Mar 4

  • lorray
    lorray added a text contribution Herod & Jesus - a poem
    Herod & Jesus One king seeks to destroy another; The other only seeks to love. One king plots to eliminate competition; the other plans to save the world. One king walks a path of destruction; The other a path of reconciliation. One king is buried in a royal tomb; The other in a borrowed grave. But only ONE king rose from the dead. Only one king has authority over life and death. Only one king came to seek and save that which was lost. Hail, King Jesus! Read more »

Feb 12

  • lorray
    lorray added a text contribution It's All About Me, Me, Me
    I raised twin children - a boy and a girl. One of the things I taught my children from a very early age was the answer to the question, "How do you ask?" The answer was always "Please. . ." There was a right way to approach Dad. And that way involved using the word "please." When we say "please" we're asking in a polite, civil manner. It shows respect for the other person. It demonstrates that we are not being demanding in what we want. Now please was… Read more »
  • lorray
    lorray added a text contribution Brilliant and Dumb
    Throughout my life I've come in contact with quite a few "brilliant" people. Some, young, some middle-aged, and some older people. I've noticed a phenomena with some of these folks - often times the smarter they are, the more infantile they are in their social skills. I've also noticed that many people who are good at reading, math, or science have absolutely no common sense whatsoever. So it doesn't surprise me when I read about the two kinds of wisdom that James… Read more »

Feb 6

  • lorray
    lorray added a text contribution Small, Mighty, and Out of Control!
    This is a difficult passage for me. Saying that the tongue is a "world of evil, full of deadly poison" seems a little unfair. It would be like saying that the hand is wicked and depraved because it is with the hand that man cheats, steals, and hurts others. Body parts in and of themselves are not the culprit. So we need to take what James says here as a word picture for the essence of the problem: uncontrolled speech. The sins that are as a result of the use of the tongue (our speec… Read more »

Feb 5

  • lorray
    lorray added a text contribution The Synergy between Faith and Deeds
    What is the synergy between faith and deeds? How does it demonstrate itself in our culture and society? I see faith as being the essence of our belief in a divine God - a supernatural, holy, divine God. It is a belief that transcends that which you can see with your eyes, hear with your ears, or touch with your hands. It is trusting in God by believing in his word. That belief then compels me to act upon His word - to do the things that He has told us, through His Son, Jesus Christ to do. Now… Read more »
  • lorray
    lorray added a text contribution Are Clothes Relevant?
    While James focuses on clothes and and accessories as a social measuring stick, that same measuring stick has changed in the twenty-first century. In many evangelical churches today it would be virtually impossible to make a value judgement on the basis of attire . . . as it no longer represents the cultural benchmark that formerly made it so convenient to apply. Today the "norm" in most churches ranges from sandals and shorts to three-piece suits; from jeans and a sweater to dresses,… Read more »

Jan 13

  • lorray
    lorray added a text contribution All the things God has forgiven. . .
    The list of sins in Colossians 3:1-10 pretty much sums up the condition of unrepentant man. Any one of the sins listed is enough to condemn us to a certain eternity of punishment. Any believer who thinks they are above committing one of these sins has already sinned: they've just told a whopper of a lie. As I look at the list, I am ashamed to realize how many of these sins have been problems in my own life down through the years. There are still a whole lot of things that I need to &quo… Read more »

Oct 3

  • lorray
    lorray added a text contribution Crucifying the Sinful Nature
    As I thought about this verse, I kept wondering what modern-day extermination procedure we would use in place of a crucifixion. . . seeing as the modern world no longer engages with this kind of punishment. Perhaps if we could relate the passage to something more familiar - i.e., put the sinful nature in front of a firing squad. Give it a dose of lethal injection. Strap it into the electric chair. Perhaps if we did this we'd see a little more clearly the need for clear and decisive actio… Read more »