Sheep dog trials serve as my favorite event at the Fort Worth Stock Show. Sheep dog trials are a timed event during which the dog must maneuver three sheep around the pen and two different barrels, through a narrow shoot, and then into the pen while the shepherd gives commands. Shepherd and sheep dog teams…

Administer justice. Has that ever shown up on your job description? If you work with people, be they little peeps or big ones, you can bet the need for justice will arise. Whether we play referee for the kids at home or negotiate contract terms, we all benefit when justice prevails.  Many of us have…

Character determines revelation. -Oswald Chambers Does that thought bring an “Uh-oh” or an “Amen”? Oswald Chambers tells us character affects the degree to which God reveals Himself, His will, and His ways to us.  Character displays our obedience factor. It reminds me of Philippians 2:13, how God works in us to will and to act…

How much do you know about the Trinity? Here’s a short quiz: 1. The Trinity is one God. T/F 2. The Trinity is three gods. T/F 3. The Trinity is one God expressed in three Persons. T/F 4. The Son and the Spirit were created by the Father as His first works. T/F 5. The…

Scripture speaks at length about warfare. Believers no longer walk under the authority of the enemy, yet sometimes we surrender the fight. Then Scripture tosses the book of Job our way. Job What about Job? Let’s read Job 1:8-12 NIV: Then the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth…

All authority has been given. Let’s talk about Satan’s authority. What authority does he have and why? Does he have authority over us? The World “The devil led him [Jesus] up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. And he said to him, ‘I will give you…

Let’s continue our discussion on authority. While God the Father gave Jesus extensive authority, the authority Jesus gave the Twelve and the seventy He sent out seems limited to power over the demonic realm and the power to heal—all in the context of proclaiming the coming kingdom. The signs performed authenticated the message proclaimed.  In…

Got authority? Maybe. Maybe not.  What Is Authority? When you study authority in the New Testament, you notice immediately that authority is given. You can’t faith it into existence. The Father gave authority to Jesus. Jesus gave authority to the Twelve and to the seventy.  Interestingly, Satan offers authority to Jesus in exchange for worship.…

My husband loves to tinker with outdoor lighting. Solar lights dot our landscaping. Tucked in among sweet pansies, prickly holly, and sleepy crepe myrtles, they soak up the light of the sun. You hardly know they’re there. Some are disguised as rocks. Others nestle in the groundcover.  But when the sun melts into the horizon,…

Gracious. Compassionate. Slow to anger. Abounding in love. He relents from sending calamity. We see these qualities of God in numerous Old Testament verses (Exodus 34:6-7; Nehemiah 9:17; Psalm 86:15; 103:8; Joel 2:13; Jonah 4:2) We see it with skin in the Gospels, beginning in Bethlehem. Humbly. Quietly. The hoopla limited to a few ragtag…