Rewards come in many forms for many different things. There are trophies, ribbons, certificates, rings, plaques, belts, and medals, and they’re given for achievements in sports, music, science, business, and other areas. For those who served in the military, there are many different kinds of ribbons and medals. There’s the Good Conduct Medal, the Distinguished Service Medal, the WWII Occupation Medal, the Vietnam War Medal of Sacrifice, the Kuwait Liberation Medal, the Purple Heart, and many others. All of these have a value that transcends the cost of the materials that make them. Rewards are not jewelry. They may look good, but they’re not there to make someone look more beautiful. Instead, they symbolize the honor given to the recipient … Continue reading →

Salvation costs me nothing. Discipleship costs me everything. These are the results of a study on discipleship I put together for the Beatty Community Church, originally as a night class, then as part of the adult Sunday school. These notes are not in their final form and the degree of ‘finished-ness’ varies. Some of the quotes used in these notes were obtained from http://www.christianglobe.com/Illustrations and http://www.watchword.org, and others through my own reading. Please note that the various quotes by various Christian leaders, pastors, and teachers does not imply an endorsement of everything they taught or believed. For example, I quote Watchman Nee in some areas where he has very good insight, but he also has some very dangerous teachings. Always … Continue reading →

How far back can you remember? Try to remember the time you were 3 months old. Hard, eh? I can’t remember when I was 3 years old, but that doesn’t mean I never was 3 years old. The fact that I am alive now proves that I was 3 at one time. I just can’t remember it. I can’t remember things that happened to me back then, and I can’t remember my overall attitude or “world-view”. But, it’s not important. Even if I could remember it all, I wouldn’t be spending my time dwelling on the past. I can remember falling outside in the snow and knocking a tooth out when I was young. This was painful at the time, … Continue reading →

Trees amaze me. You can take two different kinds of trees, plant them in the same soil, give them the same water, fertilizer, and sunshine, and they’ll grow differently. Each has it’s own style of growth, bark, and leaves. And each produce different kinds of fruit. I don’t know how it works, but I do know God designed it that way. For all the things that make trees amazing, each can naturally produce only one kind of fruit. That’s the trouble – you can’t rely on apple trees to produce bananas, or banana trees to produce watermelons. However, the Bible talks about some trees that are unique. In Revelation, it mentions trees in heaven that produce 12 different kinds of … Continue reading →

I had often wondered what made one painting worth more than another. Is it the name of the artist who painted it? Is it the quality or complexity of the work? Perhaps how old it is? Recently a painting sold for $55 million dollars at Christie’s auction house. Picasso painted it in 1902. It portrays a plain-dressed woman sitting with her arms crossed, perhaps lost in thought. In my opinion, there’s nothing especially fantastic about this painting. I wouldn’t pay $20 for it. However, I am not an art expert. Obviously the new owner saw something in it that I didn’t. When this painting was auctioned, the bidding was very intense. More than one person was willing to spend tens … Continue reading →