Intentional Encouragement

      "A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in a setting of silver."  Solomon said this many centuries ago, but I experienced it in a fresh way just this morning.  Someone took a couple of minutes to write me one paragraph in a private message on Facebook.  I can't right now give any details as to why it spoke to me so much, but I can tell you that it was nearly life changing...and I'm not given to drama in the way I say things.  Very few times, have I sensed that I was receiving a word from the Lord through a friend.  I suspect they did not realize that they were writing me a note that was from the heart of God to mine, but they were.  I suspect they were just sharing a little bit of their heart and giving me a little encouragement.       I have mulled over their words...re-reading them several times today and thanking God for the way they lifted my spirit and helped me look forward again.  Th...

     I wrote this post a couple of years ago, but since this is the weekend that we celebrate the resurrection for 2014, I have spent a little time meditating on the importance of that fact.  I hope it's a blessing to you and an aid in letting Resurrection Sunday be powerful for you this year.           It all seemed so small; a brown outline with little dots of blue and one larger empty brown area.   What am I talking about?   Why, the Grand Canyon , or course.   For many of you who have flown over it at 30,000 feet as you crossed the US for some reason, you may remember the first time the pilot said “now out on the left side of the plane, you will notice the Grand Canyon …”   Somehow, since you were so far removed from it; it didn’t seem so grand.      There are a lot of times in life when this is true.   Even the events that are important to us see...

     I know I've been negligent at the blog in the last month, but I think I have good reason this time...I have started writing a weekly post for a web site entitled Apropos Walk, and have been enjoying the opportunity to put my love for written word into a profitable exercise like that.  If you'd like to check it out, you can find it here .  I write the "Monday Musings" on a different topic each week.      The second, and more important reason I haven't taken the time to write is because of a stressful season in our family's life.  Our youngest son just turned twenty in January.  He is our special gift from God and has special needs.  Partly connected to his developmental situation and partly due to a significant growth spurt in the last year, he needed to have a major back surgery about 2 weeks ago.  Prior to that, our minds and hearts were pretty well consumed with the pending operation.  We are now hom...

     I have to say that once in a while the Lord reminds me of some simple truths that I have known and taught for years, but have let slip in practice.      I taught recently on James 4:1-3.  As I prepared and taught the Scriptures, I was reminded of a couple of important truths about prayer.      First; God is more ready to answer than we are to pray.  For all of the struggling we do to make sure things go the way we think they should...for all of the fighting or arguing or scheming or whatever else we do to try and get things accomplished; what we really need to do first (and in the middle, and last) is pray.  "You do not have because you do not ask."  Why is that so hard for us to grasp?  Why do we spend so little time in prayer?  Why do we make all of our plans and preparations and then ask God to bless it?  Perhaps the reason we do not have is that we have not really asked God.  ...

     I know the title of this blog is "Intentional Encouragement," and I plan to end this on an encouraging note, but I was teaching this past Sunday on some doors to consider in the New Year when a passage struck me once again as it does every time I read it.  The main point was the door of fellowship with our brothers and sisters in Christ and with our Heavenly Father.      As I pursued what it takes to really enjoy fellowship with the Father, I talked about the words spoken to the church in Laodicea in Revelation chapter 3.  In the 20th verse, the church is told "I know your works; you are neither cold nor hot.  Would that you were either cold or hot!  So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth."      If you are a follower of Jesus, I suspect that one of your desires in this New Year is to give some consideration to your relationship with God.  Would you ...

            I'm always concerned about how long the experience of Christmas will affect us as we move into another year.  Next week this time, I suspect our Christmas decorations will be put away and we'll be back into our groove, anticipating 2014.  I don't want it to be the same this year.  How about you?  For one last post this year, let me re-post something from a couple of years ago.               It seems each year, as my mind is drawn back to those days so long ago when our Savior was born, that I find myself immersed once again in some “sanctified speculation.” I wonder just how the individuals that we read about in the Biblical account must have felt during the experience that we now call history.             The shepherds are on my mind today, and one particular ...

     Here's another repeat post from an earlier Christmas.  I hope you enjoy it...actually I hope it brings you encouragement; especially if "life" has thrown you a curveball or two this year.                  There was a lot about Mary's situation that would have been hard to take in.   She was pregnant but unmarried.   Further, she hadn’t done anything wrong to get into that situation.   Even more, who would believe that?             While every young Jewish girl held the faint hope in her heart that she might be privileged to become the mother of the Messiah, they didn’t plan their lives around it.   Mary wouldn’t have either.   She had plans, but they likely didn’t include this.   Not this way; n ot now; not before she and Joseph were married.       ...