Posts from 2024 (Page 3)

Dear SCC & Friends, …proven character… ~Romans 5:4 Reflection #224                  Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others say you are. ~John Wooden~ My grandfather never finished high school and worked for the U.S. Postal Service from age 18 to 65 until he retired as an assistant local postmaster. Today he might be called an underachiever…Why?… Because he didn’t make much money and…

Dear SCC & Friends, Honor your father… ~Ephesians 6:2 Reflection #223 All of us have a story, and this is part of mine. We just celebrated the 80th anniversary of D-Day… June 6th, 1944. I couldn’t help but reflect on my father who arrived in France on December 10, 1944. Six days later, the bloodiest European battle of WWII began and ended with an estimated 90,000 casualties. Winston Churchill stated that the Battle of the Bulge was undoubtedly the greatest…

Dear SCC & Friends, The fool has said… ~Psalm 53:1 Reflection #222                  It’s been said that no one is a fool always, but everyone is a fool sometimes. ~Anon.~ Fool or foolish occurs well over 300 times in Scripture and speaks of someone who refuses to listen to wisdom or learn from discipline… A fool is a person devoid of wisdom, lacking in sound judgment, discretion and common sense. Wise people will meet the demands of life, while foolish…

Dear SCC & Friends, Do you not know? ~Isaiah 40:28 Reflection #221                  I knew some things but really didn’t know until I knew. It took someone else to tell me, to show me and secure me in my faith! And how shall they believe in Him whom they have not heard?… ~Rom. 10:14 Everyone who calls, “Help God!” gets help. But how can people call for help if they don’t know who to trust? And how can they know who to trust, if…

Dear SCC & Friends, Remember the former days… ~Isaiah 46:9 Reflection #220                  Without memory there is no culture. Without memory, there would be no civilization, no society, no future. ~Elie Wiesel~ Our call to honor and remember is evident throughout Scripture. We are to render honor to whom honor is due. Two years ago, my brother was buried with full military honors at Arlington National Cemetery. It was about a quarter of mile walk from the chapel to the…

Dear SCC & Friends, …What is your occupation?… ~Jonah 1:8 Reflection #219                  It’s not uncommon when you meet someone to hear them ask, “What do you do or what kind of work are you in?” People tend to assess and define one another based on their occupation. It seems that throughout life we are either preparing for a job (training and school), in a job (gainfully employed) or looking to find work (unemployed). The call to work was established…

Dear SCC & Friends, …teaching of kindness… ~Proverbs 31:26 Reflection #218                  Kindness is a language that the deaf can hear and the blind can see. ~Mark Twain~ My mother was a perfect blend of kindness and perseverance. She engaged life and God-given opportunities to the fullest. She was an “Army wife” who married in the midst of World War II and wherever we lived she turned a house into a home… be it Georgia, Oregon, Missouri, Massachusetts, Nebraska, Germany, Virginia, Puerto Rico, Kansas , Japan, Washington,…

Dear SCC & Friends, The people complained… ~Numbers 11:1 Reflection #217                  Years ago, Dudley and I had the opportunity to go on a vacation to Hawaii. Everything was perfect… The kids were covered… work was covered, and we were set. We used miles to upgrade our seats adding to our anticipation. Upon arrival, we were given leis surrounded by friendly smiles and “alohas.” We felt so blessed and thankful. Shortly thereafter, we went on a tour of the island…

Dear SCC & Friends, …sustained from my birth… ~Psalm 71:6 Reflection #216                  Life truly is a miracle. Scientists can observe what happens at conception and can even describe what is taking place, but they can’t explain how in an exact nano second life begins. For Thou did form my inward parts; Thou did weave me in my mother’s womb. ~Ps. 139:13 We never asked to be created… We didn’t choose our family or ethnicity… Nor did we get to…

Dear SCC & Friends, If it is possible ~Romans 12:18 Reflection #215                  Absence of conflict does not mean we have unity or love. I hate to admit it, but it has been conflict, be it unpleasant or untimely, that drove me deeper into my need and reliance on the Lord. I don’t like conflict, seek it out or wish it upon others… Even if we try to avoid conflict, it always seems to be there or just around the…

Dear SCC & Friends, Go… ~Matthew 28:19 Reflection #214                  We’ve strayed from being fishers of men to being keepers of the aquarium. ~Paul Harvey~ Our Christian life is a journey of going… Too often we think of going halfway around the world when God is simply calling for us to walk across the room. Going is not for “the other guy” but for all of us. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the…

April 3, 2024 Dear SCC & Friends, Let your light shine… ~Matthew 5:16 Reflection #213                  The issue is clear. It is between light and darkness, and everyone must choose his side. ~G.K. Chesterton~ Darkness is simply the absence of light. There can be ambiguity between light and darkness approximating spiritual twilight. In faith there is enough light for those who want to believe and enough shadows to blind those who don’t. ~Blaise Pascal~ …I know your deeds, that you…