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2020-02-26 to 28 Pictures: Charleston, South Carolina

One of the few upsides of having to cancel our Spring Break trip last March at the onset of the pandemic is that we are "stuck" with a rather large voucher from one of those discount airlines. Last autumn, Tricia and I spent a weekend in Savannah, Georgia and had a...

A John 3:16 Craft for Kids

John 3:16 is one of the most well known and reassuring verses in the Bible. For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.John 3:16 (NIV) The following is a little craft I threw...

2020-03-01 Pictures: Lyndsey’s College Signing Day

This afternoon Lyndsey made it official, signing her letter of intent to play college basketball for the Hiram College Terriers starting next year. While she made the decision and committed to Hiram before Christmas, she has been looking forward to this day since her...

2020-02-13 Pictures: Lyndsey’s 18th Birthday

I am little behind on posting photos. These are some of my favorites from a couple of weekends ago when we got a chance to celebrate Lyndsey's 18th birthday. It's hard to believe that my little girl is officially an adult. It was nice to have the family all back...

What is DOCTRINE?

Introduction I love working with kids, and I love teaching them hard concepts in ways they can understand. To that end, for years I have been working on a dictionary of theological terms for kids and teens. In sharing those definitions, there seemed no better place to...

If You Want It Done Right

In all likelihood, you know how the phrase ends: If you want it done right, DO IT YOURSELF! This is a bit of a mantra for me, and frankly, something that I struggle with daily both in leadership and in my Christian walk.  In theory, this is easy to accept. ...

Six Ways to Persevere Through the Sluggish Times in Ministry

Have you ever had one of those days?  You know the kind – where you really aren’t “in to” what you’re doing and you feel like you rather be doing just about anything else.  What do you do when those times correspond to your time in ministry. I wrote this...

What Does God Hate?

This is the little and humble post that started it all. I happened to be reading through my Bible, and this passage impacted me so much that I posted a little blurb about it on Facebook. That was July 28, 2008, and I’ve been writing and sharing ever since. (Maybe social media really is a bad thing! :)). Other than correcting a couple of typos and some minor wording changes, I have resisted the temptation to edit it too much.

I was reading Proverbs the other day, and I came across Proverbs 6:16-19. It says

16 There are six things that the LORD hates,
seven that are an abomination to him:
17 haughty eyes, a lying tongue,
and hands that shed innocent blood,
18 a heart that devises wicked plans,
feet that make haste to run to evil,
19 a false witness who breathes out lies,
and one who sows discord among brothers.

These aren’t things that just bother God a little bit. He HATES them! How hard then should we try to avoid those things God hates?

Haughty eyes

Resolve to avoid the pride that convinces us that we can control our own lives and don’t need the living God to guide us.

A Lying Tongue

From little white lies that seem perfectly harmless to the big coverup, God calls us to transparency and integrity.

Hands that shed innocent blood

It is easy for us to proclaim “I’ve never murdered anyone.” Is it any different though if we allow other innocent people to die so that we can live a lavish lifestyle. God help us!

A Heart that Devises Wicked Plans

We should love and pray for those who persecute us. Instead we spend our time planning for or wishing for their demise. When we focus on devising wicked plans if keeps us away from the heart of God.

Feet That Make Haste to Run to Evil

How drawn is our fallen flesh to the things which God hates? We must resist the call of the flesh and focus on the things of God. We will stumble, but we must allow God to pick us back up a keep us from falling.

A False Witness Who Breathes Out Lies

We dealt with dishonesty earlier, and it is interesting that God includes it twice. I think this encompasses falsehoods told about other people either in the form of gossip or malicious speech. Why is it that when people are successful in our eyes, we want to tear them down rather than rejoice with them?

One Who Sows Discord Among Brothers

Speaking of gossip! God hates the one who does not start a fight with someone, but rather pits two people against one another then sits back and enjoys the carnage. God give us the courage to be peace makers rather than people who cause strife!

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