by Whitey | Sep 25, 2011 | Thoughts, Uncategorized
“Around midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God,
and the other prisoners were listening.” (Acts 16:25 NLT)
I have to wonder if this would be my reaction to being beaten and
throne in prison. When I’m stressed or lonely or afraid, is it my
first reaction to turn to God in prayer and worship? Or is that a
last resort? It’s so easy in our comparatively small trials to let
ourselves look to other things for comfort. But God is our comfort
and strength in hard times, as well as our constant companion in
everyday life.
So why wait? In good times or bad, let’s seek the Lord. Let’s
worship Him because He’s worthy, no matter what we’re going through.
As we do, we can be a light to those around us, as Paul and Silas were
to their fellow prisoners and their captors.
by Whitey | Sep 24, 2011 | Uncategorized
Yukata Party. Okay, not really a party. Just me hanging out with some youth (in our hotel-provided yukatas) before bed Sunday night at the retreat I was ministering at. Good times.
(posted 2011/09/24)
by Whitey | Sep 22, 2011 | Uncategorized
The calm after the storm. Taken yesterday, from my balcony, after the typhoon had passed Nagoya.
(2011/09/22)
by Whitey | Sep 9, 2011 | Thoughts, Uncategorized
“And since God gave these Gentiles the same gift he gave us when we
believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to stand in God’s way?”
(Acts 11:17 NLT)
Am I partnering with God in His work, or getting in His way? Today,
my prayer is that I will hear His voice, listen and obey, not letting
my prejudices, preconceptions, fears or doubts hold me back. May I get
out of the way and let God do His thing.
by Whitey | Sep 1, 2011 | Thoughts, Uncategorized
“You can have no part in this, for your heart is not right with God.” (Acts 8:21 NLT)
It s possible to desire good things with the wrong motives. And sometimes we, like Simon, seek the gift rather than the Giver. But God’s gift come as a “package deal” in relationship with Him. And He gets to choose what gifts to give to whom.
Lord, You Yourself are more valuable than any gift I could receive from You. I choose to seek You. Please walk with me today.
by Whitey | Aug 31, 2011 | Thoughts, Uncategorized
“As they stoned him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” He fell to his knees, shouting, ‘Lord, don’t charge them with this sin!’ And with that, he died.” (Acts 7:59-60)
Stephen was awesome!
Given the chance to defend himself to his accusers, he instead preached a sermon. He didn’t even try to defend himself. In fact, he accused his accusers. He even boldly proclaimed the very things they would consider blasphemy, referring to Jesus as Lord and God. And Stephen paid for it with his life. Yet even then, he prayed to Jesus and asked that his killers’ sins not be held against them, reflecting Jesus’ grace even in his own death.
I could learn a few things from Stephen about what it means to follow Jesus.
