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Dear SCC & Friends, …where honor is due… ~Romans 13:7 Reflection #173                  Honor means manifested esteem and calls for respect, appreciation and deference. Freedom is one of the deepest and noblest aspirations of the human spirit. ~Ronald Reagan~ If we learn anything from studying history, it’s that it is messy. Plum the depths of any past empire, ethnicity or culture and we will find the ruins of peoples and kingdoms that proved imperfect and fallible. I’ve yet to find a perfect marriage, yet marriage is to…

Dear SCC & Friends, …the way is narrow… ~Matthew 7:14 Reflection #172                  Most of us like shortcuts. I once was painting a house and decided to go to the other ladder by stepping across so I wouldn’t have to go all the way down. I ended up in a comedic pose, doing the splits from 20 feet with paint cascading all over me. You’d think I’d learn… I still try to put things together without reading the directions or drive somewhere unsure of…

Dear SCC & Friends, …hearts of the fathers… ~Malachi 4:6 Reflection #171                  My dad was my hero, and I wouldn’t be the man I am without his love, discipline and example. It’s out of that framework that I have often said, “Being a father is the greatest privilege of my life.” It’s a sacred trust, which never ends, even after our children mature and start their own families. All of us fall short at some level. It’s easy to denigrate ourselves… “Woulda, coulda,…

Dear SCC & Friends, Well done… ~Matthew 25:23 Reflection #170                  Ancient milestones were set up along roadways to mark distance. The Roman Empire built more than fifty-three thousand miles of roads, placing stone markers every 4,800 feet just shy of a mile (5,280 ft.). The milestones gauged travel and distance… how far they had come and how far they had to go. Eventually a milestone took on additional meaning and became synonymous with an action or event representing a significant change and stage of…

Dear SCC & Friends, The Lord is good to all… ~Psalm 145:9 Reflection #169                  God is the definition of goodness… And His mercies are over all His works. Common grace is every favor of whatever kind or degree, falling short of salvation, which this undeserving and sin-cursed world enjoys at the hand of God… ~John Murray~…for He Himself is kind to ungrateful and evil men. ~Lk. 6:35 The sun rises and the sun sets whether a person is a Christian or not… Farmers all over the world rely…

Dear SCC & Friends, …Remember the days of old… ~Psalm 143:5 Reflection #168                  Today’s moments are tomorrow’s memories. “Remember” occurs hundreds of times in Scripture and reminds us how easy it is to lapse into forgetfulness. Even when we break bread, we do it in remembrance of Him. …and we are to forget none of His benefits. ~Ps. 103:2 Memory is a gift which allows us to relive moments and call to remembrance our story with both God and man. We are exhorted to …have regard for what…

Dear SCC & Friends, Suddenly… ~Luke 2:9 Reflection #167                  Life is full of unsolicited interruptions, which come whether we like them or not. Interruptions most often seem to have bad timing. The phrase “all of a sudden” refers to something occurring or done quickly, unexpectedly and without warning. Three weeks ago, all was calm… My perfectly healthy wife called me to say she wasn’t feeling good… Over the next twenty-four hours, she submitted to a battery of tests, revealing she had had a…

Dear SCC & Friends, She smiles at the future. ~Proverbs 31:25 Reflection #166                  Twenty-seven years ago, an older couple came up to me after my mom’s memorial service, and the man said, “Your mother saved my life… Mary knew I had a drinking problem and would often call my wife to check on her. If I answered the phone, she had just the right words and tone that helped point me towards my sobriety. She never gave up on me.” His wife chimed…

Dear SCC & Friends, …but be transformed… ~Romans 12:2 Reflection #165                  Transformation refers to a dramatic change in structure, form or appearance. I’ve been serious about my Christian faith for many years but have on occasion become annoyed when I heard someone say, “You haven’t changed… You’re the same ole Kevin.” Don’t they get it? Can’t they see it? I’m different, I’m so much better than I was… “I don’t smoke or chew or run with those who do.” No one can get…

Dear SCC & Friends, Do not throw away your confidence… ~Hebrews 10:35 Reflection #164                  We are exhorted not to throw away our confidence, which means that we are very capable of doing just that. The Greek word for confidence is hupostasis which literally means what we stand under or our understanding. Confidence in God ignites our faith beyond ourselves. Think of David and Goliath… So often it is darkest before the dawn. The Philistine giant was an intimidating presence of overwhelming size, spewing…

Dear SCC & Friends, I know the plans that I have for you… ~Jeremiah29:11 Reflection #163                  It is amazing that God, the Creator and Sustainer of all things has plans for you and me. They are plans for welfare and not evil, to give a future and hope. In the midst of it all, it is so easy to get stressed out by the pressing issues of the day. I recently was caught in a traffic jam and couldn’t help but notice the…

Dear SCC & Friends, Bear one another’s burdens… ~Galatians 6:2 Reflection #162                  He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose. ~Jim Elliot~ Our faith is not a spectator sport. Bearing one another’s burdens should never be a pretense for using people or resources for personal advantage. Through presumption comes nothing but strife, but with those who receive counsel is wisdom. ~Prov. 13:10 It reminds me of a young man from a Bible study I was leading who unexpectedly showed up…