Empty Places

Empty spaces in our pews
There’s one no other can fill
When you’re missing
What you bring to complete us
Is gone

Not saying that you’re
The Life of the party
Only Jesus is that
But being His child and all
You’re so much like Him

When you’re not here
We notice what’s missing
From our hearts

What Manner of God

After Jesus calmed a violent storm by speaking a few words, His disciples asked a very interesting question. “What manner of man is this?” And he was indeed a man, at least when He died. But He died. So another interesting question might be, “What manner of God is this?” He was indeed God, while He walked upon the earth and even now.

I want to examine, through a glass darkly, what this miraculous combination of God and man must have been. I want to examine the oneness of God versus the plural natures of God, insomuch as each was evidenced in the life of this “man.” Before I do so, I need to explain some things. The thoughts and conclusions put forth in this essay were not arrived at lightly and have come as a result of many thoughts and much prayer.

I long ago came to the absolute belief that all scripture was inspired by a God who cannot and will not lie. Therefore it really bothered me to notice so many scriptures which seemed to contradict one another. Since there are literally hundreds to indicate one answer and hundreds leading to a different conclusion, the question begs to be asked. Is there one person called God or are there multiple persons that together make up God? Is there an inherent contradiction on this subject in the Bible?

I believe any conflict in my understanding of scriptures stems from my misunderstanding of some or all of those scriptures. The alternative is to either believe God lied in some of His holy Word or to believe He was not really responsible for some or all of the scriptures. Luckily we are given a remedy to confusion. A scripture in James tells us to ask … Continue Reading

The Gift – A Poem by Paul Spite

There will be times for laughter
This is not one of them
When I know you are hurting
Life does not go on as usual

When you are afraid
I lie awake as well
When you are alone and feel it
I know the pain of emptiness

I know you intended none of that
When you opened up your soul
But I wanted you to know
The risk you took honored me
Your pain is safe with me
I am honored by your trust

Driving Nails

One man was left of the entire army of Canaanites who invaded Israel. It was Sisera, the captain of that once powerful host. Alone, weary, and in need of a place to hide, this mighty conqueror staggered into the tent of Jael. She was the epitome of a good hostess. She covered him with a mantle to hide him from his pursuers. He asked for water to drink; she gave him milk to sustain him. She even offered to stand watch and alert him, should any of his adversaries approach. She made him feel so relaxed; he went to sleep in the tent of his enemy. That was his last mistake.

Once he was unconscious, she crept up to his side. In her hand was a nail from the tent and a hammer. In one swift attack, she nailed his head, through his temples, into the ground below the tent. She permanently ended the threat this one man had posed to Israel for twenty years. Make no mistake about it, her feat would not be easy to duplicate. Had the sharp end of the nail touched his face before the blow, he would most likely have awoken. Even weary, he would have been a formidable foe. In twenty years of warfare, he had to have fought for his life while badly wounded. Had she missed the … Continue Reading

To Be Worthy of Consideration

There are a few ideas about warfare worth examining. Then we will look at whether we might also be worth considering, or would even want to be.

There is an old concept, supposed attributed to the Plains Indians, that the strength of a man could be measured by the might of his enemies. Your importance could be gauged by the significance of those who considered you to be a threat.

In one of the creepier incidents in the scriptures, in Acts, Chapter 19, seven sons of a chief priest named Sciva took it upon themselves to cast out evil spirits possessing a man. They commanded the spirits to come out, calling on the name of the Lord Jesus that Paul preached. In a more than discouraging moment, one of the spirits responded, “Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are ye?” Then the possessed man leaped on all seven of them, overcame them, and all seven fled from the house, naked and wounded. It is never a good idea to declare ourselves an enemy of what wields far more power than we do.

An old principle of warfare is dividing your adversaries to conquer them. For this reason, back when armies lined up and attacked each another in … Continue Reading

No Apology for God

I once heard someone say, “When you are right, and you know you are right, there is no need to apologize.” Contrary to common usage, an apology is not just saying we are sorry. It is defined in one dictionary as a formal justification, offered in defense or explanation. It is offered when our actions disturb or harm others. The usual source of discomfort is their lack of understanding of our motives. So we apologize, to clear up the misunderstanding.

I guess that is why the term “apologetics” bothers me somewhat. It is defined as a theological science which has for its purpose, the explanation and defense of the Christian religion. It is, in essence, our attempt to defend our belief in God and His Word. The truth is, no matter how the Truth comes under attack, God’s Word does not need us to defend it.

Alternate versions of scriptural truth abound. Many, who would never open the scriptures, obtain theological knowledge from fictitious writing about biblical events. They assume an air of authority on these, having acquired no truth on the subject whatsoever. They fail to understand that something … Continue Reading

Who Would Have Thought

I thought I would just be gone for a few days
It would be no big deal.
I could slip away to take care of business
And be back before I missed you.
I thought time apart might draw us closer.
Doesn’t absence make the heart grow fonder?

.
I know you won’t believe this, but I even thought
For a while, I could skip the feel of
Your arms,
Your lips,
Your heartbeat
What in the world was I thinking?