Luke 13:25 (NLT)…Then you will stand outside knocking and pleading, “Lord, open the door for us!” But he will reply, “I do not know you.” 26 You will say, “But we ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets.” 27 And he will reply, “I tell you, I don’t know you…”

If you are a fan of the National Football League (NFL), you might be impressed if I told you that I know Jerome Bettis of the Pittsburgh Steelers. You may be even more impressed to know that I once ate dinner next to Bettis. I have even had a meaningful conversation with him. I really like Jerome Bettis, his values that he seems to have. As the commercials say, “I am a BIG FAN!” If you were to run into him and ask, “Hey Jerome, do you know that girl Nicole in Pennsylvania, who writes The MAD Christian Blog?” he would have no idea whom you are talking about. The real question is “does he know me?” No, he does not know me, but I do know him well. But I am a fan, not a friend. Read the rest of this entry

Isaiah 40:28, 29, “Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the Earth does not become weary or tired. His understanding is inscrutable. He gives strength to the weary, and to him who lacks might He increases power.”

Recently, I looked at Aaron’s words on behalf of the Moses and the Lord, “Let my people go.” Something else that stands out in this section of Scripture is the Lord’s use of Moses, or for that matter, the Lord’s use of anyone, at any time. Why didn’t the Lord simply tell Pharaoh Himself, “Let My people go?” Why use Aaron, or for that matter, why use anyone? Read the rest of this entry

John 8:10-11 And straightening up, Jesus said to her, “Woman, where are they? Did no one condemn you?” 11 And she said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you; go your way. From now on sin no more.” (NAS)

The charger for my cell phone died. Fortunately, I had a spare charger unit and switched to it. I looked at the old one and wondered briefly if it could be fixed. It seemed somehow to be a waste to just toss it in the garbage. But the parts and the effort to fix it would probably be far more expensive than the cost of a new charger. The simple conclusion is that the old unit was indeed useless and beyond reasonable repair. Read the rest of this entry

This song is becoming one of my favorites. Everyone should check out House of Heroes newer song ‘In The Valley of the Dying Sun,’ out.  In fact I am not even going to tell you about it you just should listen.

I tried. I really tried. I picked up a pen and a pad of paper. (I don’t use my computer unless I have to.) I sat down in my comfortable chair facing a bank of windows where a peaceful scene of trees, grass, and sky would help to clear my mind. But any writer will tell you that just because all the elements of a great writing experience exist, doesn’t mean that an idea will come to you in that perfect moment. In fact, the ideas sometimes come in the most chaotic parts of my day. Read the rest of this entry