by jot and tittle

Today is an exciting day. Not only is it hopefully going to be warmer then yesterday but it is also the day that I graduate for my one year Bible Collage program. This year has been a great blessing for me. My classmates and I have learned so much about God and being part of His family!     Now, as our year together draws to a close, we must say goodbye to these wonderful people. We as a class have learned to love and respect each other in a way that could be compared with the way one is with their siblings. We as a group need to say goodbye to the church family that has embraced us and we must bid farewell to the teachers who have helped mold and shape us into the people we are today. I spoke to one of my classmates/sisters about this and she was saying that she wasn't looking forward to the end; we had learned so much, grown to love God more, grown to love each other more, gone on great adventures, walked through trials, spoken the truth in love, and shared the gosp...

Henry was walking quickly down the sidewalk one sunny summer afternoon. He had finished his chores and so his mother had let him go out to the park to play baseball with his friends before Dad came home for supper. Henry was quite excited about this adventure but he stopped suddenly when he passed the white church and saw his pastor sitting on the steps with a downcast expression on his normally joyous face.      "Hi Pastor Clay," Henry greeted him as he came to a complete stop just on the other side of the white fence.      "Hello Henry," Pastor Clay's answer was sad.      "How are you today?" Henry asked again, hoping all was well so that he could go play.      "Oh alright," Pastor Clay answered.     With all his might Henry wanted to nod and smile and be on his way...but he couldn't. Instead, he lifted the gate's latch and walked over to the step. Once there, he seated himself beside the pa...

After last week’s post about mending fences I was talking to one of my guy friends and he mentioned that it would be nice if I wrote something that was more applicable to men. After thinking about it I’ve decided to give it a go.     Let me start by saying that real men seem to be lacking in our culture. A real man is one who follows God’s commands and seeks to do God’s will. He loves Jesus more than anything else in the world. The Bible gives direction for men and let me tell you, there is more to being a Godly man then leadership.       Titus 2:6 gives one command to young men. Paul tells Titus “Likewise, urge the younger men to be self controlled.”   Matthew Henry expands on this passage by saying “Here is the duty of young men. They are apt to be eager and hot, thoughtless and precipitant; therefore they must be earnestly called upon and exhorted to be considerate, not rash; advisable and submissive, not wilful and head-strong; humble and m...

Since the weather has been warmer than usual this past week I've noticed some strange happenings in day to day life, both in the world and in the church. Somehow it seems that one of our good friends wants to be seen more and more, her name is Skin. Skin does not really like to be covered up by clothing when it is nice and warm out so we give her her lead and let her soak up one of her best friends, Sunshine. This is all fine and dandy for Skin and Sunshine but there is a problem with one of our other good friends, Eyes. Eyes LOVES winter because that's when Skin is controlled in the wonderful boundaries of clothing. However, when spring comes around it's as if Skin is too strong for the fence of clothing and she is let free to run wild. This causes a lot of trouble and anxiety for Eyes. Eyes wants to glorify God by not tempting the heart it's involved with to lust. Now, what God created Eyes for was to look at things and to see the good things God has done. It's tr...

God give us trials of all different kinds. Some people get a ticket from a police man and end up late for work, some people loose family members to sicknesses or accidents, and some people die from hunger, cold, or beating. How do these trials change us?       One of my friends recently went through a hard time. When she finished telling her sad tale she said. "God does what is best and we have to trust Him."  I also know some people who are bitter about a trial God gave them 20 years ago. I don't like going to their house because it seems angry, stressed, and bitter.It's true that some trials are harder than others. Being stuck in traffic is not as bad as having one of your limbs dismembered.         How do we respond to our trials? I think in order to know how we aught to respond we should look at how God responds. Psalm 56:8 says "You have kept count of my tossings; put my tears into your bottle. Are they not in your bo...

Yesterday was Valentine’s Day. Love was in the air, people were giddy and smiling, chocolates and flowers were everywhere. However, this day can be depressing for those who don’t have someone to give chocolates or flowers too. It seems like everyone is happily paired off and you’re the only single person left in the world.             To lighten the mood of all you singles I’m going to share with you the most wonderful Valentine’s Day I’ve ever experienced. It started with school and having fun with my other single friends. That night some of the guys from school messaged me and my friend to see if we wanted o go see a movie. My friend, Violet, and I accepted the invitation. That night there was a knock on the door. One of the guys, David, had come to the door to get us. We walked to the car where two of our other guy friends were waiting. One was driving and one was in the back seat. When we g...

Encouragement is super important. There are a lot of sad and lonely people in this world that could use a hardy dose of encouragement. Girls long to hear words of support from their fathers, husbands look for respect from their wives, boys want a man to confirm their manhood, and children long for expressions of affection. People from all walks of life seek encouragement.       The problem with encouragement is that it is often preyed upon by flattery. Flattery is what you hear most often when people want approval. Flattery sounds nice but it really isn’t because flattery is actually a expression of a self-seeking person looking for something that will benefit himself.           Encouragement, on the other hand, is for the benefit of the person it is directed to. Encouragement does not always show itself in kind words, but also in actions and sometimes words that reprehend. Because encourag...