Month: November 2022

But above all, my brothers, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or by any other oath, but let your “yes” be yes and your “no” be no, so that you may not fall under condemnation. James 5:12 Over my 15 years of drug use, I did have a couple of attempts at…
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Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains.  James 5:7 Patience is not one of my gifts. It’s postoperative (knee replacement) day number four and I’m still swollen…
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You have lived on the earth in luxury and in self-indulgence. You have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter. James 5:5 I’ve got this hard-to-believe old photo of me running a marathon that I’ve used for the blog previously. I’ll try to include the picture in the email version of today’s blog because…
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So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin. James 4:17 Whenever we visit our kids in college, we go out for supper and then end up getting ice cream afterwards. We usually go to one of those shops where you can pick from twenty different…
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Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up. James 4:10 (NIV) So, how’d it go? Honestly, it’s been an amazingly smooth experience so far. I was in the hospital at 6AM and the fantastic hospital staff had me home by mid-afternoon. After surgery, I got a long-lasting anesthetic knee block, which means…
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Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise. Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. James 5:13-14 I’ve been thinking about this for a while,…
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Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit” . . .  Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” As it is, you boast in your…
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Do not speak evil against one another, brothers . . . There is only one lawgiver and judge, he who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you to judge your neighbor? James 4:11-12 At our house, we’ve had many discussions lately about how we talk about the struggles of those around…
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Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you. James 4:8-10 I can clearly remember the first time I used my medical license to divert…
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Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. James 4:8 I’ve got a lot of flaws, but I’ve never been a workaholic. I like my job, but once I work my hours, I go home to my family. I spend my time with my wife and when my college kids are home,…
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