Thoughts from the trail

 Jesus, the Man with many names.  Isaiah 9:6,7

    Perhaps you have seen those posters that are filled with the names of Jesus.  Yes, He has many. Some are names, some are titles, some are references to His character, some refer to what He has done or will yet do.  In this famous Christmas passage, we see 4 more names for Jesus. 

   1. Wonderful counselor: He is the best counselor.  Do you need wisdom today?  He can give it to you.  Let Him be your counselor.  He is the One

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thoughts from the trail

  It happens every year. We know it’s coming.  This supposed to be joyful time of year when we still have all our usual duties to do and then we add a lot of extra things to do.  Holiday stress!   

   You know you’ve got it when your husband keeps saying to you nightly: “Let’s just take a cruise and not come back until Jan. 1.”        You know you’ve got it when you find your hands around your neighbor’s neck after they just told you that they got all their shopping done la

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thoughts from the trail

   In Psalm 11, David had received a word from a close advisor, telling him to run for the hills, flee like a bird off to some safe mountain. Instead, David paused and asked a very insightful question: “if the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?”   

   Good question!  The dictionary defines foundation as: ‘the basis upon which something stands or is supported.’  

 The foundation here refers to the people and the law and government which make society possibl

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thoughts from the trail

   Ps. 46:8 says: ‘Come, see what God has done.’  It’s like: ‘pssst,  hey you, come back here for a moment’.  God invites us to travel back in history.   ‘Remember how I rescued you before?   Remember how you thought you were going to die, and yet you’re still here?  

      Do you really think that I brought you this far and now I’m just going to forget about you?     That now you’re on your own, buddy?    What kind of a Father do you think I am?   What kind of a God do you

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thoughts from the trail

  Today, in all this confusion, fear and even natural disasters, what do we say to others who ask where is God in all this?       Remember, we all ask similar questions and there are no quick, glib, slick answers that will solve everything quickly. 

       1. First, we can grieve with those in pain, from whatever the cause of the pain is. When disasters come, it’s time for the church not to point fingers, but to be the church and do what we can to help out.   

    2. We can

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thoughts from the trail

   

A boy asked his teacher: ‘Should I be punished for something I never did?’       Teacher:‘Absolutely not!’  Boy:‘Good, because I never did my homework.’!                Tricky boy!        There are some things we are to do and in Col. 4:17 we see one of them.  We are to fulfill the ministry God has given us!           Why? 1. Because of all what God has done for us.    We now have good news to share, share it! 2. Because people need the Lord.  Jesus said there is salvat...
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thoughts from the trail

   At the end of Colossians, Paul mentions Mark. Mark was the cousin of that great encourager, Barnabas. Mark was a Jewish believer from Jerusalem. He was an interesting guy. According to Acts 15, Paul got into an argument with Barnabas over whether they should take Mark with them on the missionary trail again. Mark had deserted them the last time. Paul was saying: ‘he’s not reliable. He will just let us down again.’ 

    12 years later, Paul must have had a change of hea...
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Thoughts from the trail

 

   Col. 3:1,2   When we set our minds on things above, it gives us the victory we need by setting our hearts free from being enslaved to our selfish desires and ways of doing things to seeking what is best for others.       For example, this helps greatly in marriages, or any relationship.  When 2 people get married they both come into it with different backgrounds, different temperaments, different maturity levels, different expectations and different ways of doing thin...
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thoughts from the trail

  Have you heard of the Law of Echoes?  That what you give out to others is what you’ll get back from them. Like hollering in a canyon: ‘Hello’, and soon you’ll hear back: ‘hello, hello, hello.’  Yell out: ‘I hate you’ and soon you’ll hear back: ‘hate you, hate you’      Jesus said to treat others the way you want them to treat you.  Matt. 7:12   Like begets like.  Smiles breed smiles. Condemn others and they’ll condemn you.  Put up with others and they will probably put u

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thoughts from the trail

  In Colossians ch. 2, Paul provides some wise advice on ideas to watch out for, to avoid, such as:Don’t fall for the hollow, empty ideas of the world, that promise much but never deliver.      Don’t fall into the joy-stealing, grace-denying trap of legalism.       Don’t fall into the trap of seeking objective, spiritual truth apart from the Word of God.        Don’t fall for the trap of thinking that extreme forms of self-punishment will gain you spiritual brownie points....
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thoughts from the trail

    Col. 1:16 says that Jesus created all things.   If the Lord created all things, then our lives have meaning.  It means our choices are real. It means we can make a difference in this world.  And since we are made in God’s image, not in the image of some primordial slime, our lives have significance.      If evolution is true, then there are no absolute standards of right and wrong. Then abortion, transgenderism, genocide, euthanasia are simply man made, personal prefer...
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thoughts from the trail

  Since we are near the Olympics, here’s a great story.    “There is a story of a girl born a number of years ago, outside of Nashville, Tennessee. She had major health problems which left her disabled. She had a large, wonderful Christian family. But while her brothers and sisters enjoyed running and playing outside, she was confined to braces. Her parents took her into Nashville periodically for physical therapy, but the little girl’s hope was dim. “Will I ever be able t

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thoughts from the trail

    When we think of heaven and that we will have new bodies and a new earth, we should understand the word ‘new’ as restored, renewed and perfected versions of things already familiar to us, things like new bodies, new earth, new relationships.   Some assume that in heaven everything will be unfamiliar to us, but that’s not true.

    For example, some assume about heaven that there will be no earth but the bible says it contains a new earth, with dirt, trees, rivers, citie

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thoughts from the trail

May we always remember those who sacrificed their all for us.  

   Permit me to tell a story of a friendship forged during one of the worst battles of World War II, and a promise made almost 60 years ago, a promise that was finally kept Thursday, Aug. 2, 2001.   Harold Huggins, a veteran of 10 major campaigns in World War II and the last survivor of his battalion, traveled halfway across the country by train on one last mission in memory of his best buddy. "I had this

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thoughts from the trail

    For this upcoming Mother’s Day, the Good Book has some excellent counsel for us.  1 Pet. 3:7

     Here are some ways to show her honor. They are not hard.  And if you say: ‘ I just don’t think that way’, then well, learn to think that way!   You know how to treat others with kindness, do it for your wife as well.  Peter is saying here that this is God’s will for us, to treat our wives with honor, and the Lord can help you with this too.

   1. Courtesy counts!  When you a

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