“So Mephibosheth ate at David’s table like one of the king’s sons” (2 Samuel 9:11 NIV).

Who in the world is Mephibosheth and what possessed his momma to give him such a name?  Well, I can’t answer the second question, but I can shed some light on the first. Mephibosheth was a man who was living way below his potential.  He was the grandson of King Saul and the son of Prince Jonathan, but he lived like a pauper.  When he was a boy, his nurse dropped him while fleeing from their enemies.  As a result, he was crippled in both feet (2 Samuel 9). Read the rest of this entry

Every day, every moment in a Christian’s life is soaked in spiritual warfare. Whether we’re aware of it or not. I know I struggle with stuff all the time with the attitude that it’s just sort of generic “struggling”; often, I don’t consider the spiritual fight-what’s really taking place. These battles are usually launched by yet another encounter with my sin nature, and they typically begin with a self-demeaning thought.
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Leviticus 12:8 (NIV) If she cannot afford a lamb, she is to bring two doves or two young pigeons, one for a burnt offering and the other for a sin offering. In this way the priest will make atonement for her, and she will be clean.’”Luke 2:23 (NIV) (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every firstborn male is to be consecrated to the Lord” a), 24 and to offer a sacrifice in keeping with what is said in the Law of the Lord: “a pair of doves or two young pigeons.

Mary and Joseph were obviously poor people. They could not afford a lamb for the ceremonial sacrifice, so they purchased a dove. This young poor couple left what little they had, to travel far away. They traveled to Bethlehem in obedience to the Roman law. While the Romans were in charge, God was in control. Today for example, we make work in jobs where someone else is in charge, but God is always in control. Read the rest of this entry

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

Luke 6:32 (NCV) If you love only the people who love you, what praise should you get? Even sinners love the people who love them.

Love, ah… it’s easy for us to love each other. We are brothers and sisters in Christ. It’s easy to love members of your family, of your church, and it’s easy to love friends. But how about the hard-to-love?

What about the person that has wronged you? The person who has talked bad about you, spread gossip, rumors? The person that did you wrong in a business deal, at school or at a social function? How about that person you truly despise? We all have them, don’t we? Or am I the only one? ; ) Read the rest of this entry