Marching Forth!

Some people are really into saving stuff.  They cannot bear the thought of throwing away items they or someone else could possibly use someday.  I have seen people go into the bin to stuff they believed had value just to store it and collect dust.  It did cost money at one stage, so people hold onto it.  In the trash of others some see dollar signs, and others have dreams of restoring dilapidated furniture or making artwork that never seems to happen because they are in the business of acquiring--not giving things away.  I remember walking into a storeroom and seeing hundreds of dusty old plastic chairs stacked to the ceiling.  No one had sat on those chairs for a very long time, and there was a reason they had been replaced.  Why they had been saved without a practical purpose was the question burning in my mind. Christians are people who are no strangers to saving.  We have been saved from sin, death and hell by faith in Jesus Christ, and we de...

I was impressed by the grace and goodness of God to meet the true needs of His people when they were not seeking Him.  After the prophet Elijah predicted a drought, king Ahab and a devout steward named Obadiah went looking for water and grass to sustain the lives of their horses and mules.  While Obadiah was looking for water, Elijah was guided by God to meet him.   1 Kings 18:7 reads, " Now as Obadiah was on his way, suddenly Elijah met him; and he recognized him, and fell on his face, and said, "Is that you, my lord Elijah ?"  Apparently king Ahab had tried in vain to find Elijah for many years since Ahab blamed the drought on him. God's ordained meeting of Elijah with Obadiah led to the epic showdown on Mount Carmel between the prophets of Baal and Elijah.  When God answered Elijah's prayer and consumed the waterlogged sacrifice in the sight of the people, they fell before the LORD in worship of the God of Israel.  Shortly thereafter Elijah bowed...

Growing up, bowling was an activity I enjoyed as a special treat, and in university I took bowling as an elective.  Before our local bowling alley turned to electronic scoring, we used a pencil with paper that included "bowling etiquette."  The paper explained it was rude to stand on the wood approach waiting for your ball to return as this prevented bowlers on either side from bowling in turn.  It is also very bad form when one person is about to begin their approach and then quickly bowl next to them--which is sure to draw the ire of serious bowlers.  In "open" bowling it is understood many people are not aware of proper bowling etiquette, but in league play this is unacceptable and frowned upon. In many activities we take seriously--whether sports competitions, hobbies or simply eating at the table--there is good etiquette we observe and encourage others to do as well.  Those who are new or less experienced can benefit greatly from being shown and told about...

During a morning jaunt I saw a colourful poster tacked to a power pole that looked to be advertising a new age or self-help gathering.  The pitch said something about "discovering your true and real self."  I found it ironic when I searched for more details on the subject online the first pages were filled with links to plastic surgeons!  Plastic surgery leans more toward fake and superficial than a revelation of who we truly are.  Our physical appearance, dress and style is not nearly as important as people are within:  individual and unique souls created in the image of God. The Bible is a stark contrast from the humanistic conception that the greatest good is within us and our hearts are to be followed above everything else.  To the contrary, the Bible reveals what we already have strong evidence to support:  there is no one good, no not one ( Proverbs 14:1-3 ).  Rather than guiding us to listen to or follow our hearts, God puts the spiritual b...