Posts from 2024 (Page 2)

Dear SCC & Friends, …seek, and you shall find… ~Matthew 7:7 Reflection #241                  If something is misplaced, it’s lost until you find it. It may be right in front of you or left in regions unknown. A few weeks ago I “misplaced my wallet.” The last time I used it was on a Friday night… no problem… It turned out I didn’t need it on the weekend and figured it was probably hiding in plain sight. Monday morning rolled around…

Dear SCC & Friends, Let marriage be held in honor… ~Hebrews 13:4 Reflection #240                  Dudley and I recently celebrated fifty-two years of marriage. We have shared twenty-seven million, three hundred thirty-one thousand and two hundred minutes as husband and wife. We’ve been married twice as long as when we were single… How is it that time seems to go much faster as we grow older? Tempus fugit… It is in the midst of time that life simply happens. Our marriages…

Dear SCC & Friends, I believe… ~John 9:38 Reflection #239                  …for we walk by faith, not by sight. ~2 Cor. 5:7 People almost invariably arrive at their beliefs not on the basis of proof but on the basis of what they find attractive. ~Blaise Pascal~ God is invisible, but His innumerable attributes are evident. …that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal…

Dear SCC & Friends, …God my refuge ~Psalm 73:28 Reflection #237                  The most amazing things in life tend to happen right at the moment we’re about to give up hope. ~Anon.~ Would we be better off if we erased every past failure or disappointment? Would rewriting our past create a better version of ourselves? The truth is we actually need adversity and setbacks to mature. Nothing is wasted… Many are the afflictions of the righteous; but the Lord delivers him out of them all. ~Ps.…

Dear SCC & Friends, …from vessel to vessel ~Jeremiah 48:11 Reflection #236                  Virtually every good thing in my life has been in spite of me, not because of me. It is amazing how the Lord orchestrates our steps without us being fully aware that He is orchestrating. Man’s steps are ordained by the Lord, how then can man understand his way? ~Prov. 20:24 He’s forever the Potter and we are ever the clay… molded and shaped through His direction, wisdom and love. I know,…

Dear SCC & Friends, …clouds without rain… ~Jude 1:12 Reflection #235                  Authenticity is the quality of being genuine or real. Hypocrisy is advocating behaviors that one does not practice. The word hypocrite comes from the Greek word hupokritēs meaning “stage actor.” A hypocrite is someone pretending to be something that he or she is not in order to receive recognition or gain… At some level we all struggle with hypocrisy… acting gracious in public with a different attitude in private……

Dear SCC & Friends, In all labor… ~Proverbs 14:23 Reflection #234                       Work can be defined as a mental or physical effort done in order to achieve a desired result. It is an action focused on results… In all labor there is profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty. ~Prov. 14:23 The old country song, “Take This Job and Shove It,” is a disservice to both the dignity and necessity of work. Viktor Frankl, Nazi Holocaust survivor and renowned…

Dear SCC & Friends, …enter His rest… ~Hebrews 3:18 Reflection #233                       Getting more done in less time may be efficient, but it does not come without a price. The Lord has given us much to do, and it is rest that gives healthy balance. Rest means to cease work or movement, to refresh and recover strength. It’s the sabbath principle of ceasing from our labors and entering into His rest and renewal… For the one who has entered His…

Dear SCC & Friends, …the full armor ~Ephesians 6:11 Reflection #232                  Every Christian is engaged in spiritual warfare whether they know it or not. The Lord is our sanctuary and salvation and polar opposite from the “god of this age”…Satan blinds the hearts of the unbelieving… Time is on his side. He’s outlived Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and is hell bent in deception, destruction and death. He’ll be judged at the consummation of the age, but until then …be on the…

Dear SCC & Friends, If we confess… ~1 John 1:9 Reflection #230                  The primary way to uncover our sin is confession. Every day my conscience makes confession, relying on the hope of God’s mercy as to be more trusted than my own innocence. ~St. Augustine~ The first to plead his case seems just, until another comes and examines him.~Prov. 18:17 If you have children, you understand the “blame game”… He did it first! She started it!… On and on…

Dear SCC & Friends, Give us this day… ~Matthew 6:11 Reflection #229                  Draw near to God and He will draw near to you… ~Jam. 4:8 The Lord calls us to walk one day at a time. So often past hurts and future concerns rob us of the present tense joy and blessings of life… Give us this day our daily bread speaks of God’s blessing and provision in the here and now. Yesterday is history, tomorrow is mystery, today…

Dear SCC & Friends, …a watch in the night. ~Psalm 90:4 Reflection #228                  Be on your guard, stand firm in the faith, be courageous, be strong. ~1 Cor. 16:13 The Jews like Greeks and Romans, divided the night into military watches instead of hours. There were three watches… sunset to 10:00 p.m., 10:00 p.m. to 2:00 a.m. and 2:00 a.m. to sunrise. Nearly every former military person knows what it is to pull guard duty which at times can…