L.I.S.T.E.N.

If a relationship comes to an end, you should be "the one who got away," not the individual lamenting a loss. To help in understanding how to secure a relationship it's equally valuable to know how it is one can easily lose one. Galatians 5:19-21 is a continuation of Paul's encouragement to believers to walk in the Spirit so not to gratify the flesh. If your relationship has failed or "is on the rocks" have you considered the presence of any of these factors?: Galatians 5:19-21 (condensed) "The acts of the flesh are obvious: idolatry, hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God" Galatians 5:19-21 identifies several unattractive qualities of acting in the flesh, and a major loss is doing so is our inheritance. Let's be honest! If these are disqualifiers for relationship with God, should they not be ...

Can we stop speaking how everyone else does!? We so comfortably follow the world's colloquialism that value becomes vanity, and vanity becomes value. Have you ever heard someone, or yourself, express a desire for true/unconditional love? You may have thought to yourself, "Aw, that'd be just chipper!" What is love if not true/unconditional!? To compartmentalize and specify a form of love is to suggest that love can exist any other way. The ignorance partly comes from analogizing dating to retail, "I'm back on the market." No wonder people enter relationships like they do a car dealership, attempting to configure options by adding and removing elements as they please.   Romans 5:8 - "God showed us his love in that  while we were  still yet sinners,  Christ died  for us. " I don't see Christ choosing which sins to die for. If salvation was contingent on our righteousness, there'd be none. So to if love were some conditiona...

Happy Thanksgiving! I am thankful for the gift of creativity. My colleagues will tell you, "everything's a story with him!" It's hard for me not to think expressively. I find myself challenging traditional adages and proposing perfectly poised prompts to shift minds away from normalized thinking. Care to join me in this!? L.I.S.T.E.N. is an acronym for Lessons in Scripture to Enact Now . I hope that by this blog the lessons that I have learned in Bible study around my Lord, my leadership, and my love (relationships) can benefit others. It's my intention with this prose to enable readers with actionable steps toward success in these three areas. I will not solely direct communications towards believers. I honestly believe, no pun intended, that there is a harvest of wisdom to reap here for anyone and everyone. Commit to approach this with an open mind and an open heart and realize that I am but one person speaking of personal experience. Your role as the reader...