A Prayer For Us Double-Minded

Psalm 86:11 contains a great prayer for the many of us who would cry, “I believe, help my unbelief”: “Unite my heart to fear Your name.”
The truth is that for many of us, our best moments notwithstanding, our hearts are often divided: Continue reading

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POTS Update Nov/Dec 2012

It has been some time since I last gave an update on my bout with POTS, and for good reason: for the past couple of months, I have been so sick that I was unable to type an article at all! I’ll review a bit and then update on where I am today. (I posted a short version on Facebook, this is a bit longer for those who are praying with me, and for other POTS patients who might be interested in the details of what is/isn’t working for me.)

I have been taking Metoprolol Succinate for some months, which had been effective in keeping my heart rate lower when I stand — one of the primary symptoms of POTS (Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome). But while my heart rate had been somewhat under control, many of the other symptoms had not — and one particular symptom which had been getting worse was that although my heart rate was staying low, I was getting increasingly sick whenever I would stand. In fact, within a minute or two of standing, I would get dry heaves — which as you can imagine kept me staying down most of the time! I had tried to exercise on my recumbent bike, but within a minute or two, the same thing happened on the bike. So for a couple of months, exercise for me was almost negligible. We thought at the time that this was a case of the POTS symptoms getting worse, but we would soon discover otherwise. Continue reading

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Well Done, Bro. Ray!

(This commendation for our Administrative Pastor, Ray Swift, was read by my son Michael at the conclusion of our worship services on Sunday, Nov. 18, 2012, on the occasion of Ray’s final Sunday at FBC Moss Bluff)

Proverbs 20:6 says “Many a man proclaims his own loyalty, but who can find a trustworthy man?” For the past 8+ years, First Baptist Moss Bluff has had a living example of a faithful man in our midst, in the person of our Administrative Pastor, Ray Swift. Continue reading

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Well Done, Bro. Ray!

(This commendation for our Administrative Pastor, Ray Swift, was read by my son Michael at the conclusion of our worship services on Sunday, Nov. 18, 2012, on the occasion of Ray’s final Sunday at FBC Moss Bluff)

Proverbs 20:6 says “Many a man proclaims his own loyalty, but who can find a trustworthy man?” For the past 8+ years, First Baptist Moss Bluff has had a living example of a faithful man in our midst, in the person of our Administrative Pastor, Ray Swift.

Continue reading

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This Week in “Paradise” Oct. 1

This week in the earthly “paradise” otherwise known as the pastor’s home, I threw …

Caution to the Wind
Monday night I was standing at the kitchen counter, halving some of my prescription pills with the pill splitter, and placing a half tablet of that particular medication in each slot of the weekly pill holder for the next 7 days. Cheryl came out of the office and saw me and said, “Should you be standing there like that?”
I responded: “No … but you know me; just ‘born to be wild’!” 😉

Einstein?
Sometimes when I am not feeling well, I do not care what I look like. I had a day like that last week, when Cheryl, Michael & I were waiting at McDonalds drive-through. Cheryl looked over at me and said, “I hope no one can see your hair through that window.” I told her I didn’t care. Michael had a plan: “We’ll just tell them he’s a German scientist!”

Ambush!
I have mentioned before that I have been doing “laps” in the house for my walks, since it has been so hot and humid out. I go from the dining room, through the kitchen, then down the front hallway, in a little “loop.” But one day last week, I was “ambushed.” Eponine, our kitten, saw me doing these “laps”, and at first just watched me make several rounds, with obvious interest. Then suddenly, she began springing out and making faux “attacks” at me, from underneath the dining room table, or from a spot in the bookshelf in the hallway — or my favorite, from under the buffet table. I never knew where the “ambush” would come from next! Making my circuit on the lookout for the next assault, I felt exactly like the old wagon trains of yesteryear must have — just waiting for the next “surprise attack”!

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First Big Kill!
Speaking of Eponine, she not only launches fake attacks at the “wagon train” as it goes by — she is starting to live up to her potential as a great hunter. She brought her first “kill” up to me on the carpet, see:

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What’s That?
I said something to Cheryl Saturday while we were watching a football game, and she said, “I am getting harder of hearing, and your voice keeps trailing off.”
I said, “Hmm .. that’s not a very good combination, is it?”
Cheryl: “Whatever you just said, I couldn’t hear it!”

Oh yeah; it’s “Paradise”! 😉

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“What Real Faith Looks Like: The Blame Game” (James 1:13-16)

I have noticed that during this election season there have been a lot of references to former President Ronald Reagan. Many are wishing for a candidate like him, and for a return to his kind of conservative vision. I remember the presidency of Ronald Reagan, and he was far from perfect, but he was a good president and certainly had a good political philosophy. One of the things Reagan preached was the doctrine of personal responsibility. He said:

“We must reject the idea that every time a law’s broken, society is guilty rather than the lawbreaker. It is time to restore the American precept that each individual is accountable for his actions.”

Like many things President Reagan said, that quote is like a breath of fresh air in a society today where everyone is trying to blame someone else for the ills that have befallen them. Everyone is engaging in “The Blame Game” – blaming someone or something else for their problems. President Reagan said we need to get back to the “American precept” that each individual is accountable for their actions – well, that is not only an “American precept”; it is a BIBLICAL precept as well. Getting out of “The Blame Game” and admitting responsibility for your sins is one of the single most important steps that anyone can take.
Let’s read James Chapter 1 together again, and come back and look at what our passage for today, :13-16, has to teach us about “What Real Faith Looks Like: The Blame Game.” Continue reading

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Out of Her Poverty

In Mark 12:44 Jesus said the poor widow gave “out of her poverty”. This is surely a landmark teaching, for if Jesus had not spoken this, we might all still believe that those who gave the largest amounts were the greatest givers. But this story, which has become so well-known, sets that idea on its ear, and has stood as a comfort, and a challenge, to our giving ever since. Continue reading

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Religion or Love?

I am often apologized to by spouses of people who are suffering from an illness, and who have not been to church for some time because they have been caring for their husband or wife. I always assure them that they are doing the right thing; that taking care of their spouse is the more godly thing to do than the religious activity of “going to church.” And Jesus’ teaching in Mark 12 affirms that: Continue reading

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An Ugly Picture

Proverbs 19:24 gives us a grotesque picture: “The sluggard buries his hand in the dish, but will not even bring it back to his mouth.” It is a disgusting thought indeed — but it may hit closer to home than you might think!

Continue reading

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Let Him Bear The Penalty (Tough Love)

There is a lesson in Proverbs 19:19 which can be hard to apply. It says: “A man of great anger will bear the penalty; for if you rescue him, you will only have to do it again.”
This passage is not only talking about anger; it calls for what has been labeled “tough love.” There are times when a person has brought something upon himself, and he must “bear the penalty” in order to really absorb the lesson God is trying to teach him. In the example of this verse, it is the person’s anger which has brought about the penalty, but there are many other potential causes as well. When a person is in a situation like that, you need to let him “bear the penalty”, for if you “bail him out”, he is not going to learn, and as the verse says, “you will only have to do it again.” He won’t learn until you do. Continue reading

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