Ninas Family Missional Life

Spring is Here!!! I love Spring in the South.  Cool to cold mornings and beautiful sun-drenched afternoons.  Wait!  You say Spring isn’t here.  Well, I have a few friends who will beg to differ. Let me give you some evidence.  If you are hoping for some Biblical truth out of this let me frontload it for you:  “ For ever since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through His workmanship [all His creation, the wonderful things that He has made], so that they [who fail to believe and trust in Him] are without excuse and without defense.” Romans 1:20 Last year I discovered a pair of Song Sparrows nesting in a huge Holly bush behind Hollis Hand Elementary. I discovered them because the male was singing the boundaries of his territory throughout the day.  What did it sound like?  Click the words in blue to hear the Song Sparrow . I hav...

     Epiphany.  Have you ever had one?  I always thought an epiphany would be accompanied by a bright, shining light and the voice of God speaking from the heavens (not like in Monty Python’s Holy Grail).  The dictionary defines epiphany this way:   a sudden, intuitive perception of or insight into the reality or essential meaning of something, usually initiated by some simple, homely, or commonplace occurrence or experience.  So when I speak of epiphany this is the meaning.  If you know me, you know I am a student of etymology (word origins), so click here to look at the etymology of epiphany.       Often during Bible study I will get a brilliant flash of meaning from a word, phrase or passage.  I wish I could say it resolves issues and puts to rest any questions I have.  More often than knot it sends me into a cocoon as I try to process what I have learned.  Part of that process is w...

                May of 2016, Lynne and I did something radical.  We had our cable turned off.  Yes, we did.  We still watch television using our Roku and our Amazon Fire Stick.  Hulu, Netflix and Amazon Video have become our sole sources for television.  With no cable television, we found ourselves with lots of free time.  We really felt led by God to “cut the cable.”  Our $100 plus cable bill was no more, and we began paying about $21 a month for the services to which we subscribe.    God had plans for that time.                 I was beginning to prepare for the Precept Upon Precept study on 2 Timothy that I am now leading on Wednesday nights.  At the beginning of the summer I was knee deep in a Precept Upon Precept study of Romans 1-5 with a friend.   If you have ever done Precept Upon Precept, you ...

Fortunately we are required by law to wear clothes when we are out in public.  In the winter time you can freeze to death if you are not properly clothed.  Even in the summer time we dress to be comfortable and cool.  I think some people are such slaves to fashion that they will wear anything regardless of how comfortable it is or how offensive it may be.  If is say, “those aren’t pants!”, you know I am talking about yoga pants. Most people put a fair amount of thought into what they wear.  During the school year I pick out my clothes the night before so that I can shower and dress quickly in the morning to get to the car rider line at school.  I choose clothes that “go together” and are comfortable.  If they aren’t comfortable, it will be a very long day. Some Christians make a big deal about clothing and even cite some Bible verses to support their stand on clothing.  However most of us skip over the most direct referen...

I am still in a cocoon about 2 Timothy 2.  If you seek to know  Paul’s heart about his faith in God, he seems to distill the essence living the Christian life into his letter to Timothy; particularly so in 2 Timothy 2.   My wife says I over-analyze, or in the least think about things that nobody else does.  I spent most of my time growing up alone, so there was time to think and nobody to disturb the process.  During my time in the Navy I was never the party animal a lot of my friends were, so again I found myself alone with plenty of time to think. Over the past few weeks my gizzard of a brain has continued grinding on 2 Timothy 2, but particularly on 2 Timothy 2:15.  Lots of people can recite the AWANA verse, but I wonder how many understand the complexity of what Paul is communicating to his son Timothy.  I say son, because in the salutation to this letter to Timothy, Paul calls Timothy his son.  So here it is in the NASB: 2 Timothy 2:15...