Christian Living

A good conversation is one of the few things that is universally enjoyed. It is the cornerstone that forms the foundation of our friendships. While the subjects discussed vary from person to person, we will spend and enjoy hours in deep conversation with the people we value. Really, all that is needed for a good conversation is a group of people and a common interest. Although there are many interests that people have, as Christians, there is a set of interests that we all have, valuing above any other.

Life comes at us at ever-increasingly higher speeds. There are daily duties, job responsibilities, church meetings, mission opportunities, and family and social activities. Was life meant to be this busy? How do we decide what we accomplish and what we let undone? This article is an introduction to a Life Coach Who will guide us in this life and never lead us astray or abandon us in the rush of life’s activities.

And they arrived at the country of the Gadarenes, which is over against Galilee. And when he went forth to land, there met him out of the city a certain man, which had devils long time, and ware no clothes, neither abode in any house, but in the tombs (Luke 8:26, 27).
And when he was come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, Who is this? And the multitude said, This is Jesus the prophet of Nazareth of Galilee (Matthew 21:10,11).

The title could give the impression that a Christian could be different in an election year than other off-election years. That is not the intent. Instead, in the time of national elections, Christians face extra pressure to become something they are not; pressure to join another kingdom and fight intellectually using the ballot box. Many times during election years, the question is asked of the plain community –”why don’t you folks vote; if you all did, we could finally change some things. Aren’t Christians to be a salt and a light?

For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind (2Ti 1:7).
Solid rational thinking does not happen by accident. Sound thinking requires feeding our minds on good things, and then throwing out the false and pursuing the true. Paul told them to Hold fast the form of sound words
(2Ti 1:13). He told the Philippians in 1:10 to ...approve the things that are excellent.

The term nonconformity is a Biblical term derived from the Scripture be not conformed to this world, as found in Romans 12:2. The word conformed comes from the same Greek word that is translated “fashioning” in I Peter 1:14, where Peter tells Christians not to fashion themselves like they did when they did not know any better. This word, as it is used in the Bible, always refers to the outward appearance of a person or object. The fashion pages of the newspapers and catalogs will also verify that it has reference to some form of outward appearance.

An Incredible, Unspoiled Garden
In the beginning of the Biblical narrative, Divinity creates a dazzling garden. He names it Eden and saw that it was good. In all its fancy, in every spray of color, in every sound of peace, in every thought of wonder, in every taste of sweetness, for every human sensory, for every pleasure known, this garden is created for mankind—yes, everything an Almighty could “conceive.”

We have a blessed practice in our churches that many likely take for granted. We begin our services in reverence and silence. We enter the sanctuary and sit quietly, stilling our soul as we prepare to worship together. But it is possible that some of us only appear quiet and still on the outside. Inside we may be in turmoil or simply be distracted, entertaining thoughts about things outside our church building—I know what that is like.

July has been an exciting month for stargazers. The comet NEOWISE was first discovered on March 27, 2020 by an earth-orbiting space telescope. By July 2020, this ball of ice, rock and dust was near enough to earth and bright enough to be visible under dark skies to the naked eye. Currently, this comet can be seen in the morning and evening. In the morning, it appears very low above the north-eastern horizon, and in the evening, it is visible low in the north-western sky, under the big dipper.

BE AWARE – We are very focus driven, typically speaking, and want to get the jobs done that we have set out to do. We need to be aware of people around us that may need a listening ear or someone to share with. Make it a habit to look out for people that need Jesus.