Sadly when my weak faith in Jesus Christ and His resurrection was challenged in high school and in my 5 quarters at the University of TN,...

Both John and Jesus were always going for root and foundational issues. They weren’t going to waste time on “Ten ways to raise a happy child” when the parents they were ministering to had no spiritual capacity (yet) to carry out such well meaning parenting practices.

Traditions that help us obey God’s commands and divine order are fine and good. But traditions that men develop that skirt around God’s commands, and that help support our self centered efforts and agendas are evil.

One of the greatest mistakes young married couples make that sets them up for failure in their marriages is an inordinate focus on making money and acquiring material things (such as cars and homes) at the costly neglect of growing familiar with and confident of the spiritual blessings already bought for them by the blood of Jesus.

Marriage in Jesus’s eyes is a total leaving of one’s parents (physically, emotionally, etc); and a total cleaving to or commitment to oneness with our spouse (sexually, emotionally, spiritually, relationally, etc.). This was always God’s intention from the very beginning.

The effectiveness of Israel & the Church in fulfilling their God given purpose on the earth will depend in large part on how healthy and vibrant the marriages and families are within them.

The Bible says we are aliens, exiles, strangers, sojourners in this world. We do not belong here. We belong with Him. Once He determines our purpose for being on this earth is accomplished, it is His prerogative to bring us to our true home.

But this soul vacuum which can only by filled by God, is very real and very dangerous because it must be filled. It knows no neutral. Jesus spoke to this once when He said, “What does it profit a man to gain the whole world and lose his own soul?”

" I’ve lived largely in the last two months in a house of mourning. Not because we have no hope. We have gobs of hope! But because my 70 year old brother, whom I love dearly and communicate with regularly, is no longer going to be a part of my life..."

" ...there is something special God chooses to do when we as a congregation of all ages and varied giftings, ethnicities and gender come together to both celebrate Him and celebrate the sovereign joining He has brought about in our corporate life together."