Bridge Builders

Rocking horses are fun.  Jared and Zachary had one stationed in the corner of their room as toddlers.  They loved to go back and forth at warp speed, the faster the better.  Initially, they needed help getting on the horse and staying on but over time they mounted the horse on their own.  Thank the Lord, no one was ever injured falling off the horse or entrapped in the springs.  A stationary horse lends itself to fewer accidents.  Eventfully, they moved on to electronic toys.  The rocking horse had served its purpose and was retired to the Salvation Army.  It was time to leave the rocking horse behind. Proverbs 26:11 11  As a dog returns to his own vomit, So a fool repeats his folly. It is foolish to think you can go forward by rocking back and forth or by repeating the same folly over and over again.  There is a negative side to rocking horses.  No matter how exhilarating or bumpy the ride, when you get off the h...

What does it take for you to praise God?  Is answered prayer enough?  How about a healthy body, godly children or all your material needs met?  We like to believe that if God never did another thing on our behalf we would glorify His name anyway.  Intellectually, we understand that what we already have is enough and even that we did not earn.  But, what if our prayers go unanswered?  Would we still lift our hands in worship?  Could we still adore Him?  Is your praise conditional?  Must God earn your praise? Psalm 34:1-3 34 I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth. 2  My soul shall make its boast in the Lord ; The humble shall hear of it and be glad. 3  Oh, magnify the Lord with me, And let us exalt His name together. Evidently, all times means all times.  In every situation, we are to praise God.  Feelings are irrelevant.  Difficult circumstances do not...

My husband was jumping rope in the pulpit today, specifically “Double Dutch.”  No, he was not emulating the lead actor in the movie, War Room .  I remember the anguish that would come over me trying to decide when to make the dash into the ropes. I would jump in and then jump out unsure if I could keep up, get hit with the rope or be tripped up. We would all jump in and jump out.  Pastor Howelton presented a vivid illustration of what we look like when as a believer we cannot choose between living saved in the world and being of the world. One minute we jump in church and the next we have jumped back to doing what we use to do.  Most of the time we are anxious while jumping between two worlds because we know eventually, we will trip ending in a disastrous fall. James 4:4 4  Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? Whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God. No, it does...

Deny is a four-letter word.  To deny oneself in America today is counter-cultural.  No one does that.  It’s about my needs, my things and my rights.  We want it our way and if we don’t get our way, we leave the sandbox with our toys.  We promote ourselves via social media with streams of mundane information about “ME.”  We have stopped taking pictures of other people and have started using a long stick and a camera function in order to take pictures of “ME”.  To be asked to give up anything and deny oneself in this world is akin to cursing someone’s very being.  How can I give up anything and expect anything in return? Matthew 16:24-26 24  Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.  25  For whoever would save his life [ a ]  will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.  26  For what wi...