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A trip to the store on Wednesday had me reaching for a blindfold. What are women thinking? I saw lots of belly fat through thin T-shirts. I saw lots of chest skin and held my breath hoping against hope that a woman’s breasts would not fall out of her shirt when she bent over to unload her basket into the trunk of her car. It was a Fallout Alert! Why do women think this is pretty? Why do young girls cheapen themselves by wearing next to nothing? Why aren’t mothers telling their daughters, “You can’t wear that, it makes you look cheap.” Which is what my…  ( Click for more )

This month we’ve been studying scripture’s Wonder Woman. I was taught in Sunday School when I was a teen, that this paragon of virtue was a guideline, but unachievable. I bought into that for a long time. Only after studying this passage with the proper guidance from the Holy Spirit have I realized that the Bride of Christ is really Wonder Woman. Not because she is stronger than a locomotive or faster than a speeding bullet (oh, wait, that’s Super Man—hmm), but because of the omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient, living God Who dwells within us. Everything…  ( Click for more )

21 She is not afraid of the snow for her household, for all her household are clothed with scarlet.

The word translated scarlet is שׁני shânı̂y (shaw-nee') Of uncertain derivation; crimson, properly the insect which is the Coccus ilicis, an insect which infests oak trees, called kermes by the Arabians. This insect used to extract the color crimson when it was boiled. It also meant “shining” because of the brilliance of the color, and to get that color it was double-dipped. More on this in a moment.

Since a color…  ( Click for more )

I ran across a blog post that stated the Proverbs Super Woman was unattainable. He (of course it was a he and a pastor) blithely stated that he hoped his wife would read his post because he wanted her to know that no matter what, he loved her and she did not have to be this super woman to have his admiration.

Oh, come on!

That is most commendable, but so erroneous to think that Wonder Woman is unattainable. Absolutely, this Proverbs woman is quite the paragon, but her qualities are not unattainable. She is described as a virtuous woman…excellent woman…capable…noble…  ( Click for more )

Juggling multiple priorities can either be the blight or the crown of Today’s Woman. The first step is actually recognizing something as a priority then being able to categorize all of them into manageable slices. Some people use lists, others use piles, some use other methods. Regardless, if we do not have a system for managing and prioritizing our tasks, we flounder in stress and stacks of chores. The most perfect woman described is the one in Proverbs 31 where we see a true Super Woman. This Wonder Woman was able to manage multiple priorities with seeming little…  ( Click for more )

“I really don’t think God cares about the mundane things in our lives,” said someone in my Sunday School class a few years ago. She meant, why would He care what dress we wear or if our shoes are comfortable? He has so many more important things on His mind. Like what He has in mind for the Bride of Christ, or World events, or holding Satan’s tail, things like that. Those things are an excellent overview of the kinds of Wills of God. His perfect will, His absolute will, His divine will, His personal will for each of His children. There is a personal will because,…  ( Click for more )

…in hectic daily living.

What does your average week day morning sound like? Is it filled with soft, shuffling breezes carrying the scent of frying bacon and brewed coffee? Does the gentle sound of children’s giggles waft to you as the dulcet warmth of a hot shower cascades down your back?

Neither was mine twenty years ago. Kids gathering homework, phone ringing, breakfast frenzies, all the while trying to get mascara even and hose untwisted, the right color shoes and so on. It was nothing like the days when the babies slept until seven o’clock and…  ( Click for more )

To whom it concerns an open letter:

Dear Mr. President, Honorable Senators and Representatives, Governors, Judges, Councilmen, Aldermen, Mayors, Sheriffs, Police Chiefs, and other Persons holding positions of Authority,

The first heat of battle is over. There is now time to regroup and rest before donning the armor and entering the fray again to determine who will be our leaders for the next few years.

Lately, it has come to my attention that this world we live in has lost much of its ethical luster and needs a good polishing and cleaning. Since you have sought this position…  ( Click for more )

Is prayer an art? I can be lost in wonder at the beauty of some prayers. David's for example how Psalm 16 begins, A Secret Treasure of David. Watch over me, O God, for I take refuge in You... Or how about Paul's in Philippians 1:9 And this I pray, that your love may yet abound more and more in full knowledge and all perception, 10 for you to distinguish the things that differ, that you may be sincere and without blame for the day of Christ, 11 being filled with fruits of righteousness through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.

Some prayers have been combined…  ( Click for more )

Centuries before Jesus was led to Golgotha, God provided a picture of that event, a promise to His chosen people in the form of the Passover. He said it was to be an ordinance forever.

The lighting…

The lighting of the candles... Only the woman of the house may light the candles because she is the light of the home. Also, through a woman, through Mary came the Light of the World. The Light of the World is Jesus.... John 9:5 While I am in the world, I am the Light of the world. Revelation 21:23 And the city had no need of the sun, nor of the moon, that they might…  ( Click for more )

This piece never fails to make me cry as I read exactly what happened to Jesus that long ago Passover. He suffered so much, but looked past the pain and all the shame to the joy beyond the cross specifically for you and for me. Praise God from Whom all blessings flow, praise Him all creatures here below. This is the day the LORD has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it.

(Originally published in Arizona Medicine, March 1965, Arizona Medical Association. A medical explanation of what Jesus endured on the day He died.)

By Dr. C. Truman Davis

Dr. C. Truman Davis is a…  ( Click for more )

Being a Christian since I was six years old, I guess it was inevitable that I should take God's Grace for granted. I know absolutely that God has a purpose for everything and that includes me. So, I was sitting there one day feeling incredibly sorry for myself... trying to pray and realizing that my prayers weren’t even getting off the ground. Not, because there was unconfessed sin, but because I was focusing on my depression rather than on God's grace. We all have that problem at one time or another, there is nothing unique about it. David lamented about it, too.

Tony Evans,…  ( Click for more )

In Exodus we read about how God told Moses that He would harden Pharaoh’s heart. That is an extraordinary thing because God, being perfect and holy in every way, could never cause someone to sin. Wouldn’t we define a hard heart a sinful heart? Of course we would. But, God doesn’t sin. So with that premise and understanding we must delve deeper to understand what is meant here, and how it applies to us today.

Take a look at Exodus 4:21. Some translations say “I will harden his heart,” and others say, “I will make his…  ( Click for more )

That question was asked in the Studylight forums this past week. It is a very thought provoking question. What declares God in this world? David tells us that His handiwork declares Him in Psalm 19. Isaiah reminds us that we are his handiwork in chapter 64. Paul talks about the testimony of the world and the universe in Romans 1. But, where do you see God?

There is an astounding thing that I have personally witnessed which is a wonderful declaration from God. It is Him saying, “Look here. I would that you act like this.”

This spectacular sight I witnessed…  ( Click for more )

When I lived in north Louisiana, I made a point of being in front of the TV early weekday mornings to catch the five minute devotion by Pastor Bill Dye who pastors North Monroe Baptist. He has such a way of looking at ordinary things and extracting the spiritual lessons from them in such an extraordinary way. His spiritual points are like gold nuggets to carry around all day. My favorite was the one about dog food which went like this:

Pastor Bill's dog took a dislike to dry dog food. Just wouldn't eat it. So he got the idea to buy some nice, juicy canned dog food. Her ears perked…  ( Click for more )

By the incredibly smart fellow Anonymous.

Ages ago, actually last century, I ran across a story about a man and a huge rock. I have no idea who wrote it but God called it to my mind this week. I searched for it and could not find it, so I'll try to remember it as best I can.

A man had his home in the woods far from civilization. He liked it that way and relished the clear air and exercise he got walking as well as the marvelous peace he had from the bustling city just down the mountain. One morning he walked outside and saw a huge rock sitting right in the middle of the…  ( Click for more )

Rain plinked on the roof, or it might have been frozen rain, I was too tired to take enough interest to look. It was a soothing sound far outweighed by the splattering of rain in the puddles. The dampness soaked into my clothes and settled into my bones. The small blaze in the brazier finally gave up the fight against the cold and went out. I shivered.

Slipping the roped leather sandals from my feet, I tossed them to the corner of my bed and tucked my feet under me to warm them. I succeeded in chilling the only part of my body that had any warmth left. I brushed dirt from the…  ( Click for more )

So many people are blind about eternal security; they use the verses in Romans 11 about the branches being broken off as their proof text.

Who is doing the breaking off of the branch? Can the branch break itself off? No. It is God doing the breaking off, for He is in control.

So... We have to look at the Options or perhaps the action that results in the breaking off of the branch. What was the reason the natural olive tree branches (the Jews) were broken off? Because of unbelief. Why were the wild branches grafted in? Because of their faith/belief.

Here is what I am…  ( Click for more )

I never really liked going fishing with my Mom. Oh, I loved the fellowship with her, but she caught all the fish while I trailed my hook in the water and fed bait to the fish. One clear day in June, she had talked me into going fishing (her job) feeding the fish (my job). We were trolling along her favorite spot on Lake Bruin and something grabbed my hook. I was so startled I nearly lost my fishing rod. I pulled back then let out the line a little. It was a very strong fish. It headed out in front of the boat then turned back and shot under the boat. That maneuver broke the line.…  ( Click for more )

Do others get your goat?

I overhead a young woman tell my pastor the other night, “I’ve decided he won’t get my goat because I won’t tell him where it’s tied up.” I thought this an amazing decision and very pithy.

Which brought a question or two to mind that I’ve been pondering for quite some time: Do we Christians tie our goats to our belts and drag them behind us everywhere we go? Does the blatant display of our goats make us easy targets? Is this why our tender feelings get bruised so easily when someone expresses an opinion…  ( Click for more )

I wrote from the depths of my heart about Cancer in the Body of Christ several months ago. Then an enlightened soul wrote me a letter telling me "I know you may not want to hear this, but..." Frankly, I really do like to hear from readers. The encouragement and the thoughts on what I write are wonderful soul stretchers for me. Some of the comments from this person really made me search my motives and my heart attitude because there were some striking points to ponder.

The first one I deal with on my blog. Some of the other comments took some praying about and some…  ( Click for more )

A dried up brain. That's what I have. Someone asked in my group on LinkedIn, what do you do when writer's block hits?

I blithly wrote that you pray and then sit down and write whatever enters your head. Soon the block melts and things like creativity start flowing again and you're off again. I was too hasty. It isn't that you pray, and it isn't that you just start writing whatever enters your brain. The awful thing is that when you want to write inspiring things you've got to have the breath of God. That is what Spirit-- or rûach רוּח. (roo'…  ( Click for more )

Well that is certainly true. Did you know it's in the bible? Solomon writes that as a proof of hope for the living in the ninth chapter of Ecclesiastes. Actually, he says, For one who is chosen to be among all the living, there is hope. For a living dog is better than a dead lion. While there is breath, there is hope. Even in hopeless situations, there is hope that the situation changes for the better.

While there is life, there is hope. No where in scripture is this exhibited better than when David fasted and prostrated himself before the LORD when his son was sick and lay…  ( Click for more )

Here's the question... Do you believe God is bigger than any problem? I know beyond any doubt that God can be trusted. He has been true and faithful my whole life even during those two black years when I deliberately chose to turn my back on Him. What God says He will do, He will do. No, not one can snatch those from His hand. Fully one quarter of the Bible is prophecy and every one of the prophecies have come true so far even to the exact timing. The timing of Jesus’ birth is one of those prophecies. God told Daniel the year He would come and that is found in chapter…  ( Click for more )