Reveration Blog
2/14/2009 0 Comments Valentines DayWhen it comes to romance, maybe the wise thing for us to remember is that one day cannot offset 364 days. How we love the rest of the year speaks infinitely louder than the most creative gifts given on February 14.
I believe there are four keys to making a marriage prosper and endure and guys if we don’t get this, we are doomed to a lot of hardship. (Apologies to the unmarried and to gals, but this Reveration is for married men or those engaged to be married).
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1/17/2009 0 Comments GloomWhen cadets return to West Point in January, they enter what is called the gloom period. The buildings are gray, the skies are dreary and a feeling of “I wish I could just take a long, extended nap” settles upon the Corps. I lived through four years of that gloom period. Imagine my surprise when I moved to San Diego and discovered that June was called the same thing! The ever-present sun gave way to incessant fog and a chilly air. What were we thinking when we moved to western Oregon, a place famous for what can often be eight months of drizzle and fog?
7/17/2008 0 Comments Standing in GloryMeditation
Jude 24,25—Now to Him who is able to protect you from stumbling and to make you stand in the presence of His glory, blameless and with great joy, to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, power, and authority before all time, now, and forever. Amen. 2/18/2008 0 Comments DepressedPsalm 42 and 43 belong together as one work and could aptly be titled “Depressed.” Verses 1-3 in chapter 42 indicate the writer’s distance from God:
As the deer longs for streams of water, so I long for You, God. I thirst for God, the living God. When can I come and appear before God, the living God. When can I come and appear before God? My tears have been my food day and night, while all day long people say to me, “Where is your God?” 12/21/2006 0 Comments Praise III--It's All About PraiseMeditation
Genesis 29:35--And she conceived again, gave birth to a son, and said, “This time I will praise the Lord.” Therefore she named him Judah. Then Leah stopped having children. Leah was not the favored wife of Jacob. He was in love with Rachel and only married Leah through her father’s deception. Imagine how it must have felt for this woman to compete with her sister for her spouse’s affection. Yet, when God saw the plight of this unloved woman, He opened her womb. She bore Jacob six sons! The fourth son she named Judah, which is derived from the Hebrew word yadah,meaning praise. 12/10/2004 0 Comments GlorifyingDid you know that God designed a formula that no one has ever replicated? Dr. Marianne Neifert writes, “Human milk is nature's perfect design for helping your baby’s body and brain grow and develop. No formula can be made exactly the same as human milk because we do not know all the ingredients of human milk.” Of course we know it is God and not nature Who designed the perfect beverage! He also created a formula that has hidden benefits. Nursing causes the body to release a hormone called oxytocin which enables the uterus to return to its normal size after delivery. Nursing burns calories which help moms shed the extra pounds gained during pregnancy. Best of all, nursing creates a strong psychological bond which emotionally strengthens both the mother and her infant.
10/3/2004 0 Comments RecognitionI often notice when I meet people for the first time they look at my chest. Now that sounds weird doesn’t it! What I mean is that when I am wearing a uniform I often feel like I am being sized up or evaluated for the cloth patches sewn on my shirt. Whether it is the military, Girl Scouts, AWANA, varsity jackets, etc., patches, medals ribbons and pins tell a story of what kind of training or accomplishments a person achieved.
4/16/2004 0 Comments GloryIn March of 1992, Captain David Knecht learned he was passed over for promotion to Major. Despite the setback, he determined to press on with his career. Weeks later, on April 8th, he was out on a field exercise conducting a routine night live fire defense. When it ended he looked forward to traveling to Russia for a short gospel mission trip. That night an M2 Bradley platoon was positioned about one kilometer to the right of the spot Dave selected for his Command M113 vehicle. Apparently the platoon leader or his gunner was scanning for targets out of sector to their left because when Dave’s M113 showed up in their thermals sights, “they lit me up with eight 25mm rounds.” One training round glanced off the hatch next to his head and penetrated the soft CVC helmet he was wearing, exploding fragments into his brain and right eye. Dave was flown by two helicopters, a UH-60 Blackhawk and later a CH-47 Chinook to a civilian medical center for emergency brain surgery.
2/19/2004 0 Comments Worship IIAll around the planet somewhere, someplace, someone is worshiping God—24/7! Heaven is the final destination of praise, prayers, confession, thanksgiving and the place where songs, dance, shouting, offerings and communion unfold before an adored Father. If you asked me to pick the single most important thing I could do in life I would unhesitatingly answer, WORSHIP!
11/14/2003 0 Comments ThrillsTurn on the television these days and you’re likely to see a “reality” program. Spawned by the show Survivor, Hollywood churns out Fear Factor, Temptation Island, the Bachelor, etc., in ever-increasing bizarreness to titillate our senses. But these shows have little to do with reality, they are all about the pursuit of thrills. A bored nation craves standing on the edge of immoral precipices. It’s not enough to know someone is inebriated, now viewers must see vomiting—as if such disgusting behavior will in some way rivet more eyes to the box of shame.
9/4/2003 0 Comments StatusThe air is heavy in John’s study. His youngest son is not happy with his tennis racquet. He wants a new one or to use his dad’s oversized racquet for his upcoming tennis class. John presses David repeatedly on why the racquet he has is not good enough. Tears began to form and tumble down his son’s cheeks. David wrestles with an inward battle John struggles to comprehend. “Son, if you won’t tell me what is wrong, how can I meet your request?” David, with a quivering voice tells him that kids would make fun of his old racquet just like they make fun of him for being short. And then his father, also a short man, understands.
8/15/2003 0 Comments InadequateIt’s not hard to feel inadequate. In the middle of an intersection I zeroed in on what John was asking me. I didn’t see the silver Nissan approaching from the right. He couldn’t swerve in time or stop to avoid me. Bang!!! In one unceremonious crunch our Plymouth Voyager was totaled. With one lapse of attention I joined the other side—the team of drivers in accidents because they were talking on cell phones. The best intentions don’t erase crumpled metal. Fortunately, no one was hurt and the other car suffered only minor damage.
6/12/2003 0 Comments GenerationsMichael Savage, whose radio talk show grows in popularity, angrily decries the state of America. He bemoans the ascent of evil while he rudely blasts a caller he disdains. Psychiatrists in San Francisco recently met to propose that pedophilia should not be a crime and should become accepted as homosexuality was in the ‘70’s. The Voice of the Martyrs reports horrendous attacks against Christians across the planet. God’s children are horrifically tortured in China, Indonesia, Egypt, Somalia, Pakistan, North Korea . . . In Canada, a debate rages to outlaw portions of the Bible that contain “hate speech.”
9/5/2001 0 Comments KidnappedMeditation
Psalm 56:4--In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I will not fear. What can man do to me? Psalm 86:12--I will praise You with all my heart, Lord my God, and will honor Your name forever. 6/12/2000 0 Comments BillboardsTigard, Oregon—HOME! Our Plymouth Voyager rolled up 8153 miles drinking over 341 gallons of gas as we traversed 25 states, Washington D.C. and parts of Canada. We weren’t able to visit everyone we hoped to see, we got sick and at times I think our three children reached the travel saturation point. But it can be a great thing to be stretched beyond our comfort zone. God was gracious to us and we experienced an unforgettable month visiting relatives and friends and learning more about our nation and its people.
5/1/2000 0 Comments BlessingAs I read Scripture, I am continuously impressed with our Heavenly Father’s desire to bless us. From Genesis to Revelation runs a consistent theme—God loves to give to His children. As a parent I understand some of what God feels. I look forward to giving my children gifts. There is something profoundly special about favorably touching lives.
2/15/2000 0 Comments ArtistDelnora sits before her canvas. Her eyes walk across the wild flowers that carpet the valley before her. They climb up the dark green firs higher and higher until only the magnificent face of a snow-capped mountain is left to kiss the clear blue sky. She gulps the fresh air and sighs—the exhalation of ecstasy an artist feels in the presence of grandeur. She mixes assorted paints to find the perfect color to match what she views. The painting begins . . .
12/28/1999 0 Comments JoyStephen blows fiercely against the candles on his cake. But try as he may, those flames will not die. He is the victim of trickery and everyone howls with merriment. There is a wonderful lesson on top all that delicious frosting.
So often as Christians we wear our joy like normal candles. At the slightest breeze of adversity we find our light snuffed. It is much easier to be critical and whine than it is to rest in the certainty of Christ. Joy is not defined by the absence of wind or rain or by the presence of paradise. It is not conceived under the banner of pleasure. True joy cannot be formed by what is already in essence tainted. For joy to be complete it must be founded in the only thing that is perfect—God! 10/19/1999 0 Comments GoodIn our culture it is common for people to exchange business cards. Those tree-descended pieces tell others what we do, who we are and how we can be contacted. The information had better be good if we hope to prosper.
10/14/1999 0 Comments RegenerationRecalescence is the sudden glowing which takes place in metal that is cooling. It is caused by the liberation of the latent heat of transformation. It is a hot word picture that imperfectly depicts what happens to us who are spiritually born in Christ. The truth is, the Holy Spirit is constantly at work in our lives as we determine to worship God. Accordingly, there will be not one sudden glowing, but continuous times when the brilliant light of God bursts from our lives as the dazzling display of divine transformation. This is what we call regeneration!
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Photo from Rachel Maxey Miles