Blog (Page 8)

According to “The Annals of Internal Medicine” (October 3, 2017 article) sitting too long each day can increase your risk of premature death – even if you exercise. Maybe you’ve heard some say, “sitting is the new smoking” meaning all our sedentary-ness is sneaking up and harming, and maybe killing us! I’m not a frequent reader of Internal Medicine journals – but I do read the Bible frequently! And, as it turns out physicians and researchers are rediscovering what the…

You Were Created to Become Like Christ! Thanks be to God for a great start of our “Power of Purpose” September worship. Thanks as well to the Power of Purpose workshop leaders from the “Southwest Florida Blue Zones” where ~40 of us met to (re)discover our purpose, focus or calling! It was time very well spent! The point last Sunday? The universe is purposeful, not random. There is a Designer, an Initiator. The Scripture’s identify the Designer as Jesus –…

“…any way you count it, these last two commandments address the thought of coveting well before the action has a chance to spring from within. It is apparently something God is trying to nip in the bud. “

We were charmed by a young voice singing Jesus Loves the Little Children and How Great Thou Art this past Sunday (August 26, 2018 – 10am Worship Service). The voice belongs to Max who recently attained the age of nine. Max sang at the Sugden Theatre located on Naples’ Fifth Ave earlier this year and recently auditioned for another gig. Go Max!  

The Freedom of Boundaries: The 6th Commandment Do Not Commit Adultery  Few emotional wounds cut as deeply as betrayal/broken trust. When trust is violated, the bridge of relationship blows up and crumbles. It’s especially true with those closest to you, co-workers, partners, friends, people in your church. The closer they are to you, the more impactful; especially among Christians. The psychological fallout rolls like the dust cloud off an imploding building. As destructive as that force is – it pales…

Do you worship other gods? Of course, you don’t!? Right!? I’ll willing to bet you have no idols of Buda to which you bow; no prayers to Allah five times a day; and that you’re not a student of the Hindu Vedas. However… I’m also willing to bet you, like me, are prone to seek other gods like “Quick Fix” or the impatient god of “Instant Gratification” – or the ever-present temptation to worship the god of “Mammon” made famous…

Introducing a worship series to lead us through the remaining summer months – “The Freedom of Boundaries: In Praise and Celebration of the 10 Commandments.” The objective for this worship series of God’s Word on boundaries – to be able to know them by heart and accept them in your heart as God’s loving command. They are a curb to keep us secure; a rule to see how we’re measuring up and a guide for daily living designed to strengthen…

“Clingy-ness” implies being too close too much of the time; as when an anxious child clings to his fatiguing mother. On the other hand, clinging can imply hanging on for dear life – as gripping a life raft in a stormy sea next to an overturned boat. Even more – in the Biblical, spiritual sense it can mean clinging to Christ as the only means to eternal life; the only hope for true and lasting joy. Clinging or perhaps, “abiding”…

What are you thinking about? It turns out, “thought” is more powerful than you might have thought. Do just a little online research and you’ll discover thought is powerful and creative. You’ll find the Einstein quote, “Imagination is more important than knowledge…” Or, if you venture down the philosopher’s trail Soren Kierkegaard is quoted as saying, “Our life always expresses the result of our dominant thoughts.” Yet, well before these smart people discovered the power of thoughts, the Bible was…

June 10 The Peace of God Oh, the difference a preposition can make. Here’s an example from the Oxbridge Proofreading and Editing Resource web site. Here’s a less obtuse, more profound example. The Bible doesn’t promise you’ll get peace from God. St Paul promises we get the peace of God! If you open his mail to the Philippians, you find this quote, “And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ…

Do You Ooze Gratitude? Now, I know “ooze” is typically used to describe less-than-favorable circumstances, but I love how it captures the essence of slow, steady, outpouring. So, for better or worse I’ll ask again, do you ooze gratitude? St Paul’s second and last letter to his spiritual son, Timothy, provides a list of sins and shortfalls indicative of the “last days.” (2Tim. 3) The list includes being ungrateful. Perhaps you know this intuitively. Maybe you remember being “ungrateful” to…