Having completed for now my review of The Complete Green Letters by Miles Stanford, I’m going to return to my habit of sharing various musings from an assortment of devotional readings.  Like today, I will frequently refer, but not limit myself to, Stanford’s devotional offerings found in None But The

IT is interesting to me how at times the shortest of statements can at once deliver the simplest yet profound meaning.  I don’t recall whether I heard it from one of his audio lessons or read it from one of his books, – although I suspect I could find it

I’m going to embark upon a particular path in the next several Lessons From the Garden, sharing something that frequently surfaces in my thoughts, especially the past several months.  If I were to do a document search on my computer using the phrase “living logically,” several documents in many different folders

BY definition, living logically means talking to yourself instead of listening to yourself. And when you’re talking, talking Scripture!    Why are you cast down, O my soul?And why are you disquieted within me?Hope in God, for I shall yet praise HimFor the help of His countenance.  Psalm 42:5 DO you ever talk to yourself?  What response

ONE of the character trait instructions we pressed upon the heart and mind of the young student at CCA was Teachability.  It is defined as “being eager to learn and to be corrected.”  As I often told the students, I can always at any moment know who is teachable and

FROM the previous posting, None But The Hungry Heart 1-5 –Love Draws And Conforms: “If you feel the drawing of God within, cherish it as you would cherish a great treasure. If you are aware of a deep hunger, if you are entering into a closer walk with Him, do

AS I was paging through None But The Hungry Heart giving thought to today’s posting, I happened upon the Isaiah 6:5 reference (below) and immediately my mind went back years ago, probably more than 50 years ago, when I was exhorted from that verse taken in the context of Isaiah

WHEN did the modern Self-Esteem movement begin?  Well, I believe I actually know the answer to that question, although the exact time and with whom it did originate in a matter for debate and discussion. Nevertheless, society is reaping its bitter harvest from the self-esteem movement at just about every

WHEN I was an active Elder at Westminster OPC, each elder was assigned a portion of the membership as a shepherding Flock Responsibility. At that time, I began to send these Lessons from the Garden – Friday Morning Greetings – out to my flock members with the intension to provide

ASIDE from the several devotional books I frequent, I also get a daily email reading from “Grace Gems:” https://www.gracegems.org/.  I truly value these daily missives.  Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about suffering and afflictions, and a “Grace Gems” I received yesterday truly spoke to me. I’ve decided to share

I RECALL recently I had been away for a week, and upon my returning home noticing two hanging plants on the patio in distress for lack of water.  One has snapped back, the other did not. Alas, another Lesson from the Garden; that which doesn’t grow, dies. I’M going to

WHEN I started getting serious about my Christian walk I was privileged to be exposed to a very dynamic Bible teacher who had a way of presenting things in a very pointed and memorable way. One needed to really pay attention, focus, and do a lot of note taking to

AT this stage of my life, I’m in a very reflective mood.  It always amazes me how seemly insignificant events of the past are locked within the recesses of my mind that resurface now as significant anchors or memory milestones.  I mentioned this last time, and at the moment I’m

THERE are many a day of late when I make eye contact with bewilderment – some dear soul whose life has met a tragedy, a disappointment, an unexpected, or uninvited heartache.   They may be old or just starting out, but whatever, their fantasy of an undisturbed and  “happy-ever-after” existence has

I FREQUENTLY speak of “desirable difficulties,” maybe because I see about me a growing array of trials facing so many near and dear, and yes – troubles about the land.  I was reminded of this recently when asked rather sarcastically but lovingly, “And what part of exhorting [the disciples] to

AS I mentioned in the previous posting, my heart is particularly burdened on a number of fronts.  I know a number of troubled souls, individuals going through difficulties; burdensome trials that bring one to tears. “You number my wanderings; put my tears into Your bottle; are they not in Your

Trials still surprise me, as if the way of the cross that Jesus walked should not apply to me. I’d like to fast-forward through Good Friday and go straight to Sunday dawn. But until this world is fully and finally set to rights, God’s people, even me and even you,

FROM the previous posting: IT is often said that we need the “big picture” if we are to have the right perspective on a thing, the right vision as to what is, was meant to be, and will be.  One does not and cannot have the right perspective on Rom.

So last time, we looked at the “big picture” we must never loose sight of.  I’d like to repeat the closing paragraph: IN lieu of Rom 8:28-29, 2Cor 3:18 defines what I call the “principle of assimilation” – what we focus on often determines who we are. The desires of