Category: thoughts
-
What is He Worth?
Living His Worth You know the old saying, “You get what you pay for.” We know that there is value in something we have to pay for. How do you show something is valuable to you when you got it for free? Paul says, “Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth…
-
Peoples is Peoples
My title for this week comes from an older Muppet movie. In the movie, Kermit has lost his memory and, as usual, Miss Piggy is angry a lot. The owner of a diner is sharing this wisdom to point out that we are all connected by our similarities, not divided by our differences. I am…
-
Pssst… I Want to Tell You a Secret
Who doesn’t love hearing a secret? I am not talking about gossip. Gossip is gross. But, there is something about secrets. Book writers use that in their titles all the time: “The Secret to a Happy Life” “The Secret to Successful Investing” “The Secret Life of Pets”. Paul said that he had learned a secret.…
-
Where Do I Find My Security (Part 2)
A profound phenomenon accompanies our problems and struggles – worry. When problems break through our ineffective strategies to be safe, worry is usually our companion. I had written a couple of weeks ago that we would talk about trust in our everyday life. How we worry is the everyday living out of our trust. “Cast…
-
Where do I Find My Security? (Part 1)
Storms. Here in central Iowa we have plenty of them. It doesn’t matter if it is wind, rain, hail, or flood waters, they all surprise us with their power. It doesn’t even really matter how often it happens, we are consistently taken aback by how powerful nature can be. Storms remind me of something. The…
-
Let’s Clear Our Eyes
At this time of year we hear people say words of gratitude. We have thanksgiving services. We gather together for the thanksgiving meal. Yet, being truly thankful can be a struggle. There are many obstacles to thankfulness. It’s interesting to me that in the Bible it is the struggling who seem to have a good…
-
Giving Thanks and Other Essentials
Thanksgiving is an essential. The problem is, we don’t think of it as an essential. We think it’s important. We think it’s nice. Too often though, we act as if gratitude is an add-on rather than an essential. Consider this sobering comment from God’s man, Paul: For even though they knew God, they did not…
-
Doing Good Stuff in Secret
Why do you do things? Do you do things just because it’s the loving thing to do? Can we really honestly say that is our only motivation? To be honest I kind of wonder if it is. I wonder that not because I think we’re all horrible people who have horrible motives. I wonder that…
-
The Example of God
Rain. When you are a kid, it is something to have fun in. You play in it, you dance around, and you get completely covered in mud. Even though you’re covered in mud, it’s all good. As we get older, rain becomes something else to us. It becomes an inconvenience. In fact, we can come…
-
Humility – Why Seek It?
I hate just listing a group of verses, but I think that this time it’s necessary. Why? I believe I need to list them because we struggle with actually believing what God has said. Sure, we nod our head and say, “Amen!” However, when it comes to doing this… I just don’t think we really understand…
Pastor John D Jakes 