There’s a time to be a leader, and there’s a time not to be a leader.

He must increase, but I must decrease. [He must grow more prominent; I must grow less so.] – John 3:30, Amplified Bible (AMP) Sometimes, you just have to step aside for the good of the team. There are few things more sad in the sporting world than seeing a once-dominant player stay in the game… Continue reading There’s a time to be a leader, and there’s a time not to be a leader.

Spiritual prosperity is everything it is cracked up to be.

May grace (God’s favor) and peace (which is perfect well-being, all necessary good, all spiritual prosperity, and freedom from fears and agitating passions and moral conflicts) be multiplied to you in [the full, personal, precise, and correct] knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. – 2 Peter 1:2, Amplified Bible, (AMP) One of the components of having “peace,”… Continue reading Spiritual prosperity is everything it is cracked up to be.

Life is like three dozen apple cider donuts!

Making the very most of the time [buying up each opportunity], because the days are evil. – Ephesians 5:16, Amplified Bible (AMP) Every October my family takes a trek to Skytop Apple Orchard in Zirconia, NC, just outside of Flat Rock, NC. We love the scenic drive, we love the fresh apples (Fuji’s are our… Continue reading Life is like three dozen apple cider donuts!

God will hold you accountable for not caring about the souls of others.

…but his blood will I require at your hand. – Ezekiel 3:18, Amplified Bible (AMP) Let’s be brutally honest: most of us don’t believe Jesus’ words in Matthew 28:16-20 really apply to us. Oh, we give lip service to the importance of the Great Commission, and we give a mental nod to the idea that… Continue reading God will hold you accountable for not caring about the souls of others.

Here’s the final step in the process of making good, Bible-based decisions.

And let the peace (soul harmony which comes) from Christ rule (act as umpire continually) in your hearts [deciding and settling with finality all questions that arise in your minds… – Colossians 3:15, Amplified Bible (AMP) You are faced with a decision, and you are at a complete loss as to which path to take.… Continue reading Here’s the final step in the process of making good, Bible-based decisions.

Here’s the secret to making God’s Word really mean something to you.

For the Word that God speaks is alive and full of power [making it active, operative, energizing, and effective]… exposing and sifting and analyzing and judging the very thoughts and purposes of the heart. Hebrews 4:12, Amplified Bible (AMP) Is the Word of God alive to you? Does it energize you, speak to you, and motivate you to right action? Or,… Continue reading Here’s the secret to making God’s Word really mean something to you.

Try not to get cranky when riding in a Winnebago strapped to a rocket.

[Urged on] by faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed and went forth to a place which he was destined to receive as an inheritance; and he went, although he did not know or trouble his mind about where he was to go. – Hebrews 11:8, Amplified Bible (AMP) One of my favorite movie scenes… Continue reading Try not to get cranky when riding in a Winnebago strapped to a rocket.

It makes sense to obey a guy who’s been dead for over 200 years.

…Jonadab son of Rechab shall never fail [to have] a man [descendant] to stand before Me. – Jeremiah 35:19, Amplified Bible (AMP) You’ve been given a path in life to walk, and you know that the path is of God’s choosing. You are certain of the call. You follow it. But then something unsettling happens.… Continue reading It makes sense to obey a guy who’s been dead for over 200 years.

Take the wrapper off of the cupcake.

A prudent man sees the evil and hides himself, but the simple pass on and are punished [with suffering]. Proverbs 22:3, Amplified Bible (AMP) The office manager where I work has the gloriously awful habit of bringing baked goods to the office every Monday morning. My irresistable sweet tooth, combined with the fact that our… Continue reading Take the wrapper off of the cupcake.

The gifts God gives you are yours forever.

For God’s gifts and His call are irrevocable. [He never withdraws them when once they are given, and He does not change His mind about those to whom He gives His grace or to whom He sends His call.] – Romans 11:29, Amplified Bible (AMP) God gives us a specific package of gifts to help… Continue reading The gifts God gives you are yours forever.