Mission Faithwalk

     My son, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you, turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding, and if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the LORD and find the knowledge of God. For the LORD gives wisdom, and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding. He holds victory in store for the upright, he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless, for he guards the course of the just and protects the way of his faithful ones. Then you will understand what is right and just and fair—every good path. For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul. Discretion will protect you, and understanding will guard you .(Prov 2:1-11)        There's a creative "reality" program I've enjoyed called Face Off that pits makeup artists, creature designers and the like a

For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written: “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.”       Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe... For the foolishness of God is wiser than man’s wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man’s strength. Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the des

But since you rejected me when I called and no one gave heed when I stretched out my hand, since you ignored all my advice and would not accept my rebuke, I in turn will laugh at your disaster; I will mock when calamity overtakes you— when calamity overtakes you like a storm, when disaster sweeps over you like a whirlwind, when distress and trouble overwhelm you. Then they will call to me but I will not answer; they will look for me but will not find me. Since they hated knowledge and did not choose to fear the LORD , since they would not accept my advice and spurned my rebuke, they will eat the fruit of their ways and be filled with the fruit of their schemes. For the waywardness of the simple will kill them, and the complacency of fools will destroy them; but whoever listens to me will live in safety and be at ease, without fear of harm.   (Proverbs 1:28-33)               When you get a chance, you should compare this passage with Romans 1:18-32. This is the gentle version o

When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. (Matthew 9:36) “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.( John 10:11)             In Dallas Willard's book, Hearing God [1] , he wrote about the difference between a shepherd and a sheep dog. I'm going to add a wolf to the analogy.             The shepherd, especially in Biblical times, walked ahead of the sheep, calling to them. They followed him. They were led by his voice as a result of their relationship to him. The professor wrote that the sheep dog "forcibly maneuvers the sheep." It runs after the sheep, barking and snapping if necessary in order to keep the flock together and doing at is dictates. The wolf attacks the sheep. They may act as if they are being herded, or they may scatter. Injury and death are common.          For the professor, these are types for leaders in the Church. For some, l

After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb. There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men. The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.’ Now I have told you.” (Matthew 28:1-7)           When you write fiction, you can make your story as wild as you want. When you write nonfiction, you have to be careful. Real life is often a lot stranger than the stories you read, but if you try to tell someone

For your enjoyment, here's an Easter Concert of some of my favorites Were You There When They Crucified My Lord (Mahalia Jackson) Rise Again (Dallas Holm) Up From The Grave He Arose Was It A Morning Like This (Sandi Patti) Easter Song (Second Chapter Of Acts) He Is Risen (Mathew Maher) He's Alive (Don Francisco) Christ the Lord Is Risen Today (Steve Green)   Hallelujah Chorus He Is Still Risen

but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. (Luke 24:3) In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here (Luke 24:5-6a) But they did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense. Peter, however, got up and ran to the tomb. Bending over, he saw the strips of linen lying by themselves, and he went away, wondering to himself what had happened. (Luke 24:11-12)   In addition, some of our women amazed us. They went to the tomb early this morning but didn’t find his body. They came and told us that they had seen a vision of angels, who said he was alive. Then some of our companions went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but him they did not see.” (Luke 24:22-24)     While the women were on their way, some of the guards went into the city and reported to the chief priests everything that had happened.

For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance : that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve.  After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles , and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born. (I Corinthians 15:3-8)        According to the majority of Biblical scholars, the underlined part of today's passage between was part of a creed used by the Church by about 35 AD. In other words, it was something that Christians were declaring to be true within 5 years of the Resurrection. The New Testament includes the testimony of 6 witnesses (Matthew Levi, Peter, John, James and Jude (Jesus' brothers who weren't even his disciples) and Paul,

                  Tonight, Jerry Jenkins' Writer's Guild had a question and answer session. No matter what kind of work session we have, my reaction to the material is the same: dismay. I can't build the readers necessary to earn a publisher's respect. I can't write commercially. I can't, I can't, I can't. And then I look at my computer screen and see the tab for my blog: Mission: Faithwalk. It's based on "Mission: Impossible." It's about doing what can't be done. It's about moving forward when I don't know where I'm going or how to get there. Over the past several months, I've been asking God to cause my ministry to grow... me, those whose lives it touches, and itself so it can do more of the other two.                 Of course, the problem with asking for something to cause me to grow is that growth, especially in faith, is hard work. And that takes me back to the "But I can't" part of the cyc

            What is truth?” Pilate asked. With this he went out again to the Jews and said, “I find no basis for a charge against him. (John 18:38)             From then on, Pilate tried to set Jesus free, but the Jews kept shouting, “If you let this man go, you are no friend of Caesar. Anyone who claims to be a king opposes Caesar.” (John 19:12)             “What shall I do, then, with Jesus who is called Christ?” Pilate asked.             They all answered, “Crucify him!”             “Why? What crime has he committed?” asked Pilate.             But they shouted all the louder, “Crucify him!”             When Pilate saw that he was getting nowhere, but that instead an uproar was starting, he took water and washed his hands in front of the crowd. “I am innocent of this man’s blood,” he said. “It is your responsibility!”            All the people answered, “Let his blood be on us and on our children!” (Matthew 27:22-25)               Pilate is often portrayed as a

                When Esther’s words were reported to Mordecai, he sent back this answer: “Do not think that because you are in the king’s house you alone of all the Jews will escape. For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?”               Then Esther sent this reply to Mordecai: “Go, gather together all the Jews who are in Susa, and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my maids will fast as you do. When this is done, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish.” (Esther 4:12-17)          Today begins the celebration of Purim, a celebration of the victory of the Jews over the evil man who wanted them all killed. It's also Maundy Thursday and Christians are getting ready to celebrate the victory of Jesus over Sata

The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. (Genesis 2:15)       If where you live is anything like where I live, your hometown has been debating about how to be a better place, to draw in industry, business and good people. The debate has been going on for years and nothing seems to help. For most hometowns, these are not easy problems to solve, and, truth told, most of us want magical answers. We want someone to donate a billion dollars a year to provide all the material stuff that is needed, and somehow figure out how to make everyone love everyone while still giving everyone absolute freedom.        When God created Adam and Eve, He didn't give them the whole world to work and take care of. He gave them a garden. Eventually, man was to subdue the earth and rule it, but he was to begin with his home turf. In our more complicated world, we sometimes have more than one home turf. One home turf is where you live. Another is

Unless the LORD builds the house, its builders labor in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchmen stand guard in vain. (Psalm 127:1)           Two of the articles I read over the past couple days tell approximately the same story. One was about the Islamic refugees in Europe and the apparent lack of understanding of them on the part of Europeans and their governments. The second was about a picture taken near Detroit, MI, showing multiple ISIS flags being flown. Like the Europeans and their governments, Americans and the American government seem to have no idea why this is happening and they really have no better idea than Europe of what to do about it.          The problem is (at least in part) that over the past hundred and fifty years religion has been systematically removed from Western culture. There are people who think this is a good thing. A new society is being built that has little or no room for such "folly" as God. This society has

         Six days before the Passover, Jesus arrived at Bethany, where Lazarus lived, whom Jesus had raised from the dead... The next day the great crowd that had come for the Feast heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem. They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting, “Hosanna! (John 12:1, 12-13)           It was now about the sixth hour, and darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour, for the sun stopped shining. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” When he had said this, he breathed his last (Luke 23:44-46)       In his book Celebrating Jesus In The Biblical Feasts [1] , Dr. Richard Booker explores the parallels between the Jewish Passover feast and what we call Holy Week. The Jews were to select lambs without spot of blemish on the 10th day of the month. They were to watch the lambs for five days to make sure there was nothing wrong with them. On th

The heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick; Who can understand it?                                                                                                 (Jeremiah 17:9 NASB) The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?                                                                               (Jeremiah 17:9NIV)                             This is the verse I was looking for when I found the passage in Isaiah I shared yesterday. It comes to mind when I hear people talking about their hearts. They believe in their hearts...feel in their hearts... and therefore it must be true, or at least far superior to whatever might be found in their heads. They exalt the heart, and exult in the heart. The feelings of romance and feelings of love - mere sentimentality - are all that are necessary to make something good, no matter how twisted and vile it might be. "But I love him/her" does not justify doing somet

The carpenter measures with a line and makes an outline with a marker; he roughs it out with chisels and marks it with compasses. He shapes it in the form of man, of man in all his glory, that it may dwell in a shrine.   He cut down cedars, or perhaps took a cypress or oak. He let it grow among the trees of the forest, or planted a pine, and the rain made it grow. It is man’s fuel for burning; some of it he takes and warms himself, he kindles a fire and bakes bread. But he also fashions a god and worships it; he makes an idol and bows down to it. Half of the wood he burns in the fire; over it he prepares his meal, he roasts his meat and eats his fill. He also warms himself and says, “Ah! I am warm; I see the fire.” From the rest he makes a god, his idol; he bows down to it and worships. He prays to it and says, “Save me; you are my god.” They know nothing, they understand nothing; their eyes are plastered over so they cannot see, and their minds closed so they cannot understand. No

The proverbs of Solomon son of David, king of Israel: for attaining wisdom and discipline; for understanding words of insight; for acquiring a d isciplined and prudent life, doing what is right and just and fair; for giving prudence to t he simple, knowledge and discretion to the young— let the wise listen and add to their learning, and let the discerning get guidance— for understanding proverbs and parables, the sayings and riddles of the wise. The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline. (Proverbs 1:1-7)         In a Postmodern society, wisdom is seen as micro-aggression or even aggression used to oppress others. Feelings and raw experience are valued for themselves, not for the wisdom they bring. Kids scold those who dare advise against a planned course of action or who dare to mention the mistakes of those youth. Clear thinking is not taught because they believe that anything that is believed makes the argument invalid.