Strong Coffee

Mark 6:48...and would have passed by them. How many times have we passed Him by? Now we see where He would have passed them by, but...they cried out to Him. He saw them, straining...wrestling. The wind and waves were against them, but to Him they bow.  He is Lord of all that is against us, and is touched with the feelings of our infirmities for He knows what is against us Do you know it? That's why He always comes to us. He came to me; He came to me When I could not come to where He was He came to me That’s why He died on Calvary When I could not come to where He was He came to me. He is an ever present help in time of trouble. They called unto Him. Have you called out to Him? Is He not as close as the mere mention of His name? The word is nigh thee...Lord save me. To call...is to draw Him close. Soon, the wind and waves that once buffeted us...we walk upon. Keeping our eyes fixed on Him. The Lord is deaf to the cry of the wicked...

1 Peter 5: 10 And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. 11 To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen. When I consider suffering in our present world; all kinds of suffering; from sickness, satanic attacks on our families, to persecution, and financial distress, I think of all that Peter and the early church had to endure. From the pages of scripture we can feel their pain and sorrow as they fully embraced a new life in Christ yet encountered the extremely hostile world around them. On one hand, the lost were streaming into the church seeking salvation. On the other, marauders were looking for followers of "the way" to heap upon them mountains of cruelty and hate. This scripture passage, among others, gave great comfort to those suffering just as it does now. Peter even said ... "consider it pure joy when you experience trials...

Lurking around in the dark recess of my mind has been this little gnome like voice whispering that my future in clinical pastoring counseling is limited. In a soulful confession, when sainted servants face the fiery trial of their own sin and frailty, although eventual recipients of great grace and forgiveness, they encounter a new thorn...worthiness & worthlessness. It kind of depends upon the day. Soon, my residency will come to an end. I will apply later this spring for the second year. After my residency, my desire is to remain in medicine. Working closely with medical teams and patients in acute and long term care has been very fruitful. God has worked in unspeakable ways to bring glory to his name. The work is unique. Through the partnership with several Christian physicians, most importantly, Dr. Dunn, we have stretched the usual role of chaplaincy into a a broad spiritual mission: to find those who are hungry and thirsty for the bread of lif...

"You can accomplish more in one hour with God than an entire lifetime without him." It looks like Alora is showing us that we all could use a little prayer before we take on a task at hand. Even our Lord escaped the pressures of the day and found a quiet place of solitude. Mark 1:35 And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed . You have to admit that Jesus set the bar very high when it comes to prayer. After all, He longed for His Father and it is evident by the things He did and said. He felt a stranger in this world as we often do. Prayer gave Him a oneness with God that He desperately needed... to accomplish His task at hand. You may not be an early riser and that's okay. God is not expecting you to save the world either. But, God does have a deep longing for you as His child and you should have one for Him. There are days that we need to escape and lean on His breast; other days we...