Category: Weakness

11/9/2025 2 Comments

What Destroys Our Character?

Why is it so hard for Christians to finish well? Reading that question perhaps reminds you of someone who crashed and burned. It does not take much accounting to realize that many followers of Jesus who start well or accomplish great things somehow stumble at the finish line or simply quit running.

King Uzziah had it all. He had a brilliant military mind that conceptualized building devices that shot arrows and catapulted large stones from towers. These were crucial in defending Judah’s cities (26:15). God gave him success against his enemies, whom he defeated in battle, as long as he listened to the advice of Zechariah the priest.

2 Comments

9/27/2025 1 Comment

Afraid to Ask

Have you ever had a time in your life when the Holy Spirit or God’s Word spoke to you, but the truth of the message did not make sense? The prophet Daniel, aware of God’s judgment over Israel and having received terrifying visions regarding future events, called out to Him and shared his concerns (Daniel 9). God sent an angel to minister to him. “He said, ‘Don’t be afraid, you who are treasured by God. Peace to you; be very strong!’ As he spoke to me, I was strengthened and said, ‘Let my lord speak, for you have strengthened me’” (10:19).

1 Comment

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.’”

0 Comments

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.

0 Comments

5/20/2025 0 Comments

Wounded Tiger

T. Martin Bennett writes a remarkable nonfiction book, Wounded Tiger.[1] It narrates the true story of Mitsuo Fuchida, Jake DeShazer, and the Covell family, showcasing the intersection of their lives during World War II and its aftermath. I highly recommend this book for its profound depiction of God’s redemptive hand at work.

0 Comments

4/8/2025 0 Comments

Self-Righteous

Meditation
Deuteronomy 9:5,6--You are not going to take possession of their land because of your righteousness or your integrity. Instead, the Lord your God will drive out these nations before you because of their wickedness, in order to keep the promise He swore to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Understand that the Lord your God is not giving you this good land to possess because of your righteousness, for you are a stiff-necked people.

0 Comments

3/19/2025 2 Comments

Overflowing Hope

L-R: Bill Wadley, Dan York, Laura Wadley

He had a pretty rough upbringing with three different mothers and two different fathers.[1] His dad was an alcoholic and gambling addict. His 16-year-old birth mom was a drug and alcohol abuser. At the age of five, he had to take care of three half-siblings in the apartment, and if anything was broken or went wrong, he was beaten. He was seventeen before he found out his stepdad was not his real father.

2 Comments

3/11/2025 3 Comments

Mindlock

They were college roommates with a friendship that brought laughter and fun to almost everyone who entered their orbit. Now, 44 years later, on opposite sides of the political spectrum, they bash each other on social media with barely concealed contempt. Whoever said, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me,” was internally dishonest. Negative words do more than upset, they create resentment, rifts, and land littered with destroyed relationships.

3 Comments

1/7/2025 0 Comments

Not to Do Dumb Stuff

Pastor Brian led the children in a short message at Agape Church. One of his questions for the kids was if they had any New Year’s Resolutions. Several girls and boys shared before one young boy raised his hand and said his New Year’s Resolution was “Not to do dumb stuff.” That elicited quite a chuckle amongst the adults.
Inspired by the young boy’s answer, I called and asked my West Point classmate, Randy, what the dumbest thing he could think of that he’d ever done. It did not take him long to answer. “I got a car, a California customized van, as a Cadet, before it was authorized. I kept it parked off campus but decided to drive it around school one day before graduation.” Unfortunately, someone reported him, and he became a Century Man. This meant that on top of the hours he had already walked for other infractions with his rifle across a cement apron, he would surpass 100 hours of marching.

0 Comments

3/20/2024 1 Comment

Pretending

Alice* presented her plan for her organization to succeed if certain political events went differently than expected. Sadly, her presentation failed because she neglected to vet it with her peers, and her message needed to be clearer. It caused subordinates to question how in touch their senior leaders were with them.

One of the junior supervisors, Becky, wept as she shared her frustration with senior leadership’s inability to appreciate their needs. Her vulnerability encouraged many in the room to speak up with similar thoughts, and the atmosphere in the room became tense and somewhat awkward. Feeling overwhelmed, Becky left the meeting.

1 Comment

2/6/2024 1 Comment

You Must Be Quiet

I was talking to my stressed certified public accountant (CPA). It is that time of year when he prepares tax returns for all his clients. The strain on his face was palpable, so his answer was no surprise when I asked him what I could pray for him. “Ask God to relieve the stress and anxiety of this tax season.”

Eric requests prayer for Ben and Kelly’s failing marriage. Erwin needs intercession for his beloved wife, Sue’s deteriorating health. Jerry seeks wisdom in his job addressing conflicts with Iran, Russia, Ukraine, China, Taiwan, Israel, and Hamas. Nanette argues passionately for the right to see her grandson to the deaf ears of a drug-addicted daughter. Her prayer is for reconciliation and healing.

1 Comment

10/28/2023 4 Comments

A Wonderful Aroma

Meditation
2 Corinthians 2:14-16—But thanks be to God, who always puts us on display in Christ and through us spreads the aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place. For to God we are the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing. To some we are an aroma of death leading to death, but to others, an aroma of life leading to life. And who is competent for this?

4 Comments

10/10/2023 0 Comments

Pressure is a Privilege

The guest speaker on Sunday said, “Pressure is a privilege.” That got my attention. What?! Is pressure really a privilege? Pressure causes stress. Stress can be debilitating both physically and mentally. Pressure is synonymous with anxiety, burden, and difficulty—three words hardly appealing. So, how in the world is pressure a privilege?

0 Comments

9/9/2023 1 Comment

Bent Over

Meditation
Luke 13:10—11--As He was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath, a woman was there who had been disabled by a spirit for over 18 years. She was bent over and could not straighten up at all.

1 Comment

8/13/2023 0 Comments

The Warrior is a Child

Dad sits at the small kitchen table with his Marine ball cap covering his scattered gray hair. His brow is furrowed, and his piercing blue eyes appear deep in thought. Slowly he adds words to a journal that increasingly makes little sense. I asked what he was writing, and he shared that he was composing thoughts on how God likes eggs cooked. I had just asked him how he wanted his eggs that morning; that thought was fixed in his mind.

0 Comments

4/23/2023 1 Comment

Because of His Majesty

How do we avoid sinning? It’s a fundamental question that has many implications for our lives. Reading through the book of Job, we can pick up some amazing insights from a man horrifically tormented by Satan for his righteous life. In chapter 31, Job identifies at least thirteen things that would be inappropriate for him to do, with verse 23 serving as the lynchpin for his profound reasoning.

1 Comment

1/14/2023 8 Comments

Navigating the Christian Life

Author Geoff Davis

Over forty years ago, on April 1, 1982, I pinned on a US Army Ranger Tab. When I began that program on February 2, 1982, I started with some of the Army’s best soldiers. God used it as one of the most formative lessons in my walk with Him, so that I might know Him better.

8 Comments

11/23/2022 0 Comments

Beating Mediocrity

Janet has her own cleaning service; for years, she had no trouble gaining enough clients to run a successful business because of her work quality. As her business expanded, she hired another worker, and that’s when the problems began. When Janet cleans a room, it is immaculate, but with her new employee Justin, it was not the same. She showed him the cleaning materials to use and demonstrated what “right looks like.” At first, she thought his cleaning lapses merely required on-the-spot corrections. But Justin’s work continually languished. He responded with excuses when she would point out deficiencies rather than learn and improve. After three frustrating months, she had to let him go.

0 Comments

6/20/2022 1 Comment

Honoring Our Elderly

Patricia P. Driscoll and Celia Straus wrote in Hidden Battle on Unseen Fronts, “As a society, we don’t take very good care of one another. Ours is a disposable culture: our children, our elders, our ill and infirm, our natural resources are often ignored, overlooked, forgotten or mistreated.” Did you know that respect for the elderly is tied in scripture to reverence for God? God did not make people obsolete, objects of derision or relics to be ignored or kept out of the way. We as a society have done this because collectively, we view feebleness and weakness as properties to be avoided. We don’t wish to be reminded of the last chapters or days of life before death. We want to be strong, healthy and admired. But we see life from such a limited and sadly vain vantage. God made life, and He made it with eternity in mind. When we disrespect the elderly, we disrespect what He created, which is never a good practice.

1 Comment

2/10/2022 0 Comments

The Bad Leader

We have all experienced them—leaders, who exhibit selfishness in the midst of a crisis. One of the reasons why I believe the Bible is the greatest book on leadership is the plethora of examples of good and bad leaders. So let’s look at a man who shows us what not to do.

0 Comments