Far too many of us are overweight with study of the Word. We read the Bible dailly, countless other devotionals and books, we go to Bible study, symposiums, conferences – we strive to really know God’s Word. Yet, if we will be honest we often interpret what we hear, see, and study through lens of our own beliefs, attitudes, and experiences. It is because of this “human predisposition” that we often fail to appropriate the richness of the Word we seek after. Scripture declares: read more...

Continuing with the story of Hagar, I don’t want to be dramatic, but if we really look at this story – it can literally change our lives! There is hardly anyone who isn’t at some point in their life placed in a situation they did not create, and once in that situation had either harsh demands placed upon them, or after doing all that was expected and more, suddenly gets the boot! When we look at this story of Abraham, Sarah and Hagar – we find that even though God had promised to Abraham an heir – Sarah manipulated the situation to bring it to pass. What isn’t recorded in these chapters is the time that Ishmael was taken from Hagar to become the son for Sarah that she had not been able to conceive. read more...

One of my favorite all-time movies is “The Sound of Music”. It was a tradiiton in our family to watch it together after the “big meal” on Thanksgiving. This year, I missed it, but the song, “My Favorite Things” rang in my head as always. This week I want to share some of my “favorite stories” – no, not from the cinema or the NY Times best seller list – but from my favorite book of all times – The Bible! read more...

It’s official – the world has named this day, Black Friday! For merchants and the consumers they hope to attract – it’s ON! The official beginning of  the holiday season.  The lights, the tinsel, the music – the brilliant colors all will attempt to woe you and your pocket book into “showing the one you love” just how much you love them. And unfortunately, far too many of us will fall for the hype and come off worst this year than when we began – and so the cycle continues. read more...

I was thinking this morning of a story I heard Bishop Joseph Garlington tell (I may not get every detail exactly right). It was the story of a man who was an unemployed tailor who had invested everythinghe had  into purchasing a sewing machine to take care of his family. This was a beautiful machine and he felt so blessed that he had been able to purchase it. He took his son to pick up the machine and allowed his son to drive them home. The son hit a rock and the machine when flying across the road. The man’s son was devastated. He knew that his Father would never be able to forgive him. His Father, seeing the pain in his son, wrapped his arms around him and assured him that everything was going to be alright! No harsh words, no vile accusations, just gentle words from a Father’s heart! read more...

Editor’s Note: There was a problem with the server earlier which gave the message, “account suspended”. Please accept our apologies for any confusion this might have caused. The website is up and running again. Our thanks to DF Design Studios for all their hard work. read more...

For the past couple of days I have been trying to get a toolbar off of my computer. The information I received inevitably led me to some kind of program package that I had to purchase. I knew there  was a way to get it off without purchasing a program, but for two days I searched and searched only to get the run around. Finally this morning, determined to get this nuisance off my program, I persisted and success came! I’m sure there is no coincidence that the scripture that was on my heart this morning had a lot to do with my persistence: read more...

Eidtor’s Note: We are always blessed to have fresh and relevant insights and perspectives to the life we enjoy living out God’s Word! Once again Dr. Crawford has blessed us with a thought provoking message. Enjoy! read more...

There is a line in one of my favorite chick flicks, “When Harry Met Sally” that I love. In context, Sally, a successful journalist who had not put marriage as a priority was with one of her friends daughters and they were playing “I Spy”. As they were “spying” different things on their ride, they suddenly spotted, “I Spy a Family” – and this brought the seemingly stable, happy Sally to tears – for even though she was in her early thirties, she realized “her biological clock was ticking”. I have always loved this movie, and Meg Ryan, who played Sallly, was so perfect for the part, for she made the whole early adult growth process that so many women go through so believable; I know I went through it! read more...

In keeping with my “attitude of gratitude” this Thanksgiving season, I was reading a very familiar Psalm – #150. This Psalm is so famiiliar that I don’t have to read it, because I know it by heart. However, I don’t know it by heart in the Amplified version, and that is the version that I was reading . I got all the way down to the last verse and how that verse captured my soul: read more...