Just Bloggin' by Wardo

What comes into our minds when we hear the word trial? What if the word was catastrophe or tragedy? Divorce, the death of a spouse or child, loved ones with a crippling disease, infidelity, children walking away from God, great financial loss, the murder of a loved one, abuse within the family. When one of these occur in our lives what type of emotions grip our hearts and minds? When more than one occurs, then how do we respond? Trials bring many responses. Trials bring:     Fear & Worry – Disciples in ship ( Matthew 8:26 And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm.) Doubt – Peter walking on water ( Matthew 14:31 And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt? ) Questions – Man born blind (John 9:1-3 And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth. And h...

There are folks that determine their self-worth from external factors. Because they like their appearance , they have great self-worth. Because they have a financially high net worth , they have great self-worth. Because they know important people , they have great self-worth. Because of their job , they have great self-worth. Because of their achievements , they have great self-worth. Because of their abilities , they have great self-worth. Because of their self-aggrandizement , they have great self-worth. Because of others compliments , they have great self-worth. The difficulty is that these factors can and will change and when they do our self-worth will change with them. May I suggest you look in a different area to have true lasting self-worth. Jesus said "Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?" and this answered his own question "For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?” May I...

We identify ourselves in many ways. We identify ourselves as Florida Gator or Florida State Seminoles fans. We identify ourselves as blue grass, country or folk music fans. We identify ourselves as Americans. We identify ourselves as Southerners or Northerners. We identify ourselves as Republicans, Democrats, Libertarians or Independents. We identify ourselves as conservatives or liberals. We identify ourselves as alumni of institutions.  We identify ourselves from where we grew up (I am a Clintonian having grown up in Clinton, NY). We identify ourselves by our height, weight or age. We identify ourselves with Dunkin Donuts or Starbucks as coffee drinkers. But we who name the name of Christ most importantly must identify ourselves with Christ. You see, identifying ourselves with Christ shows who we are as Christians. But it is much deeper than being with Christ, for we are also in Christ. Because we are in Christ there are some things that have happened and some qualities that have...

As I walk through church greeting people I notice that many folks want a handshake. For others it is the grip of death and the stare down, while others prefer the dead fish. Some people just want a nod to acknowledge them, while some folks are looking for a fist bump and others want a bro hug. Then when I greet ladies at church some only want a “hi” or a wave, while some ladies want a hug and other ladies favor a kiss on the cheek. Through this simple weekly process I’ve come to the conclusion that people are very different. Each person is an individual made in the image of God, as God saw fit to make them and because of this we are each very distinctive and we should acknowledge and celebrate these differences.   We should be very understanding of our differences. We should be very accommodating to those that are vastly different from us. There should be tolerance and acceptance and not ridicule or gossip of those who differ from us. People who are different socially, econom...

I was sitting in church this morning and the pastor spoke about “modeling” Christianity and the need to find someone to “model” after. It is true that I would like to be a good model of God's grace, although much of today's teaching on the subject takes it in a different direction. The modeling I heard about this morning sounded good and probably tickled a few ears, however one of the problems with this philosophy that I see is that this “model” is usually created by a person pushing their version of a Christian agenda. You see, the whole premise of a model is wrong, unless of course Jesus is your model. You know Jesus he is the one who dealt in unconditional love. The one who used mercy, grace and kindness to upend the religious zealots of his day and their wayward philosophies passed off for godliness. The one who deals with people on an individual basis and not some preconceived idea of cookie cutter Christianity where everyone looks the same, talks the same and interacts t...