Morningside Devotionals

Cause and effect, we believe, that something happens and as a result of that something else happens.  Post Hoc Ergo Hoc - after this because of this, it is our reasoning.  So we presume that systems also fall into this mode, if you take a wall down, you make more space.  That's the post hoc ergo hoc way of seeing it.  A rarer style, however, sees the breakfast that you ate, where the eggs were done just right, and the coffee tasted great- and the orange juice actually had flavor, so when you got to the site ten minutes early, and the foreman said, "some of the designers think we should take this wall out."  You were receptive to the concept- all is a sum- the sum of all parts before hand- not that the sum is greater than the parts, we'll do that some other time, just for now, the sum of the parts beforehand. How many projects are you involved in for others as service only? The point of Proverbs is often to help us see things in a different light So ...

If you've ever walked down an alley late at night, and realized about halfway down that alley, that you were in a rough part of the town, and, alone, and it was late- you realize just how quickly safety can become much more of an issue than we'd like to believe.  If you've ever been driving along in your car and suddenly it gets bumpy and the steering gets funky-and you have to pull over- and you realize, it's a bad place to be - you realize quickly how safety can become much more of an issue than we believe. If you've ever been in an open forum discussing points of view and your point of view is not the one everybody else is sharing- wow wee, do you ever realize, quickly, how safety is an issue.  In your virtual life, on Facebook, or Twitter, or MySpace (practically dead as a social media tool now, from what I hear?) or on your cell phone with APPS (which is becoming much more popular amongst young folks or so I hear?) or YouTube- can your s...

"Aw c'mon Dr"D" your playin word games with us again." No- no I'm not, this isn't semantics, there is a definite difference between being, and, considering, or thinking about, being.  In one sense, there you are, reading this, in the other, you are mentally and therefore, spiritually (see how those two are connected? Meaning, can you be spiritual without a mind?) concerned about and wondering about somewhere else. Edmund Burke "The people are Protestants... a persuasion not only  favourable to liberty, but built upon it...."   imagine the enormous impact that a person can have when they take their vows seriously?  Imagine if we actually taught our children to plan ahead, see their future as being real and attainable, and; to plan for it accordingly.  "OK great Dr."D" are you saying that we don't?"  In fact what I am saying is that we not only don't plan, but we don't consider the future of what we...

Evangelical Lutheran Churches of America Proverbs 20:23 NIV: "The Lord detests differing weights, and dishonest scales do not please him." It is without a doubt, one of the most difficult things to do and that is to be dishonest; you see, not only do you have to fool everybody, but you also have to live with yourself? Think about how sad it is for the evil people in life, they not only have to cheat themselves, and lie to themselves about how grand they are, and how grand their life is, as they cheat their way through it- but at the end of all that, they have to face God who is without partiality? The "ultimate and final truth, no you weren't fair, yes you could have been, no you didn't treat them fairly, yes you could have, no you didn't need that new car, yes you could have helped a person with that money, you chose not to- no you didn't need that additional home for a vacation home, you just wanted it, you didn't need it, you just wanted it...

Gutsy- or- Convinced? Do you ever wonder about Paul  of the New Testament writings?  Beaten nearly to death on more  than one occasion- left off the face of the earth at sea in storms that would have scared most people away for good, viciously  lied about in his ministry, and  treated like an outcast by his own people- Paul undoubtedly knew what it was to be in trouble,  wouldn't you agree?  Even non Christian atheistic types  have to respect Paul because  they know in their guts if  someone grabbed them out of their house and dragged them half naked through the  streets and then plastered them bent over onto a tree stump in the town sqaure and proceeded to beat the livin' daylights out of them- they'd lose their obstinant ways  in a hurry- and so would I, and so likely would many who lie like a big dog when they claim they wouldn't!  Being  beaten nearly to death, at that point, my friend,...

GALA - What a word...  - Pro 18:1 - Proverbs 18:1 "A man who isolates himself seeks his own desire;  He rages against all wise judgment. The Hebrew term for the translated "intermeddleth" ("rages against all) Rage which sounds more like networking and sharing in our age, doesn't mean that at all.  The term is "gala" which is pronounced just like we say the "gala ball." It means, however, to expose or lay bare, to bring ones self out in contention.  Wow- that's quite different from what you might have imagined, isn't it?  Yet that is wisdom, we think we get it, but usually, we have to learn it. "Gosh I feel warm and fuzzy..." "O.K., already Dana, you don't have to beat us over the head with it,"  yes, but sometimes that is such fun, wouldn't you agree?  I can remember when a friend and I used to wrestle in the front yard, it was fun; seeing who could get on top and wi...

FRESH FIRE As my body fell into the hole, rebar was every scavenging.wordpress.com 18 inches in a square pattern, so there is no way my body gets in between all of that rebar without an injury, not free falling as I did, and not without serious injury.  But it happened; and to this day, nobody can explain it.  Everybody who looked ashen face into that hole in the street said the same thing "if one of those would have gone ..oh my goodness," and they'd think of some precious spot, usually the head, which in my particular case, couldn't happen, too hard. So at eight years old, my life ended, if something didn't miraculously intervene?  But God did.  How do I know it was God, by faith, just ask my life, it will tell you that.  How about your life, does it say, "HEY Miracle HERE?"  Or have you fallen into another kind of hole? WELL GOOD... How do you know when you love someone, they have the power to hurt you, and frequently ...