A little of this, that, and a fair amount of the other.

It's Wednesday, May 29, 2019, and I bid you a hearty and warm welcome. Last Sunday morning our local fellowship recognized those who have graduated high school or college. There were some 18 folks who will now be embarking on their college or work-related careers. They are being launched into a world at a time when the challenges are great and thankfully there are still opportunities available. These are some very accomplished individuals who have worked hard to prepare themselves for the next phase of their lives. Our pastor made it clear to them how that Satan will be working as hard as he knows how to steal, kill, and deceive them as they make their way forward. (John 10:10) That is his work and he will use any and all temptations to lure them away from being faithful to God. Satan can't take away one's personal salvation, but, he loves ruining any believer's testimony and work on behalf of the God who saved them. Our pastor challenged them not to fall for those who would lead them to 'sow their wild oats', but, to stay focused on and faithful to God's plan and purpose for them. Don't get me wrong. These kids have already been exposed to the anti-Christian bias in their time in school. It will be even more so as they pursue higher education. That's no longer even a question of debate. It's almost as if our colleges today seek first and foremost to undo all parental and Christian training in every student. There are schools that are exceptions. However, the overall majority of our kids today will end up in secular schools. Let's all pray for these young men and women as they seek to gain skills and abilities to support the jobs they will hold and the work and ministry they can have for the Lord. Amen.

I know some of you are probably wondering how Mr. Bentley is getting along. He is a very smart little puppy but often that leads him to mischevious actions. The Wife is a jigsaw puzzle person. Seriously so. She keeps one in progress on the dining room table most of the time. Mr. Bentley has developed a taste for jigsaw puzzle pieces. She has caught him several times up on top of the table itself wreaking havoc on her work in progress. She spanks him real good, but, it's hard to know if he is paying that much attention to the spanking process. She recently announced that seven pieces are missing from her recent effort. We do not need to mount an investigation into what happened to those missing pieces. She had to throw that puzzle away. I caught him chewing on one piece one day. The image was pretty much destroyed. He got another spanking. He just loves to climb. When he climbs he does so like one of those young mountain goats. He is nearly 7 months old. On the positive side, he has been such a wonderful little doggie in so many ways. I just hope he gets the message soon on things like climbing on the tables and eating puzzle pieces. Others tell us he will. For his sake, and I might add, for mine as well, I hope they are right.

"This is the essence of Kingdom Authority. Fathers can have no authority in the home until they have surrendered to the headship of Jesus. Mothers cannot pray with authority for their children when they have no submissive spirit to their own husbands. Pastors cannot lead, teach, or preach with anointing and supernatural power without being fully broken and surrendered to the lordship of Christ, the authority of the Word, and the commands of the Spirit." ~ Adrian Rogers ~ I can't even imagine what some younger folks might think if they were to read my blogs. The language alone would no doubt be problematic. I am well aware the mores of our times are completely different than nearly at any other time in our history. I hear some of this even among our younger family members. Right and wrong appear to be very much in the eye of the beholder. If someone is doing something that goes against thus says the Word of the Lord, but, they are not hurting anyone else, they reason why it should be of concern to anyone else? I will admit that our freedoms allow us all to make the wrong choices. I should know. By experience. However, it is one thing to have the freedom to do this as opposed to saying it's okay to do things that God clearly says are wrong and to also reason that it doesn't matter. Because it does. Having this 'anything goes' approach leads to living as if God is on the wrong side of history. He is outdated and old fashioned. Yet, He has made it clear to any who will hear, "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever." (Hebrews 13:8) Our nature continues to war against God's clear standards for life. Yours truly included. The fact that we are all fellow strugglers does not nullify in any way our understanding that God is always right. Always. Period. We all need His help for us to be conformed to His truth, His will, and His way. Amen. ....More later.