness 40 years and they lacked nothing. Their clothes did not wear out, and their feet did not swell. 9/14/1999 0 Comments VacillationJulius Caesar led his army across a short river of north central Italy in 49 B.C. to launch a civil war. The name of the river was Rubicon a name now synonymous with irrevocable commitment. When Caesar and his men crossed the river, there was no turning back. They were determined to fight to death if that’s what it took.
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Photo from Rachel Maxey Miles