Updates (Page 115)

Dear SCC & Friends, Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. ~Romans 12:15 Update #80                “If we perfect ourselves in isolation, we will be in isolation when perfected.” He who separates (isolates) himself seeks his own desire and quarrels against all sound wisdom.~Pr. 18:1 We need each other and will not come into spiritual maturity on our own. “There is a difference between solitude and isolation. One is connected and one isn’t. Solitude replenishes, isolation diminishes.” ~Henry Cloud Iron sharpens…

Dear SCC & Friends, Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble; He delivered them out of their distresses. ~Psalm 107:6 Update #79                “Man’s extremity is God’s opportunity.” One of the great lessons of life is when all we have left is God, we realize for the first time that God is enough. He is our refuge and strength, a very present (abundantly available) help especially in tight places. Some may disagree, but my personal experience backs…

Dear SCC & Friends, For the love of Christ controls us… ~2 Corinthians 5:14 Update #78       “If I say I believed in God, I trusted God and He didn’t come through, I only trusted God to meet my agenda.” ~Tim KellerAn agenda is simply a plan for things to be done or problems to be addressed. There are such things as hidden agendas, which speak to underlying intentions and motives. All the ways of a man are clean in his own…

Dear SCC & Friends, Many are the afflictions of the righteous; but the Lord delivers him out of them all. ~Psalm 34:19 Update #77 I hope you’re not in affliction (distress or pain), but if you are, be encouraged… For it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure. ~Philip. 2:13 God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pain: It is His megaphone to rouse a deaf…

Dear SCC & Friends, And He shall be the stability of your times… ~Isaiah 33:6 Update #76 “The times they are a changing…” A portion of Dylan’s poetic ballad about the political and social upheaval of the 1960’s. For many of you those days are ancient history; for others it seems like yesterday. Change can be defined as a variation or alteration in form, state, quality or essence. We see it all around us, and change comes regardless of whether…

Dear SCC & Friends, …let us run with endurance the race that is set before us… ~Hebrews 12:1b Update #75 The 2021 Olympics are over… Amazing stories of trial and endurance, coupled with inspiring performances of grit and talent that only a select few could ever ascend to… Between now and 2024, thousands upon thousands of elite athletes will invest all they have to earn an opportunity to compete in the Paris games. Eleven thousand, six hundred fifty-six athletes competed in…

Dear SCC & Friends, The Lord has done great things for us; we are glad ~Psalm 126:3 Update #74      If you would not be laughed at, be the first to laugh at yourself. ~Ben Franklin It’s good to laugh, and not take ourselves too seriously. Our youngest daughter Paige was in her senior year, when we drove with her to San Francisco for some quality “away” time to be together and talk about her future. We had been driving six hours and were…

Dear SCC & Friends, He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. ~Psalm 91:1 Update #73      Not too long ago Dudley and I received a thank you note from someone who was going through a very difficult time. She thanked us for being there and helping to share the burden she carried! The note ended with, “Whatever God has in store for us, we know it is best, since we…

Dear SCC & Friends, It is not those who are well who need a physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call righteous men but sinners to repentance. ~Luke 5:31-32 Update #72      “Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing themselves.” ~Leo Tolstoy The Greek word for “change of mind” is metanoia, which literally means repentance. Repent is a good word that is too often vilified or misunderstood. Jesus used it many times……

Dear SCC & Friends, Ah Lord God! Behold, Thou hast made the heavens and the earth by Thy great power and by Thine outstretched arm! Nothing is too difficult for Thee… ~Jeremiah 32:17 Update #71      I’m better than I used to be, but I generally don’t like to read directions. I don’t know why…call it a personality flaw or a “missing link” in my makeup. It’s ironic because I have given much of my life to studying the Bible,…

Dear SCC & Friends, Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord and whose trust is the Lord. ~Jeremiah 17:7 Update #70    “Never make predictions, especially about the future.” ~Yogi Berra Nevertheless, talking about projections, forecasts and opinions on the future remain big business. Modern culture literally bombards us with the latest information about what to do to protect our future…political pundits, financial experts, spiritual gurus and the like are vying for our trust. It’s an amazing irony, because when they…

Dear SCC & Friends, The counsel of the Lord stands forever, the plans of His heart from generation to generation. ~Psalm 33:11 Update #69    Edmund Burke, Irish statesman and philosopher once said, “Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty.” This July 4th marks our country’s 245th birthday. The Declaration of Independence was signed by 56 men who pledged their lives, fortunes and sacred honor. They affirmed self-evident truths that we are endowed with unalienable rights by our Creator, not government…an endowment of…