January First every year we celebrate a new year by man’s calculations. We reminisce about days gone by and fill ourselves with wishes and resolutions for making our time on earth better. But something far different is going on. By God’s calculations we live an experience that goes from one event to another each of which is new. Even as we sit here our self-consciousness, not limited to the charter of days, months and years, is flowing from one thought to another, from one feeling to…

It's Sunday evening, three days after we saw Les Miserables, and I'm still thinking about it.  I don't know the last time I saw a movie that affected me that much.  The bell it rang hit a deep responsive chord in my heart.  I'm sure there will be those who saw it and were touched but not as overwhelmed.  For those of us who have realized the personal effect of Jesus as Savior and Lord, the arrival of any visual parallel experience, whether it be in media or daily encounter, will grab your…

Luke 2:1-20

And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed. 2(And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.) 3And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.…

The Real Problem is Mental Health Resources

Posted: 20 Dec 2012 07:49 AM PST

Thinking the Unthinkable

This is a post by a mother who has a son like Adam Lanza.

In the wake of another horrific national tragedy, it’s easy to talk about guns. But it’s time to talk about mental illness.

Three days before 20 year-old Adam Lanza killed his mother, then opened fire on a classroom full of Connecticut kindergartners, my 13-year old son Michael (name changed) missed his…

The Heart Part 2a

“I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts (Jer.31:33).”

We can’t separate the mind from the heart and the spirit. We have to see them working together. Each has a function. One leads the way to the other. The mind gathers the ideas, the heart processes them and the spirit puts them to work. The mind is a reaper that pulls in thoughts and concepts then reasons them to see which are most believable. The heart sifts them based on their…

“If your heart is not in it it’s not going to work.” That’s not only a fact. It’s the plain truth. That’s the ‘heart’ of the matter, the way things are when it comes being human. We are what our heart allows us to be. We can rely on any number of belief systems, have tremendous reasoning ability and justify any action but when you are walking through ‘the valley of decision’ it is the heart that makes the difference.

If we look at the common uses of the word ‘heart’ we can see, even…

Now we begin a three part expansion on the image of God that each of us is, mind, heart and spirit.  Part 1 will deal with the mind, Part 2 with the heart and Part 3 with the spirit. 

But first It must be stated that the image of God in us is tarnished.  Sin has gripped the human race and its mental, physical and spiritual processes so that we are born separated from God.  Everything has to be learned brand new by each person born into this world.  No one inherits maturity,…

When I watched the last Olympic gymnastics competition the event that had me most on edge was the balance beam. Consider how one slight slip can result not just in lower point scores but in actual injury. It’s the kind of an event that makes you cringe with half closed eyes hoping against hope that nothing bad will happen. But think of the balance that is demanded flip after flip and spin after spin.

Now take that picture and compare it to our being an image of God living on an unseen…

What is the first thing that comes to your mind when you wake up in the morning? For each of us it is going to be different. The fact that we have a mind is common to us all. It is what we do with it that makes the difference and what makes us unique individuals. It is the mind that processes experience and it is in the mind that we choose what we want to think about.

The question for each of us is “What instigates our thoughts?” If we really evaluate how we think we will find that…

One of the obstacles to being a first responder is self-denial. That is we use the technique of denial as a way to escape or justify our thoughts, our emotions and our actions. What are the things we try and keep in the dark, the things we fear will be known about us, the way we really think and feel, about ourselves, about others and life in general? What are our real inner struggles, wishes, dreams and fantasies? What about our doubts, insecurities and failures?

Then that kind of…

Being a disciple of Jesus is being a first responder. How you became a disciple was a first response to the Spirit of God knocking on the door of your heart as you were weighing Jesus and His claims. Your first response was opening that door. With each person the way we open is different but it was a first as it is with everyone who says yes to Him. With each succeeding moment your view of the world was a completely new challenge where every next moment demanded a first…