God Is Not The Unjust Judge And You Are Not The Widow

In Luke 18:1-8, Jesus gives a short parable about a widow who keeps coming before an unjust judge, badgering him until he finally gives her justice. Then Jesus explains that God is nothing like the unjust judge, and will grant justice speedily to all who call on him. He ends the parable with an interesting question,

“But when I, the Son of Man, return, will I find people who have faith?”

Luke prefaces the story with an introductory line telling folks the parable is about praying, and not giving up. A common explanation for the parable is that Believers should keep praying until they get the answer. But what sometimes gets communicated, or understood, is the notion that you need to act like the widow, and pester God until He gives you what you want. It seems people are more focused on the actions of the widow and the godless judge, rather than God’s promise to grant justice speedily.

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Do You Believe In Love?

There is nothing wrong with romance and attraction. But that type of love, and those types of feelings, will not be the firm foundation you need to build a committed relationship. You need a love that is spiritual, eternal, and cannot fail. This is not a feeling, but a supernatural force that can change you into a reflection of Love Himself, who is Truth.

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Mette’s Christmas Miracle

The Story Behind Mette’s Christmas Miracle

“God will provide everything we need.” — Mette

BackgroundMette’s Christmas Miracle is the story of a small flock of sparrows that faced starvation during a Christmas blizzard. One of the birds, Mette, proves that God will always honor the faith of those that trust Him.

Summary – A small flock of sparrows lives near a small farming village in Norway. It was right before Christmas when a brutal storm covered the countryside and made it impossible for the birds to leave the safety of their tree to search for food. One of the younger sparrows named Mette challenges the other birds on their faith in God. He had always provided for them, why would this time be any different?

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The Terribly Scary Storm

The Story Behind The Terribly Scary Storm

“Boris learns a valuable lesson about fear when he faces a scary thunderstorm.” – Harrison Woodard

BackgroundThe Terribly Scary Storm is the 9th story in the Boris Kitty series. The real Boris was one of bravest cats I have ever known. He could climb any tree and stare down dogs three times his size. I once watched him chase two cats over the fence and out of the yard. The cat was fearless.

The only thing that gave Boris pause, was a thunderstorm. As the thunder got close, and the rain started, he would make his way into the utility room to wait out the storm in safety. On rare occasions, I could keep him on my lap for a few moments, but then a large thunder clap would end that quickly.

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The Adoption Miracle

The Story Behind The Adoption Miracle

“Boris learns that he must patiently wait for God to answer his prayer for a new home.” – Harrison Woodard

BackgroundThe Adoption Miracle, was the second story I completed in the Boris Kitty series. The story was based on actual events and came from my pondering what if animals had faith to pray for a home. I have always been bothered by caged animals. God made the creatures of this planet to live free. And wherever possible, I believe wild animals should be allowed to live in their native habitat, free from cages. Of course many dogs and cats have been domesticated to the point that living in the wild could be hazardous.

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Spiritual, But Not Religious

I am fascinated by people who proclaim themselves spiritual, but not religious. I first started seeing this in the dating/singles world and then later with celebrities as a technique to distance themselves from the sometimes awkward subject of religion. Much like the independent or moderate tags come up when it comes to politics, the term spiritual sounds to some as more worldly, or dare I say transcendent.

The wicked are too proud to seek God. They seem to think that God is dead. — Psalm 10:4 <NLT>

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Though He Slay Me, I Will Hope In Him

I recently was having a discussion on a Christian message board about healing. It was very revealing how angry and passionate people were to prove that God does NOT heal. In fact, one of the arguments against healing was by someone that posted Job 13:15.

God might kill me, but I have no other hope. I am going to argue my case with him. — Job 13:15 <NLT>

Now why would anyone want to make their religious stand on these words of Job? And why, as it is translated by the NLT, would you love God if you thought He was likely to strike you down at any given moment? What kind of fellowship could you have with someone who might kill you for any old reason? It boggles the mind the poison that the enemy sows and religious tradition perpetuates!

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Lend Me Your Ear – Jesus Restores the Ear of Malchus

My latest project involves the story of Jesus healing the chopped off ear of Malchus, a servant of the High Priest. During the arrest of Jesus, Peter pulled out his sword and swung wildly at Malchus who was part of the mob that had come for Jesus. Although the Bible does not say this specifically, I doubt Peter was aiming for the guy’s ear.

In the confusing confrontation between soldiers, servants and armed disciples, who no doubt were afraid for their lives, this incident could have exploded into a bloodbath. But since it involved Jesus, everything was contained. He was in complete control of all the events that evening.

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George Carlin On Religion – A Response

There is a reason that people have continually looked for something greater than themselves. To put it simply, there is something greater. One cannot rationally examine creation and not see the handiwork of a master designer. From the smallest organism to the heavenly bodies, everything has been designed to work perfectly within their prescribed place. And you want educated people to accept that this was all just some big cosmic accident? That would take a whole lot of faith.

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Christmas Is Just Presents?

The decline and dismissal of Christmas. Why the Christmas holiday is still one of greatest celebrations in the history of mankind.

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A clip from XTCs Mayor of Simpleton video

My Favorite 80s Music Cover Songs

Cover songs for some of my favorite hits from the 80s. Featuring 311, Ace Of Base, Letters To Cleo, Alizee, No Doubt, Orgy and others.

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Thanksgiving

Though not the first to celebrate Thanksgiving in the new world, the Pilgrims have given us one of the first calls by civil authorities to give thanks to God...How can you ignore God’s role in our prosperity in a Thanksgiving message of all places?

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Ode To Blog Spam

Spam comments - the ridiculous and unusual in my spam comment folder.

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Where Was God During 9/11?

It seems every time there is a national tragedy or terrorist attack or seemingly any random act of violence, the question comes up, "Where is God?" A discussion of God's promises of protection.

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Moi C’est – Camélia Jordana

Moi C’est - A song by Camélia Jordana is today's Finnish Friday selection.

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Missä Muruseni On – Jenni Vartiainen

Missä Muruseni On - A song by Jenni Vartiainen, the music selection for Finnish Friday.

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Jesus Heals A Bent Over Woman – Luke 13

Commentary on the Biblical story of Jesus healing the woman bound by Satan found in Luke 13.

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Ehkä ensi elämässä – Johanna Kurkela

Ehkä ensi elämässä - A song by Johanna Kurkela, the music selection for Finnish Friday.

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Love Machine – Melissa Mars

Today's video selection for Finnish Friday is Love Machine, a post-apocalyptic search for love by Melissa Mars.

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Norway Terror Attack

Norway Terror Attack

The facts aren’t all in yet, but a quick search of Google shows that the worldwide media is gleefully reporting the “Conservative, Christian, Right-wing Radical” meme. At least one German paper acknowleged in the opening sentence of one of their reports that the motive is not known. That was nice.

When we see attacks like this we automatically assume that they have an islamic root. The reasons are quite obvious. Most terrorist attacks for that last 25 years have been done in the name of islam. It is a simple fact. There have been over 17,000 attacks just since 9/11. This does not mean that all Muslims are terrorists. But there is plenty of evidence that the majority of attacks have been launched by Muslims in the name of Islam.

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