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Dear SCC & Friends, By the word of the Lord the heavens were made… ~Psalm 33:6a Update #86 “It ain’t the part of the Bible that I can’t understand that bothers me, it is the parts I do understand.” ~Mark Twain How did it all begin? In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. ~Gen. 1:1 By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible.~Heb.…

Dear SCC & Friends, The one who states his case first seems right, until another comes and examines him. ~Proverbs 18:17 Update #85 It is very easy to overreact, especially in the growing polarization of present-day culture. Scripture challenges us… This you know, my beloved brethren… But let every one be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger… ~James 1:19 We are all susceptible to something called “confirmation bias” …the tendency to receive and interpret new information as validation of our pre-existing beliefs.…

Dear SCC & Friends, So teach us to number our days, that we may present to Thee a heart of wisdom. ~Psalm 90:12 Update #84                Technology is a two-edged sword which frees and insulates at the same time… Freeing us to get more done in less time in order to do more with the “free time” it’s created. A friend of mine used to work late on Friday evening to clean up all his e-mails only to wake up to…

Dear SCC & Friends, Love never fails… ~1 Corinthians 13:8 Update #83                God will never love you more than He does at this very moment. In fact, He loved us while we were yet sinners… before we acknowledged His existence or gave credence to His place in our lives. But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you…

Dear SCC & Friends, Do not be anxious for tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. ~Matthew 6:34 Update #82                Our lives are full of activity. Most of us like to be active…purposeful…productive. Those are good things, but good things can rob us of that which is best. We were made to interact, socialize and love our neighbor as ourselves. Along the way we encounter trouble, disappointment and even despair. The Lord has…

Dear SCC & Friends, And He shall be the stability of your times… ~Isaiah 33:6 Update #81                It is generally a compliment if someone is referred to as a stable person. Stability refers to one who is steady and sensible, not easily upset or disturbed. Misapplied, stable can be a “code word” for boring, predictable or lacking spontaneity. A stable person is steady, poised and balanced as opposed to fickle, capricious or impulsive. God is not only the stability of…

Dear SCC & Friends, Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. ~Romans 12:15 Update #80                “If we perfect ourselves in isolation, we will be in isolation when perfected.” He who separates (isolates) himself seeks his own desire and quarrels against all sound wisdom.~Pr. 18:1 We need each other and will not come into spiritual maturity on our own. “There is a difference between solitude and isolation. One is connected and one isn’t. Solitude replenishes, isolation diminishes.” ~Henry Cloud Iron sharpens…

Dear SCC & Friends, Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble; He delivered them out of their distresses. ~Psalm 107:6 Update #79                “Man’s extremity is God’s opportunity.” One of the great lessons of life is when all we have left is God, we realize for the first time that God is enough. He is our refuge and strength, a very present (abundantly available) help especially in tight places. Some may disagree, but my personal experience backs…

Dear SCC & Friends, For the love of Christ controls us… ~2 Corinthians 5:14 Update #78       “If I say I believed in God, I trusted God and He didn’t come through, I only trusted God to meet my agenda.” ~Tim KellerAn agenda is simply a plan for things to be done or problems to be addressed. There are such things as hidden agendas, which speak to underlying intentions and motives. All the ways of a man are clean in his own…

Dear SCC & Friends, Many are the afflictions of the righteous; but the Lord delivers him out of them all. ~Psalm 34:19 Update #77 I hope you’re not in affliction (distress or pain), but if you are, be encouraged… For it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure. ~Philip. 2:13 God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pain: It is His megaphone to rouse a deaf…

Dear SCC & Friends, And He shall be the stability of your times… ~Isaiah 33:6 Update #76 “The times they are a changing…” A portion of Dylan’s poetic ballad about the political and social upheaval of the 1960’s. For many of you those days are ancient history; for others it seems like yesterday. Change can be defined as a variation or alteration in form, state, quality or essence. We see it all around us, and change comes regardless of whether…

Dear SCC & Friends, …let us run with endurance the race that is set before us… ~Hebrews 12:1b Update #75 The 2021 Olympics are over… Amazing stories of trial and endurance, coupled with inspiring performances of grit and talent that only a select few could ever ascend to… Between now and 2024, thousands upon thousands of elite athletes will invest all they have to earn an opportunity to compete in the Paris games. Eleven thousand, six hundred fifty-six athletes competed in…