The story is told of a Southern soldier, who had been freed from prison camp because he was wounded to sorely to return to active duty, and he was seeking access to the President in order to intercede for his brother, the sole support of their mother, who was in a prison camp. The soldiers on guard at the White House would not let him in. One day a little boy was walking near the White House, and he observed the crippled veteran seated on a bench, crying. The boy asked what the problem was. The man explained that he wanted to see Mr. Lincoln to tell him about his brother but the soldiers would not let him past. The boy looked at the soldier compassionately, and held out his hand and said come with me. They walked past the soldiers who were guarding the White House, and through the halls to President Lincoln’s oval office. He walked into the office and introduced the soldier to the President and ask him to listen to the crippled soldiers request. How could one little boy make the difference, he cut through the red tape, and took the soldier directly to the President. … READ MORE

We need to learn and develop our Theology (understanding of who God is). This area is critical because our understanding of God will affect our life, relationships, and attitudes. If you want to develop a proper self-concept you need to know who your God is, and how He functions in the world. Our struggle with sin is directly related to our incorrect views of God. It is through the theological narratives of Scripture that we see how God works, and since He is the same yesterday, today and forever, we see what He can do, and how He can do it. It doesn’t mean that He has to do it that way, but demonstrates what He can do. Through Creation we see the Power of God displayed, and through that we understand what He is capable of doing, historically, globally and personally. We need to study the Word of God to begin to understand who our God truly is. … READ MORE

Many people struggle with what is called irrational fears. like for example Claustrophobia – fear that the walls will close in on you, or that all the air will be sucked out of the room you are in. How do you overcome those types of fears? I am reminded of the account of Peter walking on the water in the midst of a storm. This is the same man who was terrified in a storm that he was going to die. What made the difference? The difference was He had come to understand who is really in control of the elements that he faced. He knew that if Jesus told him to come to him on this water, He would not let him drown. So he got out of the boat and walked on the water. His fear of the water was overcome by keeping his eyes on the Lord who would enable him to do what the others thought was impossible. It is also important to understand two other things in this account. One, even when you overcome your fear, when you take your eyes of the Lord you can relapse, as seen by his sinking into the water. … READ MORE