Morningside Devotionals

The most amazing things happen in our times, and unfortunately some people are missing the miracle while they are wasting their times away fussing about things that nobody cares about. Think about it...look at Jesus, really look at what He did...when it was important, He got after it...that's why those writers who were inspired wrote about those things...think about it. The regular everyday of Jesus isn't in the gospel accounts, and we don't want it there, do we? I don't wanna know that Jesus got uptight about stuff, or had bad dreams, or came close to losing it once in a while, like me- but didn't- cause He is without SIN...YES indeed...Jesus was a man, just like us...only...He kept in touch with His Father, Our Father, God, who got Him through it without sinning...somehow... but I don't want to know those particulars- about Him, or you- or you know them about me...we're gonna know them soon enough anyway...and then it won't matter because we'll ...

Life comes at us as a fair proposition , what we put into it, is what we get out of it; or, as Dr. Joe Vitale of the movie and book "the Secret" says, "intend it! If you believe that it will happen, it will." The Bible says these very words as, "as you sow, so shall you reap." 2Cr 9:6 But this [I say], He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully. Finding the birth event of Christ, the parents of Jesus, and the people who were all around that, is such a momentous time; what it must have been like. Yet a sad truth is, based on how we handle the day, most days, we spend the hours of our lives complaining that God has put us into this? That we are in a situation we don't like, (yet we aren't going to change?), that we are in a place we don't like, (yet we aren't going to move?), that we are around people we don't like, (yet we aren't willing to risk having new fri...

What do you think happens to people who change in their walk of faith? Do they tire out? Do they lose vision? Do they let their relationship with God go sour? What happens, that we know them, feel close to them, and then just over a short period of time, they are gone? John said it happened because they were never really a part of us to begin with; 1Jo 2:19 They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would [no doubt] have continued with us: but [they went out], that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us. ...not doubting John, after all, he hung out with Jesus in the physical, and, so, John it would seem, would know? Yet as I study John much of history tells me he was dealing with issues which we today are not? So in that he was writing to, talking about, and thinking about issues which we aren't, are they the same? Will the suggestion to deal with legalistic Christianity and doubt also work for someone who has an emot...

We are very blessed people, speaking directly of my family, we are blessed, we have friends, and more than a few associates, and we have some fun in life, even though at times it is difficult. What you; as you read this might think is, "So what...", or, "yeah well, that's too bad...", or even, "yes I have been there..." What we maintain along with a lot of other very smart people is that we have three choices about situations in life, accept them, reject them, change them. In the circumstances of life we have opportunities to do and be and assist in the lives of others doing and being; if we choose to listen to the directions which say "here is another option." Where we run out of wisdom, the Bible has already anticipated it. Where we can't see a way, the Bible shines a light onto it. Where we believe there isn't a means, the Bible has already laid in a foot path. And the example of that is a baby who was born to the world, when ...

Sure you do, remember that first kiss? Clear back to the second grade, I remember mine, her name was Rhonda, and, they dared me, and, so, at recess; I went over to the fence and told her: "Rhonda," you can imagine this was a tense moment, "see those guys over there..." "Yeah," typical closed mouth woman (OK..girl...you win...), Redhead, freckles; "Rhonda, uh," now the tension was really building..." "Say it..." She wasn't liking all this drama either... and the sun was hot. "They dared me to kiss you, or they said they are gonna beat me up." "Liar, I know you're lying Dana, they never..." She had blue, azure eyes. "Yeah they did Rhonda, can you help me?" Ah, the first kiss, how about yours? "Hey man, I thought this was a devotional page, what are you talkin' about kissin' for?" Not kissin', firsts- and almost every person I know, remembers that first kiss, because it'...

Between the years 1800 and 1900 three generations of males were born, we don't know if the first born, 1800 all died before the end of the century, but we know that the percentages favored such, also the groupings favored that those born mid 1800 would not survive past 1900,however, the percentages and longevity factor became vastly enhanced after 1850, and by mid 1950 the average age of demise had risen from 47 years old to over 65; today it stands at 75 and according to at least one expert in exponential scientific discovery, a person alive and 55 years old in 2010 will likely live to be 125 years old! That is an increase slightly over 50% - which is extraordinary when anyone wants to say that they don't believe that God is at work in our world! The most staggering revelation of God in our lives being not what is said from the pulpits, not what is credited from the televisions and radios, not what is pushed from the internet and web based e-magazines; the most staggering...

David Blaine the Magician (note=Magi)has made a career out of leaving people spellbound, which is a term meaning you and I can't figure it out. Fundamentalists get all bent out of shape when you talk about simple things like magic, they shouldn't because it's not evil, it's just magic. On the other hand the person who is fooling you and I, can certainly turn it into something which isn't just magic, and that's the problem. The same thing is true of other epi-sciences, (note, epi- science, not pseudo-science, there is a very distinctive difference, and we're gonna get there next paragraph), and even extend to sciences considered too legitimate to be magical; which is the ultimate nonsensical statement. Consider the wonder of reality and quantum physics, just for a gentle moment that my prayer is, will leave you a little spellbound, even though David Blaine I'm not. Fred Alan Wolf, Ph.D. , is a serious mind, a genius, a man of the highest laurels and ac...

One of my favorite old time heroes is John Wayne , "the Duke," you always knew with the Duke, where you stood, he was a "straight shooter." That's what I like about Jesus, He is a straight shooter, you don't have any doubt about what He is about. John Wayne, being human, failed often, in his real life, he had heroic tendencies, to be sure, as is borne out in his family, his legacy is a mighty one; but he sometimes fell short of the mark in his personal conduct. But here is something I suspect, my suspicion is that when John Wayne messed up, he asked for forgiveness and moved on? Now what you might not realize is that sometimes we don't even have sense enough when it comes to Jesus to realize we messed up, so he did it for us: Luk 23:34 Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots. That prayer, is still being answered today. What is that if not loving? What is love if not forgivin...

In the recent hit movie “Live Free or Die Hard,” Bruce Willis’s continuing saga of the “Die Hard,” series, the subject matter concerns something called a “firesale” attack on the technology of the country. The theory behind it being that link where just as in a fire sale; “everything has to go”; so in this dramatized “firesale” the electricity, utilities, television, system controls for traffic management, you name it, anything that could be controlled via a computer, is taken over by the bad guys. As usual Bruce is nearly killed numerous times, and as in all Hollywood action flicks of late, our hero sustains enough injury that anyone who understands medicine knows, “this guy has been a walking dead man since the second time he was shot!” So the unreal is seen via this media as real (note that). The unreal is also seen as having power- that the power resides in the ability of the hero to overcome (note that)- so that your impression of the media hyped hero is that he is wonderful,...

Every person who believes they understand the current situation that the world is in, with few exceptions, (note that) is probably wrong, here is why: although you don't know it - when the Bible says that Jesus was predicted from a time before time, that He was pre-determined from a place of chaos to bring about a place of order; doesn't it mean that? In other words, you've been reading the so called "fall of man" as a bringing of chaos - oh(?)- let's back up just a quick sec and ask one important question - Christ, according to John who knew him really well, agreed to the sacrifice, before the world(s) (note that) were formed! Now you and I have to ask ourselves why we believe therefore, that each generation which would miss the mark, was outside the plan of God? One more time- we have to ask ourselves, therefore, the question which John intended would eventually get asked, which is, are we, when we, miss the mark, as we do, it's called sin, are we ...

He wasn't joking, now, back in those days, my sense of humor was, folks tell me, better. Folks tell me that lately my sense of humor hasn't been real sharp. Someone shared some jokes with me and I guess, they just didn't hit my funny bone, ever have that happen? On the other hand, was watching, actually watching, an Adam Sandler movie; and laughing; so there is no telling. He was, back to the tale, serious, "it'll be $300.00," now, he was serious, I was the one laughing; he wasn't amused. In my mind that much for shoes was absolutely ridiculous, but I guess my days of shoe shopping were based in a different realm than today? Uh, no, I didn't buy them, but according to him, they were "worth it at any price." Mary would say that her son was worth following at any price. We'd agree with her, but the religious leaders of that day did not; in fact, they had already been given considerable difficulties within the culture by the sub...

As you stare at the scene, you realize you've just seen something happen, and it was quick! One car pulled out into the path of another car, and the wreck happened, right in front of you, in fact, your surprised that the metal and flying glass, didn't hit your car. Now you begin to think. While it was happening, you weren't thinking in this way, this contemplative way, while it was happening, some other mode of thinking was in play. See the difference? We think all the time, but how we think, changes. We dream all the time, but, we don't remember every dream, as a general rule. Our brains actually take in something on the order of 15 billion or so bits of information in a day, about 80 or more percent of which is rejected, or, you'd go completely crazy. Some people have said that in my case, it's close- I'm nearly there. Was Mary young, we don't really know, we think she was; certain types of evidence seem to suggest that she wasn't much older ...

Christmas Secret Revealed To You What if there were an enormous Christmas secret that was knowable, you could find it out, and it would be wonderful when you did, and you weren't aware of it? That would be some secret wouldn't it? You might not like somebody who knew something that would be good for you and chose not to share it, so that they kept it a secret, would you? Ever play a game of hide and go seek, and the other players all got together and left you hiding there? After a while you got suspicious and came “all-e-all-e ins that's free.” and there wasn't anybody there? Well this isn't a secret like that, rather this is more like a fly that is on the wall of the Grand Canyon; you would need to know specifically which rock outcrop that fly was on, to the inch, in order to set your scope up to find it, wouldn't you? This Christmas secret is going to be revealed to you, and so, in this brief writing that's what we're going to get into, the “how...

The winter in the southern U.S. has been light so far, temperatures haven't been extremely cold, which is to my liking, extremes get me; guess when it comes to temperature I'm a middle of the road comfort zone person, how about you? There are times when being in the middle of the road will get you missed as the cars whiz bye, or standing in between two locomotives you realize how powerful they are as they rumble past, in the middle in those instances isn't such a bad thing. But when it comes to Mary and to her baby, there would be no middle ground, there would only be, heat, extreme, intense, heat. Already a desert person, this land which rages in heat during the day, and at night is freezing cold, the extremes of the land making life hard at best; our hero of the faith, Mary, endured what no other lady in the realm could, she endured bearing this son; not a son, but the Son. Anytime that you hear someone say that she wasn't a hero of the faith, remind them that befor...

Have you ever felt intense emotions that made you gasp for breath? Been scared for example, to where, your breath got short? Been thrilled, such as after an athletic win, where your breath gets short? That shortness of breath, really isn't, what is actually happening is your body starts automatically taking shallow breaths, it is interesting how, when you are "hit" with something, your body reacts? There is a definite tie in between your mind, what the ancients called, your heart , and, your body; they aren't separate, they are one, in a way that consciously we can't get our minds around; because we don't consciously touch base or communicate with that part of our brain which runs on automatic, usually, but sometimes we might; which is my suspicion when it comes to meditating. When worshiping God was new; for example, after the garden, when Adam and Eve realize, "hey, he didn't kill us, like we thought he was going to," which sent a thrill th...

One of the weirdest things I've ever heard was some folks who said they did not believe Mary conceived via the Holy Spirit; that they didn't believe in the immaculate conception! Now there are lots of weird, strange, bizarre, and downright shocking beliefs in our world today, but I never thought I'd hear where Christian's didn't believe in the birth of our Lord being miraculous? That floored me, not so much because it is what I grew up believing, but because it is the substantial building block of Christ as the Messiah that was prophesied for ages that a virgin would give birth, that it would be in Bethlehem, that the Almighty would overshadow it, just for a few. So when someone seriously proposed that Christ's birth wasn't miraculous, not only was I shocked, I was also, left without much to say to them? What do you say to someone when you believe with every fiber of your being that they are wrong, and yet, if you confront that wrong, your...

Someone has suggested that Mary was in shock from the time the angel let her know who she was to be, until the time of His birth, and then, the shock really set in, as sometime later she and her family had to flee back to Egypt, the land where the Passover originated! Yet in all she let everyone know that she knew; Mary realized early on the remarkable Son that she had. Mary literally sang of the Kingship of her son, which was the same as saying to the despot leading the kingdom, Herod; he she said, would not be king, but her Son, Jesus, would be. This statement put her in a position to be killed, in fact it placed her life in danger; and yet, she still made it? The sanctity of the empire of Rome obviously did not set well with the mother of the King of King's and Lord of Lord's! Her song is commonly called "the Magnificat" it is found in the gospel of Luke chapter 1:46-55. Which begins with a soulful connection: "My soul doth magnify the Lord." Oh th...

What we like in people is smiling happy faces, we aren't glad to see the other kinds of faces, the sad faces, the pained expressions, we surely are hoping that when we see someone they will be smiling. If that is how we are, do you suppose that people during the time of Christ were different? Some aspects of people don't change do they? While it's probably not so popular to mention it, haven't you ever wondered about why all the principal characters in the story of Christ, including Christ himself, are young? Mary was likely quite young, the common practice at that time was the marriage of a young lady, so, in all likelihood Joseph was also young. While your gearing up to start ripping and tearing about youngsters, especially if you are my age, just hold on a sec and understand something that is so true, so powerful, and so, well, frustrating about God, honestly, it is probably God's most frustrating characteristic from a human standpoint; God loves creation, an...

Ever hear someone called, "connected," ever hear of someone who has "friends in high places?" When it comes to family in the time of Jesus, you'd really have to say, they had friends in high places. As the events began to come into focus, much of what would be contemplated by us today, was happening in real time for them. Isn't that the way faith happens? Faith as a word means action, not thought, moving and doing, not believing; so, they were busy about doing their lives, and we today benefit from that. While I may not agree with him theologically on some nit pick points about practice of faith, Joel Osteen, nevertheless, impresses me as a man of faith; who isn't afraid to share with a large audience of people, how that faith fleshes itself out! In taking in his excellent work "Your Best Life Now," which is two or more years back a bestseller; Pastor Osteen recites the battles of where he was, and where he is, and the difference that a God s...

One of the rare and beautiful things that happens in the world at Christmas is the lights. Big skyscrapers get patterns in their windows of the cross, Christmas trees, all sorts of neat lighting, France decorates the Eiffel Tower, it's amazing, Eiffel Tower In Christmas Time Dr. McFreaky | MySpace Video (SPECIAL NOTE: Depending upon your email you may have to go to the blog to see the video which is inserted above this line, sorry ;-( ) In Germany they light up everything they can find to put a light on. Isn't it something that our Lord said it would happen: John 8:12 Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. King Jesus, ruler of all, creator of all, the one I trust to hold me, to keep me, to discipline and love me, my King, my savior, my Lord, and Lord of Lord's. He came to earth to do something that was needed, fulfilled the plan and destiny of humankin...

Let's start here in worship to King Jesus: Hbr 12:1 Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset [us], and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Hbr 12:2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of [our] faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. Do you see God who laughs and has a great time? Do you see God smiling at Joseph and Mary, as He is bringing about His Son's birth? Do you not know my friend, that there was already a great cloud of witnesses in Heaven, peering anxiously over the rim of Heaven saying "Oh Joseph, c'mon..." They peer over the rim of heaven and say: "(Your name) YOU CAN DO THIS! C'MON!" Can't you almost hear them? Get alone in a field of lovely long grass with the wind gently blowing...see what you...