Posts from April 2026

Dear SCC & Friends, The first to plead… ~Acts 15:39 Reflection #321                A blame shifter is a person who deflects responsibility for their actions by highlighting the perceived faults of another. Blame shifting has been around since the Garden of Eden right up to the present day. It takes maturity and discretion not to react when someone disagrees or challenges our opinion… When we first moved to California, I wore a coat and tie to church. A good friend who…

Dear SCC & Friends, …a sharp disagreement… ~Acts 15:39 Reflection #320                Is conflict spiritual? Is it bad? Have you ever been told to avoid it at all costs? The truth is conflict remains unavoidable even if we try to avoid it. Absence of conflict does not mean we have unity or even peace. I hate to admit it, but it has been conflict, be it unpleasant or untimely, that has driven me deeper into my need and reliance on the…

Dear SCC & Friends, If we confess… ~1 John 1:9 Reflection #319                  Making a good confession is a sign of strength even though it may seem like weakness… Forgiveness is always free. But that doesn’t mean that confession is always easy. Sometimes it’s hard… incredibly hard. It’s painful to admit our sins and entrust ourselves to God’s care. ~Lutzer~ Our confession doesn’t make God aware of our sins since He is omniscient. Rather, He brings awareness to us regarding our sin (missing the…

Dear SCC & Friends, …for your testing… ~1 Peter 4:12 Reflection #318                  You don’t learn that Jesus is all you need until Jesus is all you have. ~Corrie Ten Boom~ Sometimes the Lord calms the storm and sometimes He calms us in the midst of the storm. Either way, storms are part of life and stretch our trust in God be they physical, emotional or spiritual. The disciples were experienced fishermen and well acquainted with sudden storms on the Sea of Galilee. The lake is 700…

Dear SCC & Friends, …of first importance… ~1 Corinthians 15:3 Reflection #317 His Death …And it was now about the sixth hour, and darkness fell over the whole land until the ninth hour, the sun being obscured; and the veil of the temple was torn in two. And Jesus, crying out with a loud voice, said, “Father, into Thy hands I commit My spirit.” And having said this, He breathed His last. Now when the centurion saw what had happened, he began praising God,…