When Hurting is Helpful

prayer

Every Monday we’ll post something to do with maintaining sexual purity. Hope it helps. — When Hurting is Helpful “ --- neither will I offer burnt offerings unto the Lord my God of that which doth cost me nothing.” - II Samuel 24:24 I see nothing in scripture or common sense leading me to believe life shouldn’t be savored. Paul told Timothy that God has given us all things richly to enjoy (I Timothy 6:17) and I say bring it on. There are walks to take, movies to see, waves to ride, footballs to toss, and an endless variety of Continue Reading

Beyond The Carnal

temptation

Every Monday we’ll post something to do with maintaining sexual purity. Hope it helps. — Beyond the Carnal When I feel overwhelmed by my own temptations, it’s humbling to remember how minor they really are, and how unacceptable any excuse for yielding to them will be. Esau learned that the hard way, and to this day when I read the account of Jacob snatching his birthright from him, I feel he got a raw deal. He was first in line for inheritance; his brother Jacob wanted to snatch it from him. So when Esau came in from hunting, Continue Reading

When Hurting is Helpful

prayer

Every Monday we’ll post something to do with maintaining sexual purity. Hope it helps. — When Hurting is Helpful “ --- neither will I offer burnt offerings unto the Lord my God of that which doth cost me nothing.” - II Samuel 24:24 I see nothing in scripture or common sense leading me to believe life shouldn’t be savored. Paul told Timothy that God has given us all things richly to enjoy (I Timothy 6:17) and I say bring it on. There are walks to take, movies to see, waves to ride, footballs to toss, and an endless variety of Continue Reading

The Gay Marriage Debate: Winning, Losing or Dropping Out? (Part 4)

marriage bands

Please Note: I really appreciate your patience as I’ve been writing on the subject of the Church’s response to same sex marriage. Last Friday, though I’d planned on posting the final part of this series, time didn’t allow. Now I find, as writing what was supposed to be the third and last part, that a proper treatment of the subject requires more space than one post allows. Kindly bear with me, then, as I strong this series out into four more installments. And please stay with me as I post each one, since this is a subject requiring Continue Reading

Beyond The Carnal

temptation

Every Monday we’ll post something to do with maintaining sexual purity. Hope it helps. — Beyond the Carnal When I feel overwhelmed by my own temptations, it’s humbling to remember how minor they really are, and how unacceptable any excuse for yielding to them will be. Esau learned that the hard way, and to this day when I read the account of Jacob snatching his birthright from him, I feel he got a raw deal. He was first in line for inheritance; his brother Jacob wanted to snatch it from him. So when Esau came in from hunting, Continue Reading

The Same Old New

Happy New Year 2012

Every Monday we’ll post something to do with maintaining sexual purity. Hope it helps. — The Same Old New Newness is business as usual with God, a fact we’ll be reminded of all this month. The “new” concept is built into the January system, reminding us as we get used to writing checks with 12 at the end, or buy day-timers, or collect year end data, that another cycle has started. And, of course, the inevitable What are your New Year’s resolutions? question will come, usually answered with a joke and a wince as we remember how Continue Reading

Random Ramblings #25: Preachers, OWS, AIDS Research Funding, Twilight and Moneyball

joe 2

Every Friday we’ll leave the topic oriented post, and instead post some personal comments. — A Cuppa Joe - Random Ramblings from a Fellow Struggler Rev. Terry Jones, the Florida pastor who notoriously burned a copy of the Quran last March after releasing his book Islam is the Devil (subtitled “How to Witness To and Love On Your Islamic Friends and Neighbors”) was in my neighborhood this week. Briefly. University of California at Irvine officials had to close off sections of the campus after receiving unspecified threats Continue Reading