Becoming like Christ for the sake of others

Full Freedom 7/4/17

Happy 4th Everyone: Thanking God for our full freedom in Christ. “It was for freedom that Christ set us free, therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery (legalism).” Galatians 5:1 This Post Hit Home: Some interesting responses to my defensiveness column last week. I’m keeping the writer’s…

Defensiveness 6/28/17

“Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.” Ephesians 4:32 I know one of the most important things to learn in life is how to properly respond when criticized. Most of my life I haven’t done too well. One of my weaknesses is an impulsive…

Full of His Glory 6/20/17

The Glory of God: If you ever wondered what angels say in heaven, Isaiah chapter 6 tells us. In verse three we read that the angels of heaven, unendingly stunned by the wonder and awe of God, are constantly calling out to one another, “Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord of Hosts, the whole earth…

Dreaming With Your Feet 6/13/17

“There are shortcuts to happiness and dancing is one of them.” Vicki Baum “Dancing is like dreaming with your feet.” Anonymous “When you find dancing you never let it go”  Larsen Thompson Five years ago Nikki asked if I would take dance lessons with her. She felt it would be good for our marriage and…

A Needed Metamorphosis 6/6/17

“I urge you brethren by the mercies of God to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service of worship and do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind that you may prove what the will of God is,…

A Looming Shadow 5/30/17

“It is not the bruises on the body that hurt. It is the wounds of the heart and the scars on the mind.” Aisha Mirza  Rosanne slipped into the Sunday morning service just as the worship wound down. A friend for 15 years, she had taken a two-hour bus ride to be there. Happily married,…

A Crazy City 5/23/17

Two weeks ago: No city in the world is quite as crazy as Manila. The congestion in the Philippine capital makes traffic on our freeways feel like a drive in the country. Just arriving from Bangkok, I paid a little extra for a local shuttle service to drive me to my hotal, not wanting to…

Hitting Pause 4/25/17

Hitting Pause: This will be the last prayer devotional for a few weeks as I am heading for Asia early next week, first to Thailand and then to the Philippines. Asking that you pray for a fruitful, safe and healthy trip. Next devotional will come in late May. And there will be no Monday evening…

Drifing Away 4/18/17

“Therefore, we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it. For if the Word spoken through angels proved unalterable and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompense, how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation? After it was first spoken through the Lord,…

Planning A Rescue 4/11/17

Cherry: Last week I shared the story of 13-year old Cherry, one of the girls we have been raising at the Thai/Burma border. A year ago, with her mother dying from AIDS, Cherry was brought to us, her mom asking if we would take her. We did. During school break a couple of weeks ago…