Meat for the Hungry

Driving to church a few Sundays ago, I contemplated what God would have me write this month. As each beautiful Scripture of our Savior’s incarnation and birth filed through my memory, I reached Isaiah 9:6, and it exploded in full Halleluiah Chorus style.   “For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”   When my personal concert concluded, I thought, Lord, hasn’t this verse been written about by more intelligent and creative people? What could I possibly write that hasn’t already been said?   Like frames of a silent movie film, the Son’s names rolled by one by one, “Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” Then, in a flash, they rewound to W o n d e r f u l .   I love this name. Early in my conversion, God opened my eyes to it in the announcement of Sampson’s concept...

T h a n k s g i v i n g —an expression of gratitude given in many different ways—an action gushing forth from heartfelt emotion. Daily we extend or receive kindnesses , and t h a n k s g i v i n g seems to flow naturally . Effortlessly we thank our fellow man, but when it comes to God, sometimes it’s not so easy. And even on the day our nation has set aside to thank God for His bountiful blessings, thanksgiving becomes a strained endeavor.   Why?   Perhaps the reality of our crummy situation slaps us in the face. Maybe the ups and downs of family relationships or gyrating current events have us on a merry-go-round , and we’re not feeling very thankful. I’m right there with you. In fact, I found myself shouting, “Lord Jesus, stop the world I want to get off!”   But at that moment, God’s still small voice penetrated my soul. “Rejoice always,” He said. “Pray without ceasing, and in everything give t h a n k s ; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” [...

  If you remember, a few months ago, I was feeling like Jonah.  (See Saturday, June 27, 2020, "Occupy Till I Come" blog.) But lately, I’ve been feeling more like  L o t . In the books of Matthew and Luke, Jesus equated end times with the days of Noah. However, in Luke, He makes another comparison. “Likewise, as it was also in the d a y s o f L o t : They ate , they drank , they bought , they sold , they planted , they built , but on the day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all.” (Luke 17:28-29) Wow! They were just going about their daily lives oblivious to the pending judgment when sudden destruction came upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman and as a thief in the night. [1]   But why did angels lead L o t and family out b e f o r e h a n d ? Was it because he was Abraham’s nephew? Maybe, yet I think there’s more to it, so let’s dig.   Genesis 11:26-31 tells us Terah had three sons, A...

Do you feel as though you’ve entered an alternate universe?   A world where things appear to be normal, but something’s not quite right? People look the same, yet their thoughts are backward from what you remember. And the longer you investigate your surroundings, the more you find what you knew as good has now been deemed evil. Is it a nightmare? The Twilight Zone? Or could it be what God’s Word prophesied, “…that in the last days perilous times will come:” [1]   As I was thinking about what to write, and whether or not to write, I remembered the “ Back to the Future ” movies. One of the films, Part III, I think, took Marty McFly to a different reality. Something happened in Part II that had altered his universe. Marty’s mother was now married to the villain, Biff. And if that weren’t shocking enough, she had had cosmetic surgery and appeared very voluptuous.   Marty found where once respect, decency, and morality were the norm in their town, now licentiousne...