Pastoral Perspectives, I came across this devotional on Monday of last week and decided to forward it because it speaks to many of the issues at hand that we face in this world. The material is written by John D. Barry and titled--'Good Opportunities and Difficult Decisions' His scripture references are Daniel 1:1–2:16; 1 Thessalonians 2:1–3:5; Job 40:3–12 Barry writes-- "When Daniel is invited to dine at the king’s table—a great honor reserved for the favored (Dan 1:1–4)—he turns down the offer. Instead of eating food and wine fit for a king, Daniel and the other Israelites settle on a diet of vegetables and water (Dan 1:12). Daniel’s decision seems to contradict human nature. When a g

Pastoral Perspectives, During the previous two weeks on Sunday mornings, Jesus, John and the Holy Spirit have helped provide some instruction and encouragement on what is required to find the one blessing that seems to elude most everyone in this world. That blessing is peace. Peace is something that the world has experienced little of throughout history. And yet peace is available to anyone and everyone willing to meet the conditions. We looked at the first important condition to experiencing the genuine peace of God a couple of weeks back. The first condition was the ministry of prayer. As believers, disciples of Christ we must learn to pray objectively and pray obediently. It is and re

Pastoral Perspectives, The evidence continues to build with every passing year. The only things falling away more quickly than kingdom involvement in our culture are the leaves in November. The evidence reveals that for many who are associated with church, seeking first the kingdom of God and His righteousness (Matthew 6:33) is becoming less a priority as we go along. And for a growing number within that group, it's no longer considered worthwhile. Why then should we wonder why the things that we truly need are not being added to our lives? We should not deceive ourselves as to why the blessings of God are often denied. Gal. 6:7 We are seeing the words of the Apostle Paul in 1 Timothy 4:1

Pastoral Perspectives, In reading Ecclesiastes 3 we see two important components to enjoying a fulfilled life. One of those components is time. For those who are actively engaged in life, there never seems to be enough time For those who aren't, they have time on their hands that is often wasted because it isn't properly invested. Think about this; there are 86,400 seconds in every twenty-four-hour day and you and I get to 'spend' them any way we choose, but we only get to spend them once. It is impossible to borrow more time from tomorrow and just as impossible to beg for the time already spent. Every minute of every day, (all 1,440) is a gift from God to use for something that will not on

Pastoral Perspectives, How would you finish this statement? "For me to live is _____________." How we finish that statement reveals much about us; our priorities and general practices in life. Many might finish that sentence with 'work', lending the appearance, at least on the surface that work is the sum of life. Most days are consumed by it. Although less today than in years past, human beings work because work is one way to support and satisfy other needs or wants in life. Nothing wrong with work, mind you or any other productive exercise that God uses to help us live and enjoy life. However, if my health fails and I am no longer able to work, or play, or enjoy the many number of poss