Transformed Mind

“Everywhere things are troubling and uneasy - wars and rumours of war: perhaps not the final hour but certainly times most evil. Nevertheless, the Apostle again and again bids us "Rejoice." Nature herself bids us to do so, the very face of the earth being now renewed, after its own manner, at the start of Spring. I believe the men of this age think too much about the state of nations and the situation of the world…We are not kings, we are not senators. Let us beware lest, while we torture ourselves in vain about the state of Europe, we neglect either Verona or Oxford. In the poor man who knocks at my door, in my ailing mother, in the young man who seeks my advice, the Lord Himself is present: therefore let us wash His feet." This was a quote from famed author of The Screwtape Letters, The Great Divorce, Mere Christianity, and of course the Chronicles of Narnia, C.S. Lewis. Though in this quote he was reflecting about the state of the world in 1947, Lewis had also fough

1 Kings 13  (Read First!) Introduction How easily do those we see as leaders, experts, and colleagues deceive us? How many of you remember back in 2011 when Harold Camping predicted the end of the world and many of his followers and others sold all of their possessions actually thinking the end was coming. Or how many of you have heard that God will not give you more than you can handle? The thing is, intentions and sincerity do not necessitate or require truth. Both the above examples were and are false. We are to live by God’s word and His truth alone. But I’ll come back to that. Let’s delve into this story… Original Meaning So in this passage we have a king named Jeroboam and a couple of prophets. To give you a little background Jeroboam was a servant of King Solomon who oversaw the forced labor that built the Temple and other buildings in Jerusalem. What happened prior to this passage was that Solomon had greatly sinned by whoring after his wives’, yes wives, as in more than

I just want to express how awesome it is to be a part of this corps, to be able to speak truth in love into Soldiers lives and to see God's kingdom grow for His glory... Heavenly Father, I pray that You continue to watch over the men and women in uniform that serve You above all else and that through their service to country, Your name is glorified and Your will is done. Surround them with Your divine protection from both the physical and spiritual enemies of this day. Thank You for Your unconditional love, unmerited mercy, and bountiful grace that You have shown in Your Son...for "as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life..." In THIS name I pray. Amen! Chaplain Corps' 240Th Anniversary by  Representative Doug Collins  Posted on 2015-07-27

Everywhere things are troubling and uneasy - wars and rumours of war: perhaps not the final hour but certainly times most evil. Nevertheless, the Apostle again and again bids us "Rejoice." Nature herself bids us to do so, the very face of the earth being now renewed, after its own manner, at the start of Spring. I believe the men of this age (and among them you Father, and myself) think too much about the state of nations and the situation of the world. . . .We are not kings, we are not senators. Let us beware lest, while we torture ourselves in vain about the state of Europe, we neglect either Verona or Oxford. In the poor man who knocks at my door, in my ailing mother, in the young man who seeks my advice, the Lord Himself is present: therefore let us wash His feet. – C.S. Lewis The world is continuing to spin into chaos, which is fine because God is sovereign. Take what’s in front of you and do your best with it. It’s the small things in life that make the greatest imp

Father, I want nothing more than to do your will, your work, but is it vanity? Do I secretly want others to look at me and say, "Wow, what a knowledgable fellow, he is so godly." Father I pray you keep me humble, that through your Word I remain low. I am scared to fail, to say the wrong thing or to stumble, even though I know it is not the eloquence of my speech, but the power of Your Word that rips at the hearts of others. Continue to build me up in Christ through the wisdom of those before me, of those that walk with You daily, and through Your Word. Keep me from the temptations of this world, not only sensuality, but the mind-numbing misinformation of the media. I want to know you deeply, intimately, wholly. Move me off my couch and into Your world, to seek out those that are in dire need of You. Holy and gracious Father, use me, a repentant sinner, to do what You have laid upon my heart and to step forth in boldness. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.

“Unless we regain the art of silence and insight, the ability for non-activity, unless we substitute true leisure for our hectic amusements, we will destroy our culture – and ourselves.” – Josef Pieper, Indeed. We in fact become idolaters when we immerse ourselves in work as an end in itself, when in reality it is simply a means to sustaining our lives, lives that are meant for more. We are to glorify God and edify others. These are the chief concerns of life. Leisure is the ability to let go of oneself and to engage the world and others in a deep and meaningful way. With that, take some time to reevaluate your life. Are you wasting away working for works sake? Take a walk outside and just be still, that is, listen to the world around you. Engage a thought-provoking book and just contemplate its message or find a friend and just talk about life. Take care and God bless.

Ignatius: Love, of the Greatest Degree Many heresies were competing for followers during this time (1 st -2 nd century A.D.) in the Roman Empire and thus the true form of Christianity was being etched away, causing strife and arguments within the church.   Ignatius of Antioch took these problems to heart and rose to the occasion. He began his push to unify the church and prove his devotion to God through letters and a climatic death that sealed his name in eternity. Ignatius’ greatest opponent was Gnosticism, which took Jesus as an apparition and not of the flesh.   The Gnostics intellectual elitist tendencies and belief in holding secret knowledge piqued many people’s interest.   Ignatius knew he needed to quell the rise of this heretical group and rally his church and faith to the truth.   His aim was to contain the true apostolic teachings and ensure the continuity of the teachings by advocating the monepiscopacy, [1] that is, a bishop ran church structure . This was the an