by Roger Bruce What is your favorite Psalm? There are 150 from which to choose. They encompass the range of all human emotion. Riverbender.com is calling this race with less than 1% reporting and Psalm 23 is the winner with over 90% of the vote! People who have not had exposure to the Bible or church recognize the opening verse. The King James Version has it this way: The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. Some Bible translations expand for better understanding (we will re-visit this hot potato another day), like the New International Version: "The Lord is [...]

by Roger Bruce Jeremiah 33 (NLT) 3 Ask me and I will tell you remarkable secrets you do not know about things to come. Wow! Any takers? God Himself instructs Jeremiah how to find out what is coming down the road. In the original Hebrew, the word "remarkable" can be translated as secret, mysterious or inaccessible. I don't know how you feel about finding out things like that, but it jazzes me! The Lord puts the offer before the prophet with the only condition being that he ask. If I get that offer, I would immediately put everything aside to [...]

by Roger Bruce Rejection: dismissal of a proposal or idea. Everyone loves acceptance, no one wants to experience rejection ever again. Having someone disagree with you is awkward at the minimum. Most of us don't want to have to defend our positions or feel inadequate to do so. There are others who love to debate any point. You know who you are, don't argue with me! In Ezekiel 33.1-20, we read of an illustration where in ancient cities, watchmen were appointed to stand guard on the city walls and give an alarm if invaders were approaching. The Lord tells Ezekiel [...]

by Roger Bruce Partnership: is an arrangement where parties, known as partners, agree to cooperate to advance their mutual interests. The Bible has many examples of partnership. Ecclesiastes 4.9-12 speaks of 2 being better than 1. In Luke 10 Jesus sends disciples out in groups of 2. In Exodus 17.8-15, Aaron and Hur join to hold up Moses's hands that enabled Joshua and the Israelites to over their adversary. In a sermon outline, it looks like this: 1. Partnership is very powerful. A team of horses can pull more weight jointly than they can individually added together. 2. Partnership is [...]

by Roger Bruce If you watch any crime drama on TV, you have probably heard the term "immunity from prosecution". It seems timely during this season of Lent culminating with Resurrection Sunday to talk about the sacrifice of Jesus that paid for our sins, past, present, and future. Romans 8 (NLT) 1 So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. The NIRV has it this way: Those who belong to Christ Jesus are no longer under God’s judgment. What great news for those who have trusted in Christ Jesus for their salvation! A couple of [...]

by Roger Bruce Bear with a grumpy old man for just a moment. Does anyone answer their phone? SMS has become a four letter word to me. I don't want to text with anyone if it takes more than two exchanges. Just answer the phone, it will save time for both of us and a stroke for one of us! I know, I know, what does this have to do with faith? Hopefully, something to encourage your walk today. Jeremiah 23.23-24 (NLT-96): "Am I a God who is only in one place?" asks the Lord. "Do they think I cannot [...]