HOW TO TURN LOATHING INTO LOVING by Richard Boatman
Loathing is a deep seated feeling of dislike for someone or something. Maybe it’s a boss who acts superior or stresses out over the smallest of problems, or perhaps it’s that motorist who speeds around you then slows way down, and then speeds up again when you try to pass. Pretty soon you’re exchanging the
Read MoreHOW NEGATIVITY POISONS THE MIND
My mom discovered Christ when about twenty-nine years of age. But because of some family circumstances, her walk with Jesus didn’t center around church services. Instead, she made our home a haven of compassion and spirituality. Our bodies were God’s temple and our spirit was Christ’s sanctuary. And the mind was the gateway to the
Read MoreTHINK RED
James 1:3-4 “Let the testing of your faith….do a thorough work…. that you may be perfectly developed, lacking nothing.” Some people have a problem with asking God “why?” but God is my heavenly Father. He and I have a relationship where we talk to each other. He doesn’t mind my questions. In fact, He loves
Read MoreInner Stradivarius
In the spring of 2006, a 1707 Stradivarius violin called “The Hammer” sold at public auction for a record $3.5 million. If such a gift were given to you, can you imagine using it as a pickleball paddle or as an oar for a canoe. Of course not. You would protect it. You would guard
Read MoreCOUSIN EDDIE’S INSIGHT
In the holiday movie, Christmas Vacation, Clark Griswold lives with a growing tension regarding an end of the year bonus he is expecting from his boss. When the long awaited special delivery envelope finally arrives, Clark gives a joyful announcement that the money that has come will go for the purchase of a swimming pool,
Read MoreHope
“but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings as eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” Isaiah 40:3 Billy Graham once said, “Earth’s troubles fade in the light of heaven’s hope.” We live in troubled times with the coronavirus
Read MoreFriendly Persuasion
I remember early in my Christian walk sitting at a McDonald’s in a rather heated theological argument with some other Christians who differed on a point of doctrine. Don’t you know that was a fine witness to those flipping burgers behind the counters. Anyway, we were Christians, but we weren’t acting very Christian. This was
Read MoreGot Thirst?
We do very little in the way of spiritual growth without thirst. Thirst is the chief characteristic of a genuine seeker. It is that which creates dissatisfaction with the mediocrity of passionless religion. Thirst envisions a greater reality, one inspired by God’s very Presence. Our seeking is initiated by the One who seeks us.
Read MoreInner Sanctuary
Inner Sanctuary by Richard Boatman 1 Corinthians 6:19 – Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? One of the great truths of Christianity is that the Temple of God is now located in Christ’s followers. It is a reality
Read MoreSpiritual Glasses
I wake from a night’s slumber. Then I swing my legs out of bed. (Well, some mornings it’s less swing and more surrender to gravity.) And then I reach for my glasses. This has been the pattern since fourth grade. My glasses remove distortion. The strong prescription lenses give clarity to the physical world. Without
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