Category: Rebellious

11/30/2025 1 Comment

Great Grandpa York

Caswell and Margaret York, parents of Henry Clay York

Meditation
Romans 12:12--Rejoice in hope; be patient in affliction; be persistent in prayer.

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9/20/2025 1 Comment

Understanding Hate

The topic of hate is quite prevalent in our society. I decided to do a study on the word and see what Scripture has to say about it. First, though, let’s define the term. Whether used as a verb or a noun, hate basically means “to dislike intensely or passionately; feel extreme aversion for or extreme hostility toward; detest.”[1]

In the Old Testament, there are two Hebrew words: śānē’ and śin’āh, used a total of 148 and 17 times respectively, with the English words hate and its variation 107 times, combining both words. The other English words used are foes, enemies, malice, adversaries, dislike, enemy, unloved, abhor, am not loved, shunned, detest, hostile, malicious, not loved, not, refuses, and a total of three untranslated words.[2] In the New Testament, the Greek words apostygeō and miseō are translated as hate 39 of 40 times and once as detestable.

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9/10/2025 0 Comments

Tender

Meditation
2 Kings 22:18-20--Say this to the king of Judah who sent you to inquire of the Lord: This is what the Lord God of Israel says: As for the words that you heard, because your heart was tender and you humbled yourself before the Lord when you heard what I spoke against this place and against its inhabitants, that they would become a desolation and a curse, and because you have torn your clothes and wept before Me, I Myself have heard you—this is the Lord’s declaration—therefore, I will indeed gather you to your fathers, and you will be gathered to your grave in peace. Your eyes will not see all the disaster that I am bringing on this place.’”

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9/2/2025 0 Comments

A Phony Request

God is a heart reader. Imagine Jeff goes to his God-fearing sister and says, “Julie, I’ve got to make a decision. I need to either move to Montana for a new job opportunity so I can escape the toxic work environment I’m in or stay put and trust God to help me get through it. I’m not sure what to do. Will you pray and ask God to reveal His will?” So Julie prays for Jeff, and God impresses on her that he is to stay in Vermont in his current job and trust Him. God is going to turn what is a current mess into a blessing. But if he moves, it will not go well.

Julie reveals to Jeff God’s message, and he gets mad at her. He says he was better off when he trusted his gut. He accuses her of trying to manipulate him to stay in Vermont. “I’m moving to Montana, you are lying, and I know it will be better there than here.”

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7/18/2025 1 Comment

Leadership: Weak Versus Strong

The Biblical book of 2 Samuel, chapters 15-19, provides a clear contrast between a weak leader (Absalom) and a strong leader (David). Recently, I shared what I learned from this study with a group of leaders who meet weekly to encourage one another in their faith. As it is self-explanatory, I have included it below for your reference with minimal comments. Notice that both weak and strong leaders sin and make mistakes.

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6/24/2025 1 Comment

As Good as Dead

October 7, 2023 Survivor

In Genesis 18:11, it states that Abraham’s wife, Sarah, had passed the age of childbearing. Yet the Lord told them that she would give birth to a son. Sarah laughed at the absurdity, but the Lord said to her, “Is anything impossible for the LORD?” (vs. 14). Years before, God promised Abraham “Look at the sky and count the stars, if you are able to count them. Your offspring will be that numerous” (15:5). Despite his age, Abraham believed God and it was “credited to him as righteousness” (15:6). He was 100 years old, and Sarah was 90 when Isaac was born (17:7, 21:5). Through Isaac and his descendants came the nation of Israel, the very country whose survival is threatened by those who would annihilate them.

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6/12/2025 0 Comments

He Couldn't Handle Success

Have you ever known someone who had the traits of likeability, kindness, and concern for others until they were promoted or achieved some recognized measure of success? The person you thought you knew is now impatient, less approachable, defensive, self-absorbed, and uninterested in your life and the lives of others. You try to imagine what happened to make this person so different.

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10/19/2024 1 Comment

Den of Robbers

One of a person's most detrimental beliefs is that attending church offers a pass for bad behavior. The thinking runs like this. I attend church every Sunday. Therefore, God is pleased with me. He gets His due, and I can do whatever the hell I want during the rest of the week.

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9/24/2024 0 Comments

On a Quest

Have you ever felt like you were on a journey to nowhere? Does life seem unfulfilling and taxed by unnecessary hardship? Do you find that what you thought would be meaningful is meaningless or empty? Imagine how the Israelites felt as they were exiled from their land by the Assyrians and Babylonians. Their lives revolved around loss, shame, and suffering. God told them, “You will be delivered by returning and resting; your strength will lie in quiet confidence. But you are not willing” (Isaiah 30:14). Like most people, the Israelites believed that they could solve problems and live however they wanted. God restored them to a worthwhile life only when they came to the end of themselves and recognized and renounced the evil of their rebellion.

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6/23/2024 2 Comments

Bad Company

Judas Iscariot had a great life going. Selected by Jesus, the world’s only perfect leader, he joined a team of eleven others to follow God’s Son. We don’t know much about Judas, but John 12:4-6 is revealing.
Then one of His disciples, Judas Iscariot (who was about to betray Him), said, “Why wasn’t this fragrant oil sold for 300 denarii and given to the poor?” He didn’t say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief. He was in charge of the money-bag and would steal part of what was put in it.
Was Judas a rebellious, immoral man? Or was he a confused follower who occasionally stole money for his pursuits? Why would he betray Jesus for 30 pieces of silver when he could have prolonged their time together and continued his successful pilfering?

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1/7/2024 0 Comments

Three Consequences of Sin and a Great Danger

Recently, I spoke with Jackson,* a sailor who was part of my ministry over three decades ago. He called to apologize over a series of texts that frankly were spawned from frustration and anger over racial issues he was troubled by. During our conversation, he linked his bondage to pornography to his father, who beat his wife, Jackson, and his older brother. His justification troubled me, and he permitted me to speak candidly.

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11/9/2023 0 Comments

If

Oswald Chambers made an interesting observation in My Utmost For His Highest, after musing upon John 14:15, “If ye love Me, ye will keep my commandments.” (RSV):
"Our Lord never insists upon obedience; He tells us very emphatically what we ought to do, but He never takes means to make us do it. We have to obey Him out of a oneness of spirit. That is why whenever our Lord talked about discipleship, He prefaced it with an IF—you do not need to unless you like."

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7/3/2023 1 Comment

"The Sparkle Creed"

Edina Community Lutheran Church, an ELCA congregation in Edina, Minnesota, celebrated Pride Sunday led by their female pastor in reciting the sparkle creed whose words state:
I believe in the non-binary God whose pronouns are plural. I believe in Jesus Christ, their child, who wore a fabulous tunic and had two dads, and who saw everyone as a sibling child of God. I believe in the rainbow Spirit, who shatters our image of one white light and refracts it into a rainbow of gorgeous diversity.[1]
This creed is a gross perversion of theology. It represents the misguided attempts of a congregation to fit God into their inclusive agenda that will spare no expense to accommodate a world fully intent on making sexual sin something to celebrate and force upon all those who take God’s warnings seriously and strive to obey Him.

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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.

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10/3/2022 1 Comment

When the Sea Rages

Hurricane Ian unleashed its rain and winds upon Florida, and conservative estimates think the cost of damages could exceed $55 billion.[1] That is a horrific blow to the lives of all affected. Ian did not catch Florida by surprise because sophisticated satellite tracking and imaging allowed meteorologists to be pretty accurate in tracking the storm’s course and speed. That is a good thing because it allowed people to prepare for the storm and, if necessary, escape to safety. But imagine if you were on a boat with your smartphone and a mobile weather app that called for clear skies and warm weather when suddenly a furious squall came out of nowhere and threatened everyone’s lives? That is what happened to Jonah (except none of them had smartphones).

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8/26/2022 1 Comment

Give Us a King!

The old prophet Samuel’s sons were wicked, and the elders of Israel were not about to have them lead the nation. So, they visited Samuel at his home in Ramah and demanded he appoint a king to be their judge and leader, just like all the surrounding nations (1 Samuel 8:4,5).

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7/1/2022 0 Comments

Inability to See

Meditation
John 8:25-27—“Who are You?” they questioned. “Precisely what I’ve been telling you from the very beginning,” Jesus told them. I have many things to say and to judge about you, but the One who sent Me is true, and what I have heard from Him—these things I tell the world.” They did not know He was speaking to them about the Father.

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2/17/2022 0 Comments

Life

Satan shrewdly deceived Eve in the garden. Just eat the forbidden fruit and you will be like God and know the difference between good and evil (Genesis 3:5). The deeper implication behind his temptation was that Eve was somehow deprived. At this point in her existence, she had no knowledge of evil. What Satan did not tell Eve was that it was her relationship with God that was most important. Having her eyes opened would make her like him—a fallen creature out of God’s favor. His intent was to sever Adam and Eve’s relationship with their Creator by cunningly convincing them to disobey His command.

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12/16/2021 0 Comments

Nahum--Pronouncing God's Vengeance

Nahum, the only person with that name in the Old Testament, prophesied against the nation of Assyria particularly against its capital city Nineveh—located about 220 miles north of modern Baghdad in Iraq.[1] But unlike when Jonah brought God’s warnings against Nineveh and the city repented, Nahum’s audience was proud and perversely wicked—completely unwilling to listen to God and therefore destined to experience His wrath.

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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.”

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