Forwarded Messages

I'm afraid of what might happen to the church if abundance comes to the island." That's how one of my Christian friends in Cuba described his country's situation. People in Cuba are going through a time of hardship, with the weight of international disputes falling on the shoulders of ordinary people. In these difficult times, people are looking for God. They are hungry for hope. Churches are growing at a fantastic rate. My friend is concerned that some of that could change should conditions improve. He doesn't desire suffering on anyone; he's just aware that abundance brings its own problems.

If you're going to spend over $650,000 building a new house, there's one important thing to do before you begin: make sure you are building in the right place. That's the lesson a Missouri couple learned the hard way. While building a luxury home in a beachfront development in Florida, they accidentally constructed on the lot next to the one they owned; they built on land belonging to someone else. The initial survey of the property was wrong, leading to the misplaced construction. Hopefully an acceptable agreement can be reached with the neighbors on whose land the house was built. You may also have heard the news about the Rhode Island developer that mistakenly built a $1.8 million house on public park land. Again, the survey was wrong. The error came to light when prospective buyers had their own survey done of the property. In that case, no settlement could be reached, and the Rhode Island Supreme Court ordered the house removed from public land. Jesus talked a...

We are connected to our iPhones, iPads, iTouch, iTunes, iMac, iChat, but have we lost the connection to the I AM?

If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone.  Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind.  (James 1:5-6 NLT) Father, give me wisdom as I begin this new day.  Help me to use my time,the time You have allotted me, wisely, not wastefully. Father, give me wisdom as I write these words. Please put words into my mind and allow them to flow into thoughts that are good news to the poor, that announce pardon to the imprisoned, recovery of sight to the blind, words that set the burdened and battered free, and words that announce, "This is God’s year to act!" (Luke 4:18-19 MSG). Father, give me wisdom so that when I speak I will say things that are pure and clean and words that help and give life to those who listen. Father, give me wisdom to lead my fami...

"Choose this day..." Joshua, the leader of God's people, was addressing his countrymen. They had conquered the land that God had promised to give them and were ready to settle in their new homes. Now Joshua calls on them to make a choice. "Choose this day whom you will serve..." This was about loyalty. This was about allegiance. Joshua spoke to them about getting rid of the idols that their parents had served and dedicating themselves to the Lord. If that seemed unacceptable, they needed to choose who they would serve: the old idols or possibly the new idols they had found in the land where they were living. "Choose this day whom you will serve... But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD " (Joshua 24:15). Joshua had already made his choice. He and his family would serve God. To a man, Joshua's people cried out that they wanted to do the same, that they wanted to serve God. Surely that made Joshua happy, right? He had given such a persua...

Constriction happens when we feel like our options are reduced to one or two bad possibilities. It's either "this" or "that," and "this" is horrible while "that" is disastrous. Here’s how to avoid making a hasty decision in panic, and prevent them from doing something rash. The first strategy is  D ELAY . Keep from making a rash move by waiting. As a Christian, waiting is not inaction; it is waiting on the Lord (Isaiah 40:28-31). It is time for prayer and for seeking God's will in Scripture. Often we cannot see the real situation and all the other possible options because we’re so caught up in the miseries of the moment. So often in the haste of the moment, we don't have all the facts or have misperceived the situation. A prayerful delay for a short time allows us to refocus and opens our heart so God can show us another way.