Roger

Years ago, late comedian Flip Wilson received a lot of notoriety with his catch phrase, “The devil made me do it.”   Audiences reeled with laughter at Wilson’s “Geraldine Jones” sketches, but perhaps few understood there’s nothing funny about the devil, for the devil is very real.   He hates   God and God's people, and his intent on this earth is  "to steal, kill and destroy" (John 10:10). He is the  "prince of the power of the air" (Ephesians 2:2).   He is a  "liar and the father of lies" (John 8:44).   He is an  "angel of light" (2 Corinthians 11:14).   He is  "the god of this world" (1 John 5:19).   In short, he is real. He was defeated by Jesus Christ on the Cross of Calvary.   His final consummation or end will not occur until after the thousand-year reign of Christ, when he is released from his prison to once again deceive the nations.  Then, he will be  "thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where (...

Rosie reminded me the other day that little things pack a powerful punch in regards to the Christian life.  Those things seldom talked about that make someone’s day.  Rosie is blind and spends most of her day either lying in bed or sitting in her wheelchair, taking in the sounds of familiar voices.   She is sweetness personified!   Jesus is her best friend and she is quick to talk about him to anyone who visits her.   Her infamous saying is, “God loves you and I love you, and there’s nothing you can do about it!” This 86 year-old victim of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is a widow who was never blessed with children, so she poured her life into her husband and church work.   Boy, does she have stories to tell! Because of swallowing problems, Rosie has been forced to eat her food pureed.   I refer to it as “grown up baby food.”   Each time I visit her, she mentions – several times – what she wouldn’t do for a piece of barbecued...

I can’t remember a spring when it has rained so much.  Farmers have been unable to plow their fields, as tractors sink up to their axles.   Lawns are high.   Water overflows creeks, rivers and ditches.   Cars hydroplane because of deep water on the roads.   Wipers often fail to remove torrential rains from windshields and cars are forced to pull over to wait out heavy down pours.   The ground is saturated causing sports events to be cancelled.   Parts of Texas are under deep water! And it appears that no let-up is in sight.   Sometimes life is like that, too.   We become saturated and overwhelmed by difficult days.   Tension-filled situations threaten to destroy the very fiber of our existence, often with no let up in sight.   But summer and sunshine are on the way! Over 35 years ago my late father-in-law experienced a long bout of depression.   Severe life-altering situations threatened his physical, mental and emotional ...

The Bible tells us not to judge others in Matthew 7:1, so how can Christians serve on juries? Wow!  This is a thought-provoking question! Let's dissect Matthew 7:1-2 to first discover what the gospel writer is really talking about. "Do not judge, or you too will be judged.  For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you." In this passage Jesus condemns the habit of criticizing others while ignoring one's own faults and shortcomings.  Believers must first submit themselves to God's righteous standard before attempting to examine and influence the conduct of other Christians.  In addition, judging others in an unjust manner also includes condemning a wrongdoer without desiring to see the offender return to God and His ways. Jesus uses the word “ judge”  to refer to undo criticism of another individual when we ourselves have similar or even greater issues at hand....