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Thanksgiving

           It has been a while since I have posted on my blog and my intention has been to continue writing on the last subject regarding CORRUPT COMMUNICATION; however, since Thanksgiving is coming up, I figured I would join the vast array of blogs that have or will have articles about thankfulness (I don't always go against the grain!). I am simply going to paste two articles that I have written for the church bulletin. God bless and don't ever stop thanking Him! (11/03/13)             Often, in the month of November, we are reminded to be thankful for the blessings of life. Proverbs 17:22 states , “A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones.” It may be simple, but one thing we can be thankful for is the gift of laughter. It’s not only proven healthy for the body, but also it is free of charge! So, I want to give you a funny list of actual mistakes/typos found in church bulletins across America. Feel free to laugh and remember to

CORRUPT COMMUNICATION

Ephesians 4:29   Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.         Often when I would read this verse, I thought about curse words, blasphemies, words spoken in anger ect. However, the word corrupt bears the meaning of “worthless words.” It may seem farfetched, but you can hear “corrupt” speech from the pulpit just as easily as you can from the nearest pub. Now, before you mentally fling tomatoes at me, you must understand that in no wise am I stating that going to a worship service and going to wal-mart will bring about the same results. No. What I am seeking for you to see is that no matter the setting and even the “way” we says things, our spiritual conversations can fall so far from true edification. Because although what we say sounds good, it is mixed with plenty of error. Sadly, a half   truth can be deadlier than a full lie. The half truth may be distorted, but it

Rest and Rejoice

It has been a while since my last article. It seems as if right when Stephanie and I got back from vacation, I have been in overdrive. Most of the blame for such an arduous schedule falls directly on me. For this summer, I decided not to purchase any VBS material, but "simply" write my own. Now anytime I see the letters VBS I only think Very Busy Summer. Of course, this summer has opened up several blessings for ministry. One such is that I have had and will have several opportunities to speak at a Youth Enrichment program with roughly 25 kids. Still, it can be easy in life to get so busy that somehow you find yourself blinded to God's blessings, embittered over ministry, and increasingly discouraged. I write this because this is what happened to me. For some time, my walk was just aimlessly floating on the ocean of life. My studies whether personal or for preaching seemed to have lost depth. My attitude and at times my actions little exemplified an "overcomer&q

Military Might

     When I was a child, my dad served for a several years in the Navy. I still remember the stories he would tell my brother and I about his experiences in other countries and the dangers he faced along the way. Since we were just kids, we clung onto every word with a hunger for adventure. Sometimes my brother and I would go outside and act out a harrowing Naval voyage on a porch beside our single wide trailer. To us, joining the military was more about world exploration than homeland protection. Obviously, as you get older, your eyes are opened to the real danger and potential hardships a soldier faces each day. Now understand that this blog is not about the militia of man, seeing as I have no personal experience in this matter, but it is about the spiritual warfare that has raged since the fall of man. I have simply used my past recollections as a springboard. Whether we know it or not, humanity is faced with a greater threat than terrorism or even the possibility of nuclear war, fo

Selah

There is a site that I have just registered and I am hoping that in due time it will serve a great purpose. It is www.heartofjonathan.com . For now it is just a skeleton with only a couple of articles and an about page. To put it simply, it is a site for ministers to pray for and uplift one another. Hopefully, sooner than later, there will be a place where preachers can sign up, receive weekly emails, and share in the wonderful blessing of encouraging and being encouraged. For now, I am going to simply post two articles on this blog that I have written on heartofjonathan.com. Each post is on paticular verses in Psalms that end with "Selah."   Psalms 67:1 God be merciful unto us, and bless us; and cause his face to shine upon us; Selah. When I reflect on the times that I have prayed, I'm amazed at how often my petitions quickly began with a barrage of personal needs and desires. If such prayers could be formulated into one scripted scene it would be like this -

A Detailed Study On Ephesians 1

I Will not take long on explaining this post, since it is so lengthy already. Several months ago, I started a bible study on one Friday evening of the month for those who wanted to sink deeper into God's Word. At first, I thought I would study on Ephesians 6 concerning the armor of God, but after some time God shifted my focus to studying to all of Ephesians. This post is a compilation of all the studies we have had on Ephesians chapter 1. One thing that I will change for our future studies on Ephesians 2-6 is that, Lord willing, I will end every lesson with an applicable question. This, to my chagrin, has not been the case for this series. However, I have certainly tried to build a solid understanding by encouraging the reader to study other supportive passages as well. Please understand that every lesson will have a short summary of the previous lesson, since they were sent out in weekly/bi-weekly increments. If done once a week, this series should last for about 3 months. God