Updates (Page 3)

Dear SCC & Friends, …I am with you… ~Isaiah 41:10 Reflection #314                  The Lord is faithful even when we are faithless. The most frequent promise in the Bible is not I will give you success… or you will not suffer… or you will be blessed… The Lord’s recurrent promise appears so often in Scripture that we can overlook and miss the obvious. …I am with you always, even to the end of the age.~Matt. 28:20 I once visited a…

Dear SCC & Friends, …clothe yourselves in humility… ~1 Peter 5:5 Reflection #313                  Mohammed Ali was in his prime and was about to take off on an airplane flight. The stewardess reminded him to fasten his seatbelt. He came back brashly, “Superman don’t need no seatbelt!” The stewardess quickly came back with, “Superman don’t need no airplane either.” Ali fastened his seatbelt. All of us know what it is to “put our foot in our mouth” or expect special…

Dear SCC & Friends, Let love of the brethren continue. ~Hebrews 13:1 Reflection #312                  Why would we discontinue to love when it is clearly an ongoing command of the Lord? What is it that allows our hearts to become apathetic or cold? Jesus gave us a new commandment. …that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. ~Jn. 13:34 The commandment to love our neighbor was not new. … you shall…

Dear SCC & Friends, …meditations of my heart… ~Psalm 19:14 Reflection #311                  Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer. ~Ps. 19:14 All of us have blind spots which we often defend through something called “confirmation bias”… It’s the tendency to believe information that supports and reaffirms what we already think… It predetermines the rightness of our position with minimal inquiry or circumspection……

Dear SCC & Friends, The people complained… ~Numbers 11:1 Reflection #310                  Complaining verbalizes dissatisfaction or annoyance about something or someone. It can be habitual and become a character trait. A habit of complaining develops a habit of being unhappy. ~Anon.~Many people live in what’s called a “gated community”. Once you know the gate code, you can go in and out as you please… But you must know the code… Spiritually speaking, we have a code… Enter His gates with…

Dear SCC & Friends, …at work in you… ~Philippians 2:13 Reflection #309                  Some people like recognition and some people don’t, but we all need it even if it’s not our primary “love language.” God has created us that way, and to greater or lesser degrees recognition and affirmation remain central to our lives. In business I was once told I had done a magnificent job, and they were so glad I worked there… On another occasion at a different job,…

Dear SCC & Friends, Forgive us our trespasses… ~Matthew 6:12 Reflection #308                  A trespass is a violation – an inappropriate crossing of a boundary in thought, word or deed. The Lord’s prayer makes it clear we need forgiveness both for our trespasses and to forgive those who trespass against us… For if you forgive men for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions. ~Matt. 6:14-15… Conflict…

Dear SCC & Friends, God meant it for good. ~Genesis 50:20 Reflection #307                  Whatever God is doing in your life is meant for good both now and forever. “God is good and good all the time” may sound like a cliché or be the bedrock of what we believe. Clichés can have meaning, but with overuse and familiarity, they become empty platitudes. “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade…”  or “Every cloud has a silver lining…” or “All that glitters isn’t gold…” “What doesn’t kill…

Dear SCC & Friends, …brothers were jealous. ~Genesis 37:4 Reflection #306                  A root cause of jealousy is fear of losing status, influence or importance. It festers through insecurity, envy and fear. If we get mired in jealousy, we will not be grateful… and when we are not grateful, we are not happy, and when we are not happy, we’re sad, and when we’re sad, we tend to be depressed, and when we’re depressed, we go after things that we think will…

Dear SCC & Friends, The way of a fool… ~Proverbs 12:15 Reflection #305                  It is better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak and remove all doubt. ~Abraham Lincoln~ A fool has many attributes but none are considered complimentary. A fool acts without thinking, ignores good advice, repeats harmful mistakes and inflates an errant perspective as valid… Being a fool is not about a person’s I.Q or wealth… Furthermore, a fool can be rich and intelligent by human standards…

Dear SCC & Friends, Above all… ~1 Peter 4:8 Reflection #304                  Priorities are important, as they keep us on track with that which is of most importance. Personal priorities tend to shift with time and the inevitable transitions that come with life and circumstance…not so with God! The plans of His heart are from generation to generation.~Ps. 33:11 His purposes never change and He sets the priority to seek first His kingdom and His righteousness. ~Matt. 6:33 The goal…

Dear SCC & Friends, In the fullness of time… ~Galatians 4:4 Reflection #303                  The Lord uses seemingly ordinary people in extraordinary ways. Jesus arrived “in the fullness of time” which is a beautiful word picture of prophetic fulfillment and joy… Part of that beautiful picture was to be fleshed out through two willing servants, Joseph and Mary. Obeying God does not mean that “the wind will always be at our back.” Joseph’s faith required great courage, compassion and sacrifice. Mary’s faith endured…