Godly discipline allows children to please parents. It fits the punishment to the crime. Children come to understand cause and effect, sowing and reaping. Big crime gets a big punishment; little crime receives a little punishment. With abuse, punishment is arbitrary and often unfair, but Godly discipline distinguishes between a mistake and a deliberate sin. Or… Read More
Ephesians 3:11-13 He’s carrying me through my troubles.
When my circumstances stink, when I’m up against a wall, when I’m surrounded and the harder I try the deeper I sink, when I feel alone and abandoned, when others hurt me… God says, “Don’t be afraid; trust me. Boldly go out on the mission I laid out for you. I feel your pain–I’ve suffered… Read More
Growing good citizens
I am God—yes, I Am. I haven’t changed… Malachi 3:6 (The Message) God has given us laws to live by; we know what they are. And we know we’re going to mess up. He has a plan in place for that as well: love, grace, and mercy. His people know exactly where they stand with… Read More
Ephesians 3:9-10 Chosen
Has God chosen you for a specific task? I’m in the grandma stage of my life, so I have a lot of years and choosings to look back at. I realize that God chose me for certain tasks at different stages in my life. It was only about ten years ago that I thought, “Aha.… Read More
Ephesians 3:7-8 What’s your excuse?
What’s stopping you from doing God’s mission for you? When I read through Paul’s list of excuses, I was surprised at the similarity to mine. I had always thought of Paul as an extremely confident, know-it-all kind of guy, and here I was reading a list of his anxieties about himself–lots of excuses giving his… Read More
Blueprint for character building
A blueprint is a detailed plan. Building a house without one is risky if you want it to last for any length of time and withstand weather or natural disasters. You need to follow rules of design that build strength in all the right places so rain won’t come through the roof and strong winds… Read More
Ephesians 3:4-6 Come on in, ya’all!
The original non-discrimination clause. Ephesians 3:4-6 (New Living Translation) As I briefly wrote earlier, God himself revealed his mysterious plan to me. As you read what I have written, you will understand my insight into this plan regarding Christ. God did not reveal it to previous generations, but now by his Spirit he has… Read More
Kathleen S Evenhouse 