When you are offering ministry to someone, if you could make them more comfortable by offering them a seat or a drink of water, it would be good to add that blessing. Two other things that comfort almost anyone, though almost no one realizes it, are touching and mimicking. If you touch a person’s forearm for a few seconds, the […]
Recently I was in a meeting of believers. At the end of the meeting a couple of the leaders wanted to pray over a woman who was visiting. Apparently everyone in the crowd knew her but me. I was asked to pray for her after the leaders prayed. I felt that the Spirit told me to pray for her to […]
WRONG RULERS Every time the leaders of the church have come to believe that they need to rule over the rest of the world, what was birthed was something evil. WRONG RULERS Every time members of the church have come to believe that they should abstain from becoming leaders in government and other culture-forming entities (including […]
In John 4, Jesus saw Samaria as a field ready to be harvested. The disciples who were with Him saw a food market. The woman at the well made no sense to them. In Luke 9, Jesus saw Samaria as a place to rest on His way to Jerusalem. Because the locals refused Him hospitality, James and John saw a […]
The US Army has clear rules about how their employees should set up the schedule of their daily exercise and work and for interaction with their superiors when they are on duty. If my rank is inferior to yours, I must salute you, and there is a proper way to salute. Failure to perform according to the rules can be […]
I had a short discussion recently with one of Joseph Smith’s tribe (a Mormon) about “the Trinity.” He has been taught that Adam created the world we live in. Jesus is his Son. The Holy Spirit is not a person, but more like a breath. A mysterious influence, like the Christmas spirit. Other gods in other worlds muddy the […]
Suppose you were authorized to travel through the nation forgiving debts. Jubilee style. Imagine if the American federal government had given indebted people the trillion dollars a few years ago, empowering them to pay off their debts, instead of to the corporations who were being rewarded for poor business decisions. When someone sins against you, it is a wondrous opportunity […]
If you haven’t read any of Dr. Gary Chapman’s material on what he calls the “Five Love Languages,” I think you should. His premise includes the idea that we think and feel in different languages, and therefore interpret others’ words and actions through the filters of our language. If they speak in a different language from the one we listen […]
There is a legend (maybe true) about two cardinals of the Roman church who were observing some work being done on a new building – a basilica. One commented to the other, “No longer do we have to say, ‘Silver and gold have I none!’” The other cardinal responded, “True. Nor can we continue to say, ‘In the name of […]
There are many experts who agree heartily with each other that some things are true that aren’t. There are many theologians who prefer listening to themselves and to each other than to the Spirit of Jesus. Some of the theological experts in the first century thought the Holy Spirit was a demon. Learning to discern the voice of your Shepherd […]