As I was reading Habakkuk during my morning quiet time, I was given some insight I have not considered before. The phrase, ”The more things change, the more they stay the same,'' came to my mind. Jeremiah and Habakkuk were contemporaries living in Judaea just before and during the time when Babylon took them away. While Jeremiah taught that wickedness in God's own people has doomed them, Habakkuk preached about the corruption that had infested the government of their day. His opening verse gives us all we need to know about how evil the government of the Southern tribe of Judah had become.
Ken Graves, the senior pastor of Calvary Chapel Bangor ME, offers up his opinion of the, "Man Scale". Ken's scale has men like Mr Rogers on one end, and men like to Mr T on the other end. His advice to all men is to get on the man scale and be a man. So, are you some place between Mr Rogers and Mr T? If not, then you better look to God through Christ to find out where you are lacking, because God wants all men to be men.
Gospel of Matthew Notes & Outlines
Matthew was one of Jesus' 12 disciples, who's heart was forever changed by a man from Galilee would. This despised tax collector would one day write this Gospel which proves to his fellow Jews, that Jesus is the King of the Jews they were awaiting called the Messiah.
Ruth Notes & Outlines
Please join me in my new study in the book of Ruth.
Ruth is a poignant story of faithless disobedience, that leads to death, sorrow, bitterness, and then loyalty and finally redemption. It's my prayer that you will realize that if an inconspicuous Moabite peasant woman could achieve royalty for her descendants in Israel, then anyone can gain Salvation.
Have you ever wondered how people get from point A to point B? I don't mean in a physical mileage way, but rather an emotional, phycological, and spiritual way. We all take in our surroundings and make decisions based upon the way we see things happening, and the way we feel. Then we get to a certain point in our life when we take an inventory of how we are doing. Sometimes we're relatively satisfied, other times we're disappointed, but do we ever really reflect upon the decisions we made that ultimately got us to point B?
(These are dolls made specifically to be sold to adult men)
Forgive me for sharing this story on my blog, but you all need to be aware of what is happening. What follows was written by my good friend Jeffery Oertle. He says all I feel in my heart when I consider the ramifications of such misguided thinking. Please take the time to read this all the way through, it is spot on.
guest writer
by Jeffery Oertle
So they feed the lust with a craving for something real and mimic the image of something authentic, with something that has only the look, but no value and no. "I say unto you, If a man should look at a woman in lust, he is guilty of the same sin" Lust of the eyes, lust of the flesh... You can only pacify Lust! Lust is spiritual, therefore it craves that of a spiritual nature... they can supply this all they want, this only feeds the desire for something more.
Some of you may know of Francis Chan, and thus have either a positive or negative impression of him. Usually it comes down to what some think of his teaching style. However you feel about him, I ask that you give this short video a listen.
Now I am not trying to convince you to become a follower of Francis, but in this short 1:45 he says exactly what is wrong with many Christians when it comes to following the "Great Commission" of Jesus Christ that can be found in Matthew 28:18-21;
And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen
Too many Christians feel that all they need to do is show up at church, listen to the preacher, attend a few Bible studies, and memorize Scripture so they can say what other Christians want to hear. However, how many Christians truly step out of their comfort zone to share the Gospel, baptize believers and disciple them to where they too can follow the Great Commission themselves? For that matter, how many Christians can honestly say they brought other sinners to Christ? Or at least tried to, even if they failed?
Francis Chan was the founder and Pastor of a megachurch in Simi Valley California, Cornerstone Community Church. He and his wife started it in 1994. After 6 years of leading a flock of thousands, he decided to step down as Pastor. Francis felt the need to seek guidance from God as to how he could better serve God. Eventually he moved to San Francisco began a series of house churches. He is currently leading 15 home churches in a way that he feels better for reaching and leading Christians to fulfill Christ's Great Commission command.
Proverb 18:1 A man who isolates himself seeks his own desire;
00 He rages against all wise judgment.
Proverb 18:24 A man who has friends must himself be friendly,
00 But there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.
In today's world, we fight against our desire to isolate ourselves from the world that is so dangerous and greedy. We feel as though we would rather not make new friends so that we will not be harmed or taken advantage of. This goes against what God created us to be and is thus very unwise, for we were created to be social and friendly with others.
I created a new chart that lists 23 women from the Scriptures. There are more than 23 women I could cover, but I took the 23 I felt were more recognizable to most Christians. Now, we all know who these women are, and their stories. From Eve to Mary, these women have had as great an impact on mankind as the men. Three, or maybe 4, are not known for their love of the One true GOD, while the others are remembered for their strength and courage in the face of adversity.
Book Review
As someone who has benefited from Mark Atterson's Biblical knowledge, I felt it an honor to write a review on my friends book. Mark spent some years as a teen in the Jehovah Witness church, but found Christ and left the cult many years ago. Mark's understanding of the way cults begin and how they misinterpret Scripture to Satan's benefit, proves he has the credentials needed to recognize how the perspective of fallen man throughout history have twisted the truth of God's Word
Walking In Wisdom
Read daily commentaries on the Book of Proverbs.
I highly recommend this business for you ladies looking for some good deals. The owner is a beautiful Christian woman who does my wife's hair. Plus she has some awesome women's apparel at decent prices you can order from her website Please check her out.
When you open the Bible to read the books of the Prophets, you will notice they are not listed in chronological order. I have stated time and time again that while I believe every Word in the Bible is inspired by the Holy Spirit, I do not believe the divisions of chapters nor verses are inspired. Like the division of chapters and verses, I also do not believe the placement of where all the books themselves are located was inspired.
There are many sordid story's with many shocking facts shared in the Scriptures about God's people. One such story is the twisted account of Judah and his daughter-in-law Tamar? (Genesis 38:7-26) The story of Judah and Tamar is certainly not the most pleasant story in the Bible. In fact, most commentaries on the book of Genesis don’t spend much time on this chapter. After all, the story of Joseph (Genesis chapters 37-38), has a lot more preaching material and great spiritual lessons!
I joined FreeRepublic in February of 1998, shortly after it was created. Twenty four years later I am one of the few original members still contributing to the forum.
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