Morningside Devotionals

Nobody who knows me believes I can do this, but, each day in October we will review one mind boggling theological concept in one paragraph. That's the part nobody can buy, they know I have a big mouth and write like I speak. But here is what they don't know, a person who is in love, can do remarkable things, and this is written for you, and, I love you. God, you know, is love. Consider that, the Bible doesn't say God knows about love, that would be obvious, or that God approves of love, or even that God, who made us in His image, wonders about love when it comes to humankind whom He created, but who apparently don't get it. No the Bible says, God is love, and that, is water to water, water is water, dirt is dirt, electricity is shocking, but electricity is electricity- so while you are trying to dig your head out of it, let's take this first mind boggling theological truth and absorb it from this one paragraph, "God is love." (1 John 4:8) drd's Blog...

The video on the "Revelation Song," so passionately and with anointing, done by Kari Jode, exemplifies what worship can become. We have become familiar with worship as connecting to God, a place where you and God are together, it is as if, you and God are there and no other person is present, that sense of His presence invades your heart, touches your soul, and as you listen to the truth of adoring Jesus, and the power of that adoration; the heart of worship develops. It is that heart which can love, it is the forgiving and understanding, and compassionate heart, it is the heart of love. It is that heart which God gives you. One of the deepest mysteries of faith in my life is to see people who believe they are born again, yet they have not had this change take place in their heart? Someone asked me how a person can know that they are a Christian, and near as I can tell, the answer isn't hard, their heart won't be; because the heart of God, the new heart which God p...

Let's try a simple but profound experimental game, why experimental, because we're not sure what the outcome will be, why a game, because in real life the odds are that you would not have the game conditions come up. Great, now that we have the legal stuff out of the way, as the Pharisees would say; let's get down to it, as the Scribes would say. Oh we almost forgot the Sadducees, who were odd in their time, and certainly very hard to understand in ours. According to one source, they haven't existed since 70 A.D.. On to the game, which has as an object, to prove to you, why you matter. Both as a person, and in particular, as a Christian. So let's set the ground rules. You will need a person to play the part of the learner, and then you will play the part of the teacher. For the learner the script goes like this; "I don't believe you, because..." It doesn't matter what they say, any reason not to believe you will do. Now for the part that ...

...final, I've made up my mind." Those are words that can go either way, they can be good, they can be bad. All depends upon which way you are headed as a result of them. For example, you wanted a raise, you talked it over with the boss, you get called in and she says "This is...final, I've made up my mind." Are you gonna get the raise? Or you might get a call from the Mayor's office, the mayor has been after you to work on a committee that she believes you would be excellent on, and she begins the conversation by saying, "This is...final, I've made up my mind." Are you gonna get her approval? The point is much the same when this occurs: Jhn 8:8 And again he stooped down, and wrote on the ground. What do you think Jesus was writing? The Bible doesn't say what he wrote, but it sure seems possible that His mind was now made up? Is yours? drd's Blog Ooh Visit Our Twitter Group 1000 plus strong and growing! Visit...

We've been looking at judging this week, we might even take it a bit further and deeper next week, but for today I want to take a little break away from the deep and dark woods for today. We've been to the parted path, seen the majestic snow with absolutely no prints in it, blown across ground that shows nothing beneath the clear, crisp, delightfully pure white. We've been into the depths a little about what judging is, and is not; and the personal aspect of it, and that gets deep so today I thought we'd just lighten up a bit, if that's O.K. with you? Somebody told me one time that the way that sound travels is in waves, and at about 186,000 feet per minute, light multiplies that to 186,000 miles per second; but that distance traveled at that given rate for one year is then called a light year. Here is the mind bending part of that, it isn't a measure of time but of distance. So when we say that the universe that we detect light from is 473 million light years ...

One of my favorite authors, who should be, our favorite author; is Robert B. Parker, who wrote the famous Spenser for Hire series, which many years back starred Robert Urich, who we lost to cancer, sometime back; sadly- and Spenser for Hire was a great T.V. show, Robert B. Parker is a fantastic author. Introduced this very important "Morningside" to you that way, because I want to use a quote from Mr. Parker's work, it says what we are about so clearly: "I can't stand watching you pulled apart like this. You love two things, ...,and you have to hurt one to help the other." ("Mortal Stakes"-pg. 251) Is that, judging? NIV - Luk 16:13 - “No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.” Right now, you are judging me; and at the same time, you are being judged- and putting yourself into a position of being judged- write...

(Do you know someone who needs to read this?) It doesn't feel good, guarantee you that, when somebody comes down on you for no reason, it doesn't feel good. It forces you to make a choice, take a stand, be about something or someone that you might not want to be, it puts you in a position that you didn't necessarily ask for, nor want. Unless it is a position that you have asked for, and do want? So it is pretty direct, one way or the other, when it comes to Jesus and being in a position of being judged, get ready, one way or the other you are going to be judged. But who the judge is, you may not be ready for? Now the really intriguing thing is, how you feel right this instant, no, NO, don't dismiss that, instead, relate to it, relate, to the feeling that is inside you at this instant. Now let's ask ourselves a very serious question, what is being judged about? Where does it really come from? Who really, is the judge that we are being judged by? And so we app...

"Not by might, not by power," you are for certain going to want to take this in today , because we are going to tie together great distance in Bible prophecy, and great presence of Judgment, as we are exploring this week about the proper nature, use and place of judging in a Christian's life. So we begin with pain, which must be a part of all lives, it doesn't matter how good that life is, or how bad that life is, in every life, there is pain; of some form or fashion. It might not be physical pain, although those come and go, it might be emotional pain, which can last a while and then sometimes, can go away; hopefully, it goes away. It can be spiritual pain, which is a strange and deep longing in the soul...my belief, is that John the disciple of Jesus knew that kind of pain; as he reflected back on the wonder of Jesus whom he loved- who he watched die, who he watched rise again, who ate with him after the resurrection, Jesus who in chastizing Peter, from a perspec...

Remarkable moments - do you sense them? The flashing bye of life, where one moment is significant? Do you have a sense that the moment is? To be clear this is the moment when you see the person you're going to marry? This is the moment when you know your life direction, perhaps, for the first time? This is the moment where you know what your life is about? Now that you know what moment we are talking about, have you had it, or some of them? This week we're going to deal with the toughest of all subjects, judging, what it means, why and how we do so, and, should we or should we not? You see, many Christians, are not only confused about this, but believe, falsely, that the Bible teaches against judging. The truth is, Jesus said that judging was serious, should be taken seriously, but shouldn't be ignored. Quickly then, let's connect the spiritual worshipful, to the subject- as tomorrow we will deal with the scripture more thoroughly, consider these scriptural sta...

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"She said- Our fathers worshiped in this mountain..." Sometimes it is the small things that matter, our instead of my, in instead of on... My life is blessed because of a church home- people who worship God in a way that challenges and arouses me- but even more than how they go about getting in touch with God, they don't enforce a way that I must. Yes, they have some behaviors which they believe in, and yes, they have some basic precepts of faith which they feel prove that a person is in fact a disciple of Christ, but beyond that, they are very accepting and very genuine folks. My hope is that you have such a church family- on the other hand, I would suggest that no church family is going to be perfect- because the Body of Christ is made up of humans who are imperfect, and while basically the whole may look and act perfect, because every single part is flawed, in the end, it isn't perfect. Neither is my church home perfect, but in defense of it I will say this...

Most of the time we are happy to have life go along on a pretty straight line, certain things happen, we are used to those, and certain things don't happen, and we claim that they don't matter, which isn't true they do matter, we just don't want to admit it. The question is, do you really believe that God, who made you, wants you to lose? Wants you to hurt? Wants you to give in? Wants you to flaunt endless justifications about your inability to achieve at the end of which is, another loss? Is your life to be all about that? God would not want that, surely not? So we run smack into your right to mess up what otherwise would be perfect, and WHY- God wants you to be obedient BEFORE BEING SACRIFICIAL - get it? Being sacrificial doesn't help you achieve the God's perfect will for your life; because in being obedient you will find His will for the life he has imparted to you. Now this is pretty deep stuff but it is supported it would seem by this and other Bible b...

One of my favorite stories is about Joe Vitale how he has come from obscurity to wealth, success and popularity in a short span of years. Dr. Joe has written over 40 best selling self help books, and really, if you stop and think about it, that's a great testimony to thinking and realistic approaches to life that work. One of his expressions is to dare something worthy- and we as those who follow Jesus have the greatest chance to do that, ever, in history. In fact this is the moment, really, today, this is it- you have it- it is yours, and so the question becomes, will you seize this moment, or let it go? Jesus would tell you in your heart of hearts, seize it. Jhn 1:14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. Ooh Visit Our Twitter Group 1000 plus strong and growing! Visit our Facebook effort, it will make ya smile! Visit our MySpace effort, it will make ...

It doesn't matter when it happens it matters that it happens. One of the amusing aspects of being in love with God is that God's time is eternal, ours isn't- and that central confusing fact throws folks a lot of curves. The other part of loving God that is rough is that by comparison it is -Ant to human, if the human were omniscient (all knowing). So you can see how silly that levelizing is, and you can rest assured, God knew that would be the deal, quite awhile before you were reading this, or possibly thinking about it. Ah well, such is the nature of being in a love event that is hard on you. Do you think God didn't know it would be rough on you, loving Him? So much so that He spent several thousand years getting you together for the event? Well now, that should tell you that in the Kingdom of God, you count. Now that should also tell you that in the Kingdom of God, that person that you claim you can't stand, uh, they count too. Should tell you that in the Kingdom...

Can we think together for a moment about what we're doing? Oh I don't mean that there is anything at all wrong with what we are doing, not at all; just that, if you would, join me in a brief perspective trip about faith. Let's start with that field over there, you know the one, it's been empty, basically, unworked, lush green grasses and other plants grow there; but it is, for all intents and purposes, an empty field. See it clearly, it glistens in the summer sun, it radiates heat back in the winter, know the place? It is a quiet, a lonely, some would say, field. There are unknown millions of fields, like it, all over the world. Do you wonder that even perhaps Christ might've known such a field- where the comparison is Luk 10:2 "Therefore said he unto them, The harvest truly [is] great, but the labourers [are] few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth labourers into his harvest. " Next to this field, and we're almost don...

It is odd how we place significance upon numbers- but they are attached to significant events, and we note them that way. We've often studied that God is beyond time, but something tells me, God also has a means whereby to His nature numbers do have a meaning. Often when considering something for which there is likely no Bible proof, other than an entire chapter in the rendition, called, Numbers, the fact that God instructed the people to be numbered, God told Abraham that his inheritance would be like the number of sand on the seashore, and on , and on. Numbers play an important part in our lives, and you play an important part in mine, your number is- known, isn't it? Rev 15:2 And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire: and them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, [and] over the number of his name, stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God. Ooh Visit Our Twitter Group 1000 plus strong and ...

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W e live in a time when people want to have things go along, in fact, folks will go a long ways out of their way, not to have to deal with a hassle. So it just seems to make sense that we would take a look at whether this matches up with what the Bible says. We say that we believe the Bible, it is the guide for our life, and so, as a result, if we are going to become people who "go along to get along," we ought to see that all over the Bible in all kinds of ways, right? Only what we see is, just the opposite. We see a man who was hassled for 125 years building a boat for when the rains came flooding the land, when it had never rained? That had to be fun. W e see a man who has to tell everyone that he had a dream where he saw angels coming down to earth, and then, going back up again? Don't you know people had some questions about that, "Oh sure, sure we believe you, angels, yeah, that makes sense, and what did they do? They totally ignored everybody? Did they ignore ...

Ever read something so profound it makes you wonder how such insight can exist? Just finished watching a movie (I know of all things) that I'd have to classify as a should see, it is profound. That is with with one caution, I don't think you can watch this movie and walk away feeling nothing. "Seven Pounds" stars Will Smith in the title role, and it is a movie which has so much soul that it oozes from the heart of the essence of it. Please do yourself a favor and see it. But better than that, do yourself a real favor, and live it. The reality which this movie speaks of, is people, and love. NOW we said we were going to get through all five elements of the school of soul, right? So here is number five: (5)The food has never tasted better, and as the meal progresses you find yourself hauled into actually feeling the food, rather than just eating the meal? There isn't any way to explain this one- it is rare for me. One time when I was a teenager my family went...

"Four"- it's what golfers shout to let people on the fairway know they have hit a tee shot. It means,"Watch out I don't hit straight!" No actually it means "Beware!" which is what part four of our spiritual questions journey will bring in today... (4)You see the trees everyday, but on this morning, the greens seem somehow more brilliant? The blue of the sky seems more intense, the clouds are wispy and brilliant white, and you smile, for no particular reason, you smile. Situation four is subjective - we as people are entirely subjective- you can eat a meal on Tuesday when you are feeling good, and having a good day, and it will taste great, Thursday of a week later, same exact meal, but this day you are stressed and don't feel good and didn't sleep well, and it will not taste good. We are subjective. God, being God, isn't. God is God- not subject to anything. I know people who preach an interesting legal non sense that God is boun...