Council Fire

“There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.” Proverbs 14:12 (NKJV) Do you know the four directions? Some people do; some people don’t. I think those who don’t know stand a chance of having difficulty getting to their destination, that is, if finding a place depended on knowing which way is which. A man was going to a city 120 miles east and was told to go south unti...

“Don’t lay a hand on the boy!” the angel said. “Do not hurt him in any way, for now I know that you truly fear God. You have not withheld from me even your son, your only son.” Genesis 22:12 (NLT) Not too many people like tests. The test that Abraham had received was a hard one—it was a testing of his faith. In Genesis 22:2, God tells Abraham to, “Take your son . . . Go and sacrifice him as a burn...

“God blesses those that mourn, for they will be comforted.” Matthew 5:4 (NLT) God knows you will experience grief in this life, but you’re not meant to go through it alone. Relying on God and others can relieve your sorrow. Ecclesiastes 3:1a-4 says: “To everything there is a time . . . a time to weep . . . a time to mourn, . . .” (KJV) John 11:35 says, “Jesus wept.” (KJV) Jesus felt deeply the pai...

“I will set you up on a high rock where your enemies cannot reach you.” Psalm 27:5 “When my heart is overwhelmed; lead me to the rock that is higher than I.” Psalm 61:2b (NKJV) Our village is surrounded by beautiful mountains. A huge rock on one mountain sits by itself on top—a reminder from God in different ways. For one, it weighs tons. No one carried it up there, and no one can take it down! Go...

“We know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28 (NASB) On this side of heaven, we may never understand how all things can work together for good for God’s children. If we trust God, He will turn all these into opportunities for spiritual growth. My daughter and I both had dreams of a very dark storm...

“You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” Luke 12:40 (ESV) One of my most difficult things in life is “time.” I think about when I would get to my doctor’s appointment just one minute before my appointment. I was worried that if I was late, I would have to pay the $50 charge for being late. I think about it when I am to meet a client for a meeting, and I...

“And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” Romans 8:28 (NASB) When you experience hard things in life, it is difficult to believe that God has anything to do with what is happening. Early in my Christian walk, my older brother died a violent death at the hands of another family member. This was the fir...

“You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.” 1 John 4:4 (NASB) Years ago, back in northern Manitoba, we met a young teen girl who was desperately asking for help. There were three of us in the home at the time, and she had been lying down in one of the rooms when she asked for help. So, I went in there, and prayed for...

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7 (NIV) Growing up in my little community, I lived with a lot of anxiety. It seemed that I was worried about everything. I’d fret over thi...

“Your word I have hidden my heart, that I might not sin against You.” Psalm 119:11 (NKJV) I remember memorizing Psalm 23 in Sunday school. That earned me my first Bible! I like that the teacher said memorizing Scripture is like hiding God’s Word in our hearts. As I grew older, I realized what a treasure God’s memorized Word is. Keeping God’s Word with us this way serves in several ways. It is a re...

“Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” Proverbs 22:6 (NKJV) “Mama! Danny’s throwing rocks at that cat again!” Maya calls out, then says to her brother, “How come you keep throwing rocks at him? He’s not bothering anybody!” “Cause I hate cats! Next time, I’ll get my BB gun and that’ll take care of him!” says Danny. Mother answers from the doorway...

“But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles, they shall run, and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.” Isaiah 40:31 (NKJV) I remember the first time I heard someone say, “I have a watch that does not have to be wound up every day; it runs by a battery.” In those days our watches and clocks didn’t have batteries to run them—they had...

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him and he will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:5-6 (NIV) Imagine we are living in the 1700s. We’ve carried water from the lake or creek, chopped wood for the fire, and started a stew for supper. (You men brought game home yesterday.) How difficult would it be for us to believe the tal...

“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” Matthew 6:33 (NKJV) When I attended Key-Way-Tin Bible Institute in the early 1990s, I began to learn what it means to trust in the Lord for everything. To get a diploma, three years were required. I did not know how I was going to pay for the three years. I was out of high school and didn’t have...

“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” Romans 12:2 (ESV) It just sits there. There’s an old 1964 Mercury “Shorty” school bus behind my dad’s place that’s been sitting there since 1976 when one of my brothers blew the motor on it. It’s a sweet little three-...

“I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh. Then they will follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. They will be my people, and I will be their God.” Ezekiel 11:19- 20 (NIV) It is easy to allow habits to creep in and take up residence in our lives just as the Israelites did in Ezekiel 11. W...

“Therefore, it was necessary for Him to be made in every respect like us, His brothers and sisters, so that He could be our merciful and faithful High Priest before God.” Hebrews 2:17 (NLT) The High Priest mentioned in this verse is Jesus! In Philippians 2:6-7 it says, “Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up His divine privileges; he...

“And He goeth up into a mountain, and calleth unto him whom he would; and they came unto him. And He ordained twelve, that they should be with him.” Mark 3:13, 14a (KJV) Recently, a teenager had been attending our small church faithfully for two months, but he suddenly stopped. About a month later I saw him walking with a friend. I asked him why he stopped coming and he replied, “I have been very...

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:16 (KJV) A. God loves us. This is only one of the Scriptures that tells us that God loves us. Not just me. He loves all of us, the whole world. He loves not just the good people, but also the bad people. Drunks, alcoholics, drug addicts, murderers, t...

“Surely the righteous shall give thanks to Your name” Psalm 140:13a (NKJV) There are few things more painful than doing someone a kindness and having them treat it with disdain. After working in secret for weeks, Margaret, a prize-winning bead crafter, has finally finished the intricately beaded vest for her daughter, Princess. She wraps it and places it beneath their Christmas tree. When the big...

“Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” Lamentations 3:22-23 (NIV) Isaiah 55:8, 9 has stuck out to me throughout the years. It really helps me put in perspective how great and wonderful and all-knowing God is. “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the L...

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” John 14:27 (NIV) I’ve been intrigued by the story of a Rocky Mountain Cree of the mid-1800’s, a chief named Maskepetoon. Told by many, it has become a mix of myth, legend, and truth. However, all sources mark the man with the common denominator that follo...

“Is any sick among you? 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: And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he has committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.” James 5:14-15 (KJV) I was about 12 when I got stricken with a very bad skin disease. I missed a few of months of school...

“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” Matthew 28:19 (NIV) I will never forget my mom putting us five kids to bed early on a Saturday night because we were going to go to Sunday school the next day. My six-year-old thoughts were, “What!? Why? It was our day off from school.” A faithful man named Mr. Staley f...

“But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.” John 3:21 (NIV) A woman had prayed and prayed for her children to turn from their ways of addiction. She even asked the church for prayer that God would help her children stop and turn from their ways. It was for about seven years that she continued to p...