Personal thoughts from Pastor Jeff on a(n almost) daily basis.
“The violence of the wicked will sweep them away, because they refuse to do what is just.” – Proverbs 21:7 Father, it is Monday morning and our hearts are grieved already before the sun comes up. The weight of yesterday’s violence is heavy upon us. They were there in that church praying, singing, learning and growing. The evil man …
Today, I am going to dogmatic. Though I am sad about what I am about to write, I am going to say it without any cushion or attempt to round the edges. I am going to state something factual, unassailable and undebatable. Some will be uncomfortable with it because they love to leave ambiguity in nearly everything – especially matters …
You need to watch out for them because they are everywhere. You work with them. Some of them live in the same house as you. Churches can be filled with them and they are not content to remain quiet. For some strange reason, these people believe their job in life is to come down fast and hard on your dreams, …
Perhaps one of the things we will feel most silly about when we arrive in Heaven is the degree of importance we heaped upon our former earthly possessions. I’m of the opinion that the one truth American Christians are most reluctant to believe is that only the treasures we invest in the Kingdom will have any value in eternity. Take …
Falling asleep last night, I found myself thinking on the difference between my having pity on a person and my having compassion. Both of these traits are important parts of who we are as believers in Christ but, right before entering a night of satisfying rest, I made the mental note that pity just doesn’t go far enough. I must …
Perhaps one of the most understated or undervalued aspects of salvation is the aspect of God’s companionship. It is ironic because the core of being one with God through faith in Jesus Christ is that we are never alone without Him. His personal, purposed presence is the saving element in our lives, whereas once we were lost and estranged from …
Mark your calendars for Friday evening 10/27/17 for the next OneRace gathering. We will meet at the church where I serve, New Bridge Church. We will begin at 7:30 (come early!) that evening at 1446 Calvin Davis Circle, Lawrenceville GA 30043. The answer to the escalating racial issues in America must come from the voice of the Church. Join your …
Did you watch the Lone Ranger growing up? That pillar of black and white television hit the screen in 1949 and kept streaming out ample heroic goodness for 220 more episodes. Clayton Moore and Jay Silverheels were some mellow but macho dudes who had an uncanny ability to knock off the bad guy in the nick of time. They were …
“I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.” – Jesus Christ What a strange thing for us to hear the Savior say. He was talking to believers. Jesus was telling His committed followers that there was so much more that He had the ability to reveal to them, but they were not yet …
“God loves with a great love the one whose heart is bursting with a passion for the impossible.” – William Booth You need to know yourself… and you need to know God. You also need to recognize that marvelous things occur when these two pieces of knowledge intersect, because this is the whole of the Christian experience: bringing all that …
Today, it would serve us well to slow down a bit, catch our breath from the weekend, and think upon the patience of God. We look at a world blanketed in unbelief, pulsing with immorality, boiling with outrage, and ringing with the noise of foolishness, so it is easy for us to acknowledge that God is very patient…with them, all …
It’s a different season on planet earth these days. Certainly, there has always been a level of disturbance, a modicum of trouble, an atmosphere of unsettledness in our nation, yet something is clearly different these days. There is an added element that has entered the equation which should cause all of us to pause and consider. Whereas there is nothing …
Don’t check your bank account this morning to determine if you are blessed. Don’t step on the scale or look in the mirror to determine your outlook for the next 24 hours. Refuse to allow your to-do list, your iCalendar, your housework or your lack of any of these things be the tuning forks for your attitude today. With nationwide …
What do you do when a decision is being required of you and there is no clear guidance from the Scriptures? All of us face situations – usually daily ones – that don’t require writing in the sky from God. Yet, as His children, all of us want our pathway to be honorable unto the Lord. Many times we are …
It was 1974, and I was a child in an intimidating lobby of a doctor’s office. Though so long ago, I can clearly remember standing in front of a fish tank in the lobby looking through my one eye at the colored little fish darting amidst the bubbles in the water. A few days before, I had endured a surgery …
You don’t always feel your faith, do you? The strength that God has given you – there’s not a constant sense of it being there each moment of every day. The peace that Jesus promised us, and has given- why do you not always experience that inner tranquility? What about confidence? None of us have experienced even a full week where …
The journey of the Christian is a journey of faith. We begin our relationship with the invisible God by faith. By faith, we bow before a King who is alive in another realm and, in complete abandon, we pledge our lives and eternities to Him. We give significant portions of our income to a mission by faith. We devote intentional …
“Why are we sitting here until we die?…We are not doing right. This day is a day of good news. If we are silent and wait until the morning light, punishment will overtake us. Now therefore come; let us go and tell the king’s household.” – 2 Kings 7:3-4,9-10 The above text was the first passage of Scripture I ever …
God created the cosmos from nothing. God formed man from the dust of the earth and breathed life into him (Genesis 2:7, 21) God established an innumerable host of angels to serve as His own eternal ministers of good (Hebrews 1:7) God sustains the entire universe by the Word of His power (Hebrews 1:3) While we praise God for His …
This week will have me taking a break from writing here in the blog. I need a little refreshing of the waters, so I plan to take a short hiatus from writing for 7-10 days while I’m waiting on some mental fog to blow out. Life is really good right now, but there are times when I hear Father coaxing …
Running has never been an activity which I’ve enjoyed. Sports have been a delight to me since childhood but running, with no ball, nobody pursuing, no threat of tackle or interruption…that has never been something I’ve enjoyed. In the past I’ve bought treadmills (plural), only to turn around and sell them when it no longer made sense to keep them …
In the midst of a work-from-home day on Monday, with unusual quietness, few interruptions and a welcome break from routine office atmosphere, I found myself at two different points surprised with one aspect of my flesh that is still alive and kicking. The specifics of these two occasions are not really important, but I will tell you that the battle …
Is your God demanding or delightful? Involved or indifferent? When you sense His countenance is it stern or smiling? If someone told you that His hand is moving toward you, would your instincts tell you that His hand would be nudging you back into line or graciously moving things out of your way so that you would make progress? These …
We have all done it. A chunk of data finds its way onto the hard drive of our mind and we select a folder, place that data within us, and encrypt so it cannot be accessed, or deleted by another. We have all made snap-judgments, formulated prejudices and rendered verdicts without having the necessary component of knowing the full disclosure …
Lord Jesus, This morning I thank You for something which has never entered my mind before: this morning, I thank You that You are not a begrudging Savior. We want to be good to You, but we will never, in this lifetime, be as good to You as we should. Your Holy Spirit impacted me hard this morning with the …
