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Author Archive: joe

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The Truth Will Out!

August 19, 2008 Faith, General, News

That's something that I think Shakespeare said. It had to do with the fact that when you did deeply enough, the truth will float to the top – it cannot be buried!If you watched the finale of "So You Think You Can Dance" on the Fox network, then you heard the words of the winner. Joshua Allen said "God is in control" right there on network TV. It was not one of those long thought out speeches.

When Cat Deely the host asked him if he had anything to say, he said "I just wanna say that never let anybody tell you you can't do something because God is in control and with God you can do anything! So thank you God, thank you." Notice, that it was not his parents, grandparents, dance instructor, judges or the voting public. It was God he thanked first!

In subsequent interviews, it seems that the TV editors avoid any mention of God, but if you go to the Fox website, you will find it right there in the "Results" for episode 26 of season 4. Watching some clips that Fox puts up from after the show, is a totally different experience.

If you missed it, you missed it! Even the episodes cannot be seen on Fox – who knows, maybe someone will put up Joshua's response on YouTube. I guess what popped up in my mind was the fact that Joshua wasn't afraid to say what he believed. A powerful statement of his faith – that someone (a higher power) was in control. And then that reference to Jesus' words "with God all things are possible."

Thoughtful Sign

August 4, 2008 Faith, General

At least it got me thinking. Posted outside a local church was this “There is no right way to do a wrong.” It got my little logic cells computing. Do they also mean that there is no wrong way to do a right? After all, that would be the second side of the coin so to speak. In coin terms, that would be the “obverse side”. My mind is already wandering…

Then my mind got to thinking – actually asking myself if that was really true.

At some point, I would have probably said “it depends”. I guess if someone wanted to steal, and they talked to someone who steals for a living (now that’s a thought to ponder), the professional thief would probably give them pointers on the “right way” to steal. It would still be doing a wrong, but according to the expert, you would be doing it the right way.

Applying that kind of thinking to the “wrong way to do a right” picture, could really mess with one’s mind. I’m not so sure, but you see where the logic and illogic can take you when you get started down the wrong path (There was that word again!)

Oh well, perhaps it got your brain going and you are asking yourself “what in the world is he talking about?” My only point here is that a wrong done is still a “wrong” even if we don’t think it is/was. Makes you want to go find and argue definitions for “right” and “wrong”. Well, don’t call me…

Where Was I?

July 30, 2008 Faith

Oh, yes, still in 1 John 2. Found John sounding a little like Peter (see 1 Pet 2:2) when he repeats the “growing old – getting better” paradigm. At first glance, verses 12-14 look like a stutter in hand writing – you know, like when you forget you already wrote something, and do it again.

But that is not what John is saying. His thrust in these three verses is to emphasize how we grow.

I don’t know of anyone who, when born could do anything other than “baby” things. Everything else we do took us some time to develope the skills, muscle tone, “eye”, “ear” or whatever else makes you great in some area of life. Willie Mays spent many hours practicing hitting that little white ball – developing the muscle control and “eye” to match the sweet spot on the bat with the ball.

Every great person we have heard of got that way because they learned from their mistakes, and got back up and tried a different way. And if we can’t do that, then we definitely won’t get any better! John wants us to know that as we grow in our walk as Christ followers, we get better (stronger). Peter says that we grow by starting with milk and progressing to meat – and he is right. Have not seen any babies who can demolish a steak. They and we grow into the big people’s food.

Each of us will grow at a different rate, but the goal is not to keep up with one another, but to keep up with what the “Teacher” is teaching us. It begins with His words and my listening.

Copyright 2009-2026 by Joe Suttle