Strong Coffee

I will sing of my Redeemer, And His wondrous love to me; On the cruel cross He suffered, From the curse to set me free. Sing, oh sing, of my Redeemer, With His blood, He purchased me. On the cross, He sealed my pardon, Paid the debt, and made me free. This hymn has been stuck in my head all day. We use to sing it at my fathers little church in Vanleer TN when I was a wee lad. It was written In 1876 by Phillip P. Bliss. The words were found in his belongings after a tragic and fatal train wreck. It was perhaps the last hymn that he wrote. There's a beautiful ring to the word "Redeemer". It's not a word we use in everyday language. It means to pay off or buy, like a coupon or gift card. Don't you just love gift cards. My favorite is TJ Maxx. Do you have any idea how much stuff I can get for just 50 bucks? One catch... the card is useless anywhere else. Christ purchased our pardon and it is redeemed only at the foot of His cross. His blood ...

What do I know for certain? That He loves me. His love covers multitudes of sin. No greater love have I ever known...everlasting. Lavished upon paupers to become heirs of the promise. A ring on my finger...a robe on my back...the fattened calf. There is one thing He doesn't know. He doesn't know anyone He doesn't love. What could such lowly tuition accomplish? Move mountains... Write history... Turn the world...on end What hinders so little from doing so much? A box...a contented square in which we hoard prejudice, convinience, ignorance, conclusion, assumption. A trifle here. A fancy there... ...The simpliest hope suffocated. Outside the box love amplifies Outside...love florishes. A message of love. His cross. His blood Limitless and rich. Turning a heart of stone to a heart of flesh. Whosoever. O Divine Master, grant that we may not so much seek to be loved, as to love; For it is in giving that we receive, it is in pardoning that we are pardoned, and...

Several of us scruffy headed boys would make the daily afternoon walk home from elementary school. One spring day, for some reason or another, all the guys started picking on me and pushing me around. My big brother, to this day, say's I was being a sissy. Jim has always been the perfect big brother. He's blessed with broad shoulders and an imposing figure. If you look at him in the right kind of light he sort of resembles.... Well, Samson, or the Hulk, if he gets mad. Being two years older than me I've always looked up to him. Literally. That day was a day that I needed him really bad. I told those ruffians that if they didn't leave me alone I was gonna tell Jim and they would be sorry. Well, that made them pour it on all the more. In tears, I recall running into the house screaming for big brother. I told him about the neighborhood boys picking on me (I might have stretched the truth and said they called HIM a sissy). Without hesitation he went...

Papa & Alora Doesn't get any better than this

What is child like faith? My grandaughter Alora will soon be able to explain it very well. She's only 4 hours old but when she's old enough I can't wait to play "catch me Papa". Jumping off the kitchen bar or the den furniture into my arms will be an important trust building exercise. Holding her today brought to mind that same pleasure I had with her mother in what seems like only yesterday. As a proud father and now grandfather, nothing, I mean nothing would prevent me from catching my baby. Children are fearless because of the trust and love that's been developed. Without hesitation Hailey knew as Alora will learn that I will catch them. A train could run through the house - but I would not miss !!! There's no better symbolism to demonstrates faith in our heavenly father. God isn't compelling you or me to leap off a cliff promising to catch us. However, our walk with Christ can sometimes lead us to believe we've done just th...

Our grandbaby Alora. God is sooo good. Moma Hailey is doing great but exausted. 7.5lbs / 20". @ 7:35pm 6/9/10 Papa & Nana are proud of Hailey & Daniel

There's a saying that if you want to make God laugh, tell Him your plans Whenever you work on the international mission field there is a consistent word of advice you hear over and again: be flexible, plans change! The healthy perspective for you and me is to approach every day with this:          God, I don't know where you're going today          but I'm going with you. Abraham and His brother Lot parted company because their traveling families had become too large to coexist. Abraham said to Lot, "We need to split up. If you go left I'll go right, if you go right I'll go left." To the left were the plains of Sodom and Gommorah. Consequently, Lot chose left and his life was ruined! What if Lot had chosen right? That would have placed Abraham in the cesspool of Sodom. Would Abraham have experienced the same fate as his brother? Not likely. Why? Because Abraham, as a child of ...

Allie checking into the dormitory at UT Martin. :)

Are you ready for a little bit of Thomasology? Actually this is very biblical it just ain't for street preaching (pardon the grammer). The world is generally evil and randomly good. Christ tansforms our nature to be generally good and randomly evil.(1) When I say world I'm referring to a lost world. Those whose hearts are darkened by Satan lest the light of the gospel should shine on them.(2) I'm not proposing that there aren't any good and decent people in the world. I'm saying that by nature we are born in sin,(3) and unless that sin nature is confronted and destroyed, it brings destruction.(4) I hear our president say often that American people are good. This statement is utterly and completely false.  There is none good; no not one(5). The comment is understandable, given his position, but if people were "good" then why do we have goverment oversight. The largest economic meltdown of the century was due to what? Greed(6)! This is not to be pessim...