The late Dr. Charles Stanley said in his great little book, The Wonderful Spirit-filled Life, “The Spirit-filled life is a moment-by-moment relationship characterized by dependency on the Holy Spirit. And surrender is the foundation upon which that unique relationship is built and maintained.”

We don’t know how it started. Maybe she made one wrong friend and that led her to another then another. Perhaps she dated one wrong guy in school and that set her on the path of trouble. Somewhere something went terribly wrong. Before she knew it, she was in crisis.

I love music. I listen to a Christian music station all the time. The station I listen to at certain times during the day will play "older" Christian songs. Side note - when I say older, I mean like 25 years or so because this song was popular when my kids were teenagers and that was a long time ago!

Occasionally, a song, usually an old hymn, reverberates in my mind. I believe this is one of the ways God has of prompting me to do or write something to His glory. I delight in these things because they make me happy in serving the Lord Jesus.

The Bible describes Job as blameless, upright, and God-fearing. He was not a perfect man, but he was good enough that God called him “My servant Job.” Job was a great and wealthy man, but Satan told God that Job was good only because God had put a hedge around his life. Satan claimed that if God sent adversity, Job would curse Him to His face.

Life is easier if I stay on my couch. The cushions are cushy; the pillows are soft. My beloved got me a personal space heater, so it’s warm on my couch, too. I study my Bible on my couch and read mysteries there. I watch TV, eat, and occasionally nap on my couch. On my couch, everyone believes the same, votes the same, and feels the same. It’s safe on my couch.

​You’ve probably heard the old story of the husband and wife who were driving along, and the wife says, “Honey, do you remember back when we used to sit really close to each other in the car. We’d be riding together, and we’d cuddle up right next to each other.”

Spiritual fruit includes love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, meekness, and temperance (Galatians 5:22-23).

There are certain King James phrases that are engrained in my brain. One of them is found in Acts 3. Peter and John went up to the temple at the time of prayer. A certain lame man was there.

Have you ever had one of those weeks where you just need a good cry? I feel like I have needed a good cry for a while.

After Pilate relented and sentenced Jesus to death, the Bible tells us, “Now as they led Him away, they laid hold of a certain man, Simon a Cyrenian, who was coming from the country, and on him they laid the cross that he might bear it after Jesus” (Luke 23:26).

I could hear the intense voice through the phone. Someone from the Sheriff’s Office in Fayette County was telling our daughter she had been called for jury duty a few months ago, but had not shown up. They instructed her to turn herself in and face incarceration for 14-30 days.

My youngest granddaughter, Lottie, has been begging for someone to take her to the store. She has money from her birthday and was dying to spend it. On Saturday, we were going to Walmart and told her she could come along with us. She ran upstairs to retrieve her bank, where she keeps her money. Surprisingly, she had a good bit of money. She counted it and had over $100.

In Ephesians 2:8-9, the Apostle Paul said, “For by grace are you saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.” The phrase “by faith alone through grace alone” is a central tenet of Protestant theology.

Last Sunday, we made soup in Sunday School accidentally. It was supposed to be slime but was a major fail. Over the years, we’ve made our fair share of slime, so we used the same brand-name ingredients, same amounts

We are at the beach this week with friends. We wanted to go and watch the Blue Angels practice session. We were told it would get very crowded, so we needed to leave quite early as there was usually a line to get through security on the Naval Base. They also only allow a certain number of people to come in and see the show. According to the information online, the show started at 10:30.

I join a multitude of believers in mourning the death of Dr. James Clayton Dobson, Jr., who went to meet his Creator and Redeemer on August 21st. He was the founder of Focus on the Family, a faith-based radio program that is broadcast in more than a dozen languages on over 7,000 stations worldwide. Although he was not an ordained minister, he was a champion for social and traditional conservatism.

Today, there is much confusion about what it means to be Christian. For years, I, too, felt that I was not living as a Christian should. This was after trusting Christ as my personal Savior. Each time I sinned, I had some doubt as to whether or not I was really saved.

This week we are celebrating Dixie’s Gotcha Day. Dixie is the terrier mix pup my beloved rescued a year ago. We feel like God put him in the right place at the right time to find her. She has been a wonderful addition to our family.

Last Sunday at church, our sermon was about the ways God used seemingly insignificant people in the Bible to do significant things. I have thought about this a lot throughout this week.

​In a recent sermon, I encouraged the congregation to promote unity by avoiding negative talk, criticism, and gossip, the unproven, sometimes inaccurate or malicious information passed along by people who want you to think they’re “in the know.” Gossip is destructive to the church, erodes the fellowship, and undermines God’s activity.

School is starting in these parts. The beginning of school brings out many emotions in educators and educatees. Excitement tags along with nervousness as young and old get back in the groove of daily learning.

There was a prophet named Elijah who lived a long time ago in the land of Israel. He was great and did many marvelous things because he listened to the Lord and was obedient. He lived during the reign of King Ahab, who was more evil than all the kings who were before him.

Every day, I am thankful the Lord planted me in eastern Kentucky.

Marching band was a big deal when I was in high school. While still just a novice clarinet player, I looked forward to the day when I would join the “Band of the Braves.” The high school band practiced on Thursday nights, polishing up their halftime show.