Morningside Devotionals

About The Ball Site of Photo Click Here For some reason this year, it seems we're not hearing as much about the New Year's wish or plans for the New Year , or, what are you going to look back on as being really cool and what not to try again. Remember how big that used to be, and here we are about one day away from the big ball in New York , and the Eiffel Tower getting laser nuts in Paris and all over the planet everybody going "whoo hoo," we made it! Right about now you may be wondering that this really doesn't sound like what a devotional is supposed to sound like? Gee whiz, is it possible that, we're going to climb outside the typical- and here we really don't want to use the word boring , because, devotionals, from the past, are hardly that, are they ? But in writing a devotional for the time we're in, do we need to change gears a bit? It's a question that I want to put out there, because some of my online buds, some of whom are ...

Every year we have the friends over for a little party, about six of them, think it is, anywho, it's nice to see how they have changed and how the world has changed, together, every year; it's a nice measuring stick.  What do you use? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rTYIAp0GrLA

See this documentary soon... What an incredible story from the documentary "Collapse," that scientists around 1940 or 1950 tried an above ground nuclear test on a Pacific island.  Going back years later, they discovered about 10,000 monkeys on the island, where, everything seemed to have grown back, but, the monkeys were eating the coconuts which had radiation in their shells. So the scientists took ten monkeys and taught them to wash the coconuts in a fresh water stream, cleaning the radiation. As they monitored the monkeys they found after a short period of time that twelve monkeys were washing their coconuts.  Then a few more as time progressed, some months in, 47 were washing them.  After about a year or more, they noticed that nearly a hundred monkeys were washing  their coconuts, then it happened when the 100th monkey washed the coconut the 10,000 began washing theirs!  This is a phenomenon that had been noticed before, but it give...

When we see a film, for some reason, if it's any good at all, we tend to buy into what it's proposing.  If it's fiction, we get into the plot and the drama and then Click to Site of Image we either smile and cheer or weep at the finish.  If it's a documentary, we either feel it's worthwhile and try to remember what we've seen, or we doubt what it's saying, and we try to forget it. This must have been documentary week for me, as I took in a bunch of them; mostly on the subject of end times.  There are many ways to look at end times.  For example, God who controls my heartbeats might call me home- that's my end time, but it's not the end times that the Bible addresses. The end times that the Bible addresses appear to be much larger, world wide in scale, and yet centered in Israel. But the leading up to events, those are where the interpretive nature of prophecy in the Bible and end times comes into the scene. So it was that t...

As a person who has started, ran, watched fail, and Image Source Web Site participated in, small businesses, and large corporate types of successes; it's my pleasure to tell you, they don't change.  It's nice that they don't because you need some solids in your diet, because we all know what happens if all you get is liquid, right? Now those of you who are religious types, your mind automatically goes to that place called "milk," am I right?  For those of you who aren't particularly religious but read this blog for entertainment or to get P.O.'d- well; suffice it to say, you are what you eat, so it's good that some types of business paradigms don't change, because you need solids in your diet! It is easy to say; that for every ENRON where the corrupt got busted; there are plenty, that didn't, and won't. As my heart raced and my mind struggled to get her message, fully, it occurred to me how amazing it is that Que...

Stay Simple- You Never Cease to Exist! _________________________________ We're (all of us) eternal, let's approach it from the simplest thing that we know; matter is neither created nor destroyed; except, for the first singularity - creation. Now that's a physicist approach, a scientific way of looking at what we are- we are, always going to be. Now let's expand that just one step, we will change; Paul in the New Testament reinforces the teaching of Christ in that, we will change, but we will not cease to exist. Keep It Simple - Eternal Is ______________________   Today a friend of mine for over a year of knowing him and praying for him, changed from this reality to the next.  His passing is significant because the testimony of his life, is significant, because he accomplished a great deal for the kingdom, and, he endured endless pain and suffering, and without complaint; the entire time that I was blessed to know him. What does it mean to su...

What if they are wrong, they've lived good lives, eaten good food, had good times and been productive people with good friends; what's the problem with that?  But for you, if you believe them wrong, what are you going to do if they are right?  Consider carefully that you may not know everything that you believe that you do, and that some things may be outside your realm of knowledge.  Is that possible?  It is only the most arrogant of arrogant people who would dare claim they were all knowing, and the truly brilliant and truly intellectual, know that they don't now and never will know, all they need to.  After this short paragraph, and the video, there will be one more question, and that one is from the heart, here is, Plato's challenge... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AsFYra7VzNk Someone once contended that on the basis of the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution and freedom of expression, if you were to yell "FIRE" at the top of your lungs in a full...

My Grandson likes driving games on the computer; I do too, it's as if we are somehow connected into what we find exciting together; so, when I bought this brand new device that is shaped like a steering wheel, and has a pad with brakes and an accelerator pedal; it was for him, you believe that don't you?  Nope we know, just as he and I are somehow joined, somehow there is something beyond the presence of our lives together about us, some, thing; that one can't really put their finger on, but it is there.  The pure science nuts, because that's what I think of people who put everything that they have into a science which can't suggest how to get past Heisenberg; and, if you aren't understanding that, write to me, but in my mind a person who puts everything that they have into that, is missing a large, much larger, picture with much more complexity to it than mere science.  There is something deeper about us as humans, we are somehow unique and yet we are also in s...

Sometimes you see things, sometimes things you have prayed about, things that matter to you, and you see them taking place, and you realize, don't you, that your prayers are being answered?  Is that a powerful moment of faith for you?  It should be, because few things in life are sure, be honest about it, how much do you feel is sure in your life?  Have you heard, "death and taxes," isn't that amazing- because the people who say it don't give it a second thought, do they?  When you hear it, you don't give it a second thought either, do you?  But get your heart ready because here is a shocking truth, you don't die. In Ezekiel God revealed so much truth, it is almost beyond our ability, or at least my piddling' ability to take it all in.   But somehow we have to consider chapter 20, verse 49; and just drink it in. "Then said I, Ah Lord GOD! they say of me, Doth he not speak parables?"  Do you believe that Ezekiel was explaining something ...

Know why you've become so defensive as a Christian? Ha ha, you might say, "I'm not," uh huh, I hear you, but, let's get a little bit past that business, into the real, because when Christian's who function in the world of faith, get real about that; they have to deal with everything that everyone gets to deal with, AND, they get to deal with faith. Faith; it is as Tony Robbins so clearly and passionately says, "passion!" Now I don't love or endorse all that Tony does, but trust me, tonight, his sleep won't be disturbed by that fact at all, nor should it be; Tony Robbins has helped millions of people have better lives, he is the master, so should he be listened to; you betcha, but what if you don't buy into what he's saying, so what? It's your mind, but I can guaranty you this; I'm not a salesperson for Tony, don't make affiliate marketing money for him, I mention him because I see the malaise, the tired...

Jack Canfield, noted author of "Chicken Soup for the Soul, and a book that is going over me now, "The Success Principles," is a man that I believe, has what the Nez Perce indians described as a "Big Soul."  Near as I can find from studying the Nez Perce culture, they had a word for human, and it meant a person who acted as they ought, lived as they ought, and respected others as they ought.  The Nez Perce I've heard, had not word, as we do, for someone who wasn't "human," it wasn't conceivable to them that someone would be so, instead they had only two descriptions for a person, they were, "human," or, they weren't described at all.  Think about that- what sort of difference might it make in our lives today if we simply didn't even acknowledge when someone was being a total jerk?  How much effort, time, energy and soulful hurt is engendered inside the Body of Christ, by  people who are expressing that someon...

View Site For This Poster CLICK HERE When you really care for somebody, think of them frequently, respect their opinion about things, honestly thrive on the time that you are able to be with them; they matter to you.  So it is when they are not in touch with you, or, you lose contact with them, that you notice the absence of them in your life. Fast forward that to how we react and act toward the church and church life, and even Christianity in the world today? For a moment put aside the grief you may think you can justify against this noble organization, rather, think of it based on the above, from the churches point of view?  What is horribly amusing is the rise of the behavior which used to be held at bay by the church, and how even those who profess to be against the church, find that they are in alignment with what the church would say.  A friend of mine, Chris Voss, just released a blog about sexting, an aberrant form of text video cellular that l...

The question gets asked often, as much as any other, that's for sure, and it's not unusual because we seem to believe that what a person does for a living is a large part of who they are?  Now you know me well enough to see ahead and know that I don't go that way in my thinking, even though I know on the surface such is true, when you dig beneath that surface appearance a bit, there is where you see what is real. Just this past Sunday a man stopped me in the hall and asked me, "hey I sit in class you with and you seem to be a pretty smart person, but what is it that you do, because it seems like folks really listen to you?" Well, he asked, so I told him. Hmm, wonder what he thought of that? For example, my friend Chris Voss who does " The Chris Voss ," show, seems on the surface to be a free-wheelin', fun lovin', let it roll, sort of guy.  But that's Chris's public persona, and here is what a little study of Chris re...

Mouthful isn't it, and it's the sum of what we are, we aren't what we were, but we aren't what we will be, either, we are in the present, and that's the only place we can be. That's a tough fact of life, and yet as we exist at that moment,  the moments that built up to it, have to be considered, else we'd never grasp any newness to life.  However we cannot live "back there," it doesn't exist, and we can't live for a future that isn't existing either.  Plan for it, anticipate it, if you must, certainly it's interesting to try, but ultimately, what we have is right here, right now, from both of those other perspectives.  It's not just the past, but also what you believe you want to have as a future that contribute to the person we see standing there, right now. That would be an exercise in semantics if it weren't for the fact that we who live out our faith know that we place a very significant amount of...

Jude Law has done an amazing job on this video about the celebration for world peace and peace day Sep 21, 2010 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EymStNxnSWE Please pass this message on to as many people as you know who would like to promote peace today.

Ever talk to someone and they are telling you about how fabulous things are, and yet, you get the feeling listening to them, that they're not quite telling you all there is?  What do you suppose gives you that feeling?  Ever felt like you knew somebody, so you could basically anticipate what they were going to say next, only, they didn't?  In fact they were so far different from what you believed might be said, that it shocked you?  Have any thoughts about where that comes from?  Hmm... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VcKgHFVKKDM (If you aren't seeing the video please click on this address. Who's the teacher and who's the student- who is the borrower, and who is the lender? What is one position, versus another? Is that- war? Is it within a person that they war literally against their own mind? NOW, yes of course, this has the obvious meaning, but when you get a little deeper into it, that meaning starts to indicate that the writer may have ...

Click to Web Site of Image "What we have here is failure to communicate, now, that's not the way I wanted it, that's the way he wants it."   Those famous words are part of one of my favorite movies, "Cool Hand Luke," it has a lot to say to somebody who is wondering about life, hope and rules. "Cool Hand Luke," was a values based movie about values when such wasn't cool, it had a heavy moral within it, as does our Proverb for today, 22:6 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H7gzI9gj3eU We're putting together a deeper section on this, because it is so often mis-interpreted. How you raise your child, may, or, in this day and age, as at no other time in history, affect how they live. We live in a time when the power, raw power of the media, and social media, FaceBook, for example, are not only as influential as a parent, but many times are viewed as more influential. We can continue to deny that in main stream evangelical relig...

Click Here To Image Site Oh please, tell me that you aren't a RUSH fan, I can just hear it now.  So the deal is, if you listen to that stuff you just can't be a Christian, please, that's so archaic it makes my teeth hurt, and when my teeth hurt, you can tell it in my writing!  Goodness- how far ahead of their time is the rock band RUSH, I'm not even sure they have a time, but of this I am certain, they found the techno alienation of this world and made the message of their songs speak to it, and people by the millions and millions world wide, responded to it.  In this one album, which came up out of the grass roots of Canada, "2112," predicted a cold world possessed by priests who only seek to maintain the status quo, no matter what.  And what did the album indicate was the hook point of that control, the freedom of people to play music, well, it might sound simplistic but the voice of the prophet comes in all sorts of flavors, and I take the...

The difference between success and no success in the online world is participation.  It's interesting because even the major "blogs" fight this same dilemma,  Dr. James C. Denison who runs the "Center for Informed Faith," which is based out of Dallas Tx has a listed membership in the hundreds of thousands- so certainly his mail list is quite a bit more extensive than ours, and yet, each day about 8 to 10 comments are monitored into the process- participation is absolutely key but participation is invoked, isn't it(?)- meaning that we have to raise issues that are stark enough that you feel compelled to answer. So moving quickly to the point - in Proverbs 22:4 we hear that: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xsYpUDJLKj0 How important is it to know where you are in terms of who you are and what you are about?  Humility in terms of who you are is possible without believing in God, but when you add the necessary understanding of who you are with God in the...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burn_Notice "Burn Notice" a highly touted and much well received television series starring Jeffrey Donovan, Gabrielle Amwar, Bruce Campbell, and Sharon Gless.  While it sounds like sensationalism and a reach is it possible this show can teach Christian's something?  Does the public image of a spy have anything to say to modern Christian's?  If you take it to the ultimate, this show which has nothing to do with the practice of religion, actually does speak about something that does have to do with religion, and it says it brilliantly.  If you cook you know too much heat under something for too long a time can be a disaster. While that is obvious because we call it "burnt," isn't it amazing in modern Christian circles how we manage to miss it? Did God intend that you should burn; would seem not, he covered Moses so he wouldn't burn, and yet, God does control the cooking as we see him using coa...

Does this sound like something you may have said to a young person, "don't stand in the street, you'll get..." and you finish that sentence with, "hit." We learn from early days what it means to anticipate or plan against danger, but do we learn to take refuge? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1g9MYBtfUDc The idea in this Proverb is tied strongly into the relating of a person to God, the idea is tied into that because the Hebrew so strongly overtones their existence with that in their culture. We today are not so strongly tied into that idea. When this Proverb says to take refuge it is with the cultural understanding that your strength and refuge is found in God. We today in our culture don't see that we see instead our own way of design and that is where our flaw is. If you'd like to get some more impressions of this then click on the tab on this blog that says, "Taking It Deeper." In fact we today believe in plann...

"Well my time is already tied up, so I just don't know where he thinks I can find the time to do that?"  Ever hear somebody saying something like this when asked if they could do something concerning church or volunteer work?  Now in this blog we're going to go into why church work and volunteer work, ought to be the same thing, and my hope is that some Christian's will read this and just get furious and write me all sorts of really mean and nasty stuff- do it, defend your way of life; anybody should, we all should, but when we're wrong, we ought to be big enough to admit it, and correct it (!) (NOTE I DIDN'T SAY MOVE ON- MOVE ON  ISN'T GODLY...we'll "scuss" about that in "taking it deeper")  Christian's need to correct it.  Do you correct it? When  you get mad at somebody, without cause, and they get mad at you, without cause, do you correct it, or let it sit?  Heat on ice...melts the ice and turns it in...

Moved, we say it about the people who "used to live next door," they moved; we say it about a time when we felt strongly about something, we were "moved." Interesting how they mean a transport to somewhere else, you either go there in your mind, or, you go there physically, but you transport, you are moved, we are moved, we become, moved- it's an active word. The Proverbs are designed to move you, you aren't supposed to just read the words and say, "wow that was nice," that's not the deal. The Proverbs are really meant to be read under the starry sky, with your heart open to the heavens so far above what any human might even consider; so enormous, and so full of promise, or, something else, but if you can look up at the starry sky and not be moved, then you can read Proverbs and not have a clue, the sayings must move you. Like the first time I heard this... (a video of Leonard Cohen "Hallelujah" should app...

Wonder why sometimes the people who should be the most giving, aren't?  Ever wonder why the people who have the most to give, don't?  Ever wonder why the people who aren't blessed with enormous resources, seem to be the ones who make the most use of those resources? Ever wonder why those who have huge reserves aren't willing to share them when doing so would have no real consequence to them? We live in an age where for the price of a tank of gas a person can obtain valuable knowledge worth thousands of dollars, and yet, most choose not to? Ever wonder why someone would choose to stay without knowledge? The most perilous thing that we face as a people isn't a threat to our economy, but those who seek to control the population through fear, would want you to believe that, ever wonder why?  The most perilous thing that we face as a people isn't our educational decline in standards, although, those who want to rule you by fear, want you ...

NIV - Pro 21:23 - He who guards his mouth and his                              tongue keeps himself from calamity. The facts, how do you get to know the facts? You may see them, on the evening news, you may hear them, from the radio or T.V., if you are just listening, but more often than you realize, you get your news, or at least your sense of the news, from someone else. You hear them tell you what they thought they heard.  It is a perpetual and much faster paced rumor mill than at any other time in history.  Now that's not a terrible problem if we are talking about things that people say that are just moderately important, but when the depth of the item takes an another dimension, the rumor spread can cause absolute devastation, and people can lose not only money, but something much more important than money- they can...

What is the show Melissa and Joey about?  Did you watch the opening of the show?  Have you seen this ad: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H2jUPjQ6Ml4 The idea is an interesting and upbeat one. Obviously the concept of a single family change is a tough one, and obviously the Bible says some pretty profound things about the family unit; (most of which have not been brought to light - guess why?) but it seems that ABC is taking an interest in trying to get some ideas about the family out there. What do you think about this? Just the fact that a network is trying something like this says something pretty intense to our culture. It's a comedy, that's a friendly format for ideas, if they work, everyone laughs, if they don't then you have the option of saying, "it's a comedy get over it," it's win-win broadcasting at its best. But is it possibly something else? Is it possible that while media often pushes the latest BUZZ of the masses at ...

Dr. James C. Taylor, co-authored a power work with Dr. Harold Bryson called "Building Sermons to Meet Peoples Needs," as a student of the great Dr. James C. Taylor, it is my pleasure to distinctly remember him and his wonderful, loving, Christian ways. As John would say of Jesus so would I say of Dr. James C. Taylor, I knew him, and was with him and know that today, he is with Jesus. So the greatness of us, who we really are, comes at us daily; but the sum will come back to us, from those whom we touch and reach and influence. Likely it will not come from the work that we do, unless that work touches people and that will last.  At 3 A.M., this morning it hit me how powerfully Nehemiah affected time and history. The mental blows came at me from Nehemiah chapter 11 and from teaching, from the past. Many times people who say that there is no God, they scoff at those of us who believe in God, and it hit me, Nehemiah chapter 11, verse 6- these men, stood, in th...