I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain. Galatians 2:20-21 I have misquoted this passage for years. I believe I’m not alone in that mistake. My eyes and my ears led me to that conclusion. I’m not ashamed to ad

Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. For if these things be in you, and abound, the

Many people think outside their comfort zone means doing something new. That attitude is for wimps. My comfort zone takes in anything integrity, honor, and duty require. Being the one to provoke the displeasure of supervisors or the crowd fits right in my comfort zone, though they are uncomfortable acts with uncomfortable consequences. Outside my comfort zone means being willing to look like a fool doing something absolutely untried before, simply because life calls for it. A

Taking something that does not belong to you is called theft. God has a commandment against it, society laws against it, and people with integrity shun it. God declares Himself the same yesterday, today, and forever. So, that commandment isn’t going away. Can the same be said for our present distaste for the practice? The rampant practice of theft in our modern society argues against it. I’m not speaking about taking someone’s physical, personal property like their car or t

Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. John 14:6 I dropped my pen at church last week, and it rolled under the seat. I told myself I’d get it when the service was over, but of course, I forgot. When I returned today, the pen was still there. However, the tip and the reservoir holding the ink was gone. Only an empty shell remained. I was more surprised than disappointed. I did not expect to find the pen at al

“…with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor.” Most Americans would instantly recognize the opening lines of our Declaration of Independence. A few might recognize the grievances it outlines as the inspiration for our constitutional protections. It is a rare thing indeed to hear anyone mention the pledge that is the true strength of the document. The men who signed the Declara

“But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain…” 1 Corinthians 15:10 Popeye declared, “I am what I am, and that’s all what I am,” many years ago. Since then, people seem to spend ever more time on concerns about their identity. Christians needlessly grasp for ways to be more than they are and mourn over perceived deficiencies. We do it even though we cannot make one hair white or black, and why? If what the grace of God h

Or those eighteen, upon whom the tower in Siloam fell, and slew them, think ye that they were sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem? I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish. Luke 13:4-5 Every story needs a villain. The story of the Gospel is no different. But just who is the villain of the Gospel? The ready answer might be the Devil, but he plays such a small role that seems unlikely. Judas Iscariot tends to be mentioned more as an as

Like most authors, I’ve often asked where I get my inspiration. I wish I knew. I don’t think inspiration is one of those things that a person can “get” or find by searching for it. Having been a nurse for so many years, my preferred definition of the word is “the act of drawing in”. Although my Christian experience convinced me of that before I became a nurse. I believe inspiration finds a person rather than the other way around. Creation was spoken into existence from not

Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you. 1 Peter 5:6-7 Peter says the scriptures were written by holy men of God as they were moved by the holy ghost. Every Christian church agrees and lists divine inspiration and inerrancy of the scriptures as an article of faith. They believe it until living it gets in the way. I offer the practical application of the above verses a

I’m what some people in the writing community call a Pantser. That is, I write by the seat of my pants, no plotting, no planning, just take a flicker of an idea and start writing. I was an Air Force aircraft crew chief, pastor, and registered nurse before becoming a writer. A thread of unpredictability seems to run through them all. Just when I thought I’d seen it all…surprise! I can’t say all those surprises were pleasant. Every one of them was building material for my lif

“…a certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom, and to return. And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said to them, “Occupy till I come”.” Luke 18:12-13 The outside world is hyper-focused upon and very vocal about things Christians should not do. Sadly, many Christians have the same obsession. That does not mean that Christians should be blind to snares and pitfalls set for them. Awareness is fine. It is not meant t

Life is given to us without our consent. We weren’t asked if we wanted it. We were not asked when or where we preferred to receive it. We had no say as to who would work the physical reality of our creation. We were just kind of dropped into life. What’s more, we have no real say about how long we can keep this life. However long that may be, it is certain that we will face situations, not of our making, and that are beyond our control. It is also sure that the situations w

But he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper tree: and he requested for himself that he might die; and said, It is enough; now, O LORD, take away my life; for I am not better than my fathers. 1 Kings 19:4 Elijah the prophet seems to have had no happy medium. In my experience, neither do all the preachers who cite him in their sermons. James calls him a man “subject to like passions as we are”. Overthrowing Ahab’s prophets o

I thought it might be fun to share my top ten books. To qualify for the list, a book must have been more than enjoyable. It must be a book that I have read at least twice (all ten of these I’ve read three times or more). I greatly enjoyed Don Quixote and The Stand, but have not yet thought of reading either a second time. A top ten book must have changed my thinking. It must also have served as a source from which I have quoted. 1. Bible A given at #1 for me. I read passa

Bravery, the quality or state of having or showing mental or moral strength to face danger, fear, or difficulty. Merriam Webster Bravery is easy enough to define, but even with a description, it is not always easy to recognize. Men have been hailed as brave for trying to turn themselves into women. Others for blowing whistles and shouting obscenities at law enforcement. One of the benefits of calling opinions “My Truth” is that words mean only what the speaker dictates. M

Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. Isaiah 1:18 When God called all the animals together for Adam to name, it was a lesson in taxonomy. The name Adam called each one was not of grave importance. The important lesson Adam learned was about himself. He was different. He could reason. Our ability to reason is one way in which we bear God’

Five years ago, some friends proposed that I write an autobiography. Now, I my opinion, an autobiography is the story of someone’s life that is so boring no one else would write it. After months of assurances that such was indeed the case with my life, I caved and agreed to the task with one caveat. The names were changed to protect—me. That last line is more joke than true. For one thing, I was determined that the book was never going to fall into anyone’s hands other than

“Holier than thou”, have you ever used the phrase to describe another person’s attitude? And you use such language when you don’t even own a King James Version because it’s too hard to understand? Okay, seriously now. It’s a popular phrase, and I would dare say it is most used by people who give no real thought to its implications. For most people, it’s a put-down and nothing more. It’s a way of saying a person’s faith is all for show. It is also a way of expressing “I’m go

I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: 2 Timothy 4:7 Paul’s valedictory is a staple of funerals and inspirational addresses, within and without the church. This is as it should be. St. Paul remains an inspiration and hero to the faithful worldwide. He was a man of action, traveling the world planting churches as he went. Imprisoned, he wrote. What does it mean to keep the faith? Christianity is extremely personal, and it would see