Am I my brother's keeper?

So many angry passions are born in a big family. "She took my and she did that to me..." Without the practice of forgiveness the children of the serpent would eat oneanother into extinction. This primate behavior, seems to be instigated with teenagers in Spring. Conflicts amount daily. Who is counting? Encourage one another? Build eachother up? How about starting with, not hitting? Not counting the conflicts? Bring the conflict to the table so that we can learn to govern and create a healthy and wholesome environment for everyone and not just the threateners. Love means saying, it is not always going to go my way. Love means deferring to oneanother. Love means, Be angry and do not sin. Love means we need a study in how to love oneanother in this most difficult period of life. Love is God's business. That is the reason why we hang onto Jesus and let Him direct us in this tumultuous business called family.

The Ides is coming...

What to do to celebrate the Ides of March? Shall we celebrate with fried chicken and cornbread? Shall we celebrate with balloons and streamers? So many celebrations come in March. I am inquiring of my children what should we do on the 15th of the month. With any contributions from them, our celebration should be memorable.

Be Ye Kind to One Another!

Tenderhearted? Forgiving one another?

What a difficult thing that can be in family life. She took my... He didn't let me...Conflicts occur daily and hourly. What do we do to labor to maintain natural affections in the house?

Work it out. Sometimes the rod has to be implored upon, to bring about an even footing in the conflict; but most times the answer is just as simple as the Golden Rule. (If you can call the Golden Rule simple) Maybe simple is not the word obvious is the word. The Golden Rule is simple, meaning obvious, but, by no means easy. Stop arguing! Stop messing up one anothers' stuff! Forgive and go on about your business! That is not easy. You guys get alot of practice at it though. Love means say you are sorry, make ammends, get right with eachother and go on. Family cannot maintain without the Golden Rule!

Laboring to preserve natural affections.

"...Seeing of the travail of His soul"

Especially since the middle ages, we have been aware as humans that, even with the light of the risen Christ upon the earth, natural affections can be lost or deteriorate to nearly nothing.
Church and the scriptures are no antidote to base behavior and indulging in bad human relationships, if not used by those transformed, by His grace and doers of the Word.
God has given to the Church, the tools to grow healthy and wholesome relationships, but we sometimes relegate the instruction of these natural affections to the by and by. We make children think that they will not be accountable for anything that they do, bc(Before they are in Christ) so to speak.

Even a child, is known by his doings.

It is certainly easier to live unto God, than to try to find Him from out in the wilderness.
Yes, Christ's grace and mercy reaches even me, but the goal is to improve the culture that we have inherited, not to debase it.


Christ will build His Church and the gates of Hell will not prevail over it!

Phyllis Wheatley. Woman of Ability, Woman of God!

Phyllis Wheatley


How shall we sing? We sing because God has met us here. We sing because God has made it clear that He had salvation and blessings for us in a land that was hostile. There were mental sojourners, whose bravery to improve their minds contributed to the culture of America. Improved the ability of everyone in America. Encouragement and blessing and thoughtfulness, she showed, to people of every station in life. She was ahead of her time.

Casting our honor and crowns at the feet of Jesus!

It is fearful to look at the glory and the death of Herod. Worms ate him, in the sight of all. We glorify men and send them to their eternal torment. We, who have known the highest glories, whether, the love and honor of devoted children, or the trophies and crowns of the earth's acclaim, must be careful to be servants and givers to the kingdom of God. I really think that God used that judgement to motivate the 5 to prayer and fasting and ultimately to the sending of Paul and Barnabas out in ministry.
God may have mercy on our personal exaltation in His gracious gifts, for a while. As it were, He may wink, at our pride for a moment; but, ultimately He will leave us to ourselves. Bask in your glory, eternally, if you would. That is Hell! As we eat the tarnish of our trophies over time. Satan chose himself, Herod chose himself. God bids us to choose Him. God bids us to humble ourselves under the mighty hand.
Help me, Lord, not to use my trophies as my light, but Your own Word and Your own glory, which shows my glory to be but worms.

You are bought with a price. the identity of the Church, in Christ

God draws His bride in love. His banner is love, over His beloved. Yet, like the runaway bride, we chase our lusts and would have our own ways. God help us to embrace obedience and the love of Christ and exemplify Your will upon the earth in being the called ones, the loved ones, the hopeful ones, the ones with identity and purpose.
Identity? His! Purpose? His! Being what He has made us, means communion with Him and fellowship with Him.
I always like to include, doing battle for Him, but that is not our job. He defends Himself, through us. He is powerful and doesn't need us. He gives us the job of representing. ...Until we all come to the unity of the faith.