Clearing-the-Fog

Psalm 135 calls for His people to “praise the name of the Lord.” Psalm 135:1 (NLT) – “Praise the Lord! Praise the name of the Lord! Praise him, you who serve the Lord.” In verse 3 we are given the reason why we should praise the name of the Lord: “Praise the Lord, for the…

Life and history move in cycles. Similar events seem to come around on a regular basis. The events of this week in Israel and the Gaza Strip remind me of similar “earth-shattering” events throughout my 75 years here on earth. There was the cold war standoff between the United States and the USSR. Add to…

Do you live symbolically? Does your life throw off a message to others?  What do they hear from your life? The writer of Hebrews mentioned that in the days before Christ, God spoke to His people “many times and in many ways … through the prophets.” One of those prophets was Ezekiel. As a prophet,…

In 1938, as storm clouds of war darkened the horizon in Europe, composer Irving Berlin sat down to write what has become a second national anthem for the United States – “God Bless America.” This song was propelled to greatness by singer Kate Smith, and now it has become a catch phrase for almost every…

Sympathy and empathy are not the same thing. We may use the words to mean the same thing, but in reality, they are different creatures all together. Sympathy is a feeling of sincere concern for someone who is going through difficulty or pain. It’s the sentiment that says, “I’m sorry you are hurting.” But that’s…

We are far enough into the month of January that those New Year’s Resolutions you made several weeks ago have mostly been left behind or are limping along on life support. A New Year’s Resolution is like a “hope-so” promise. We hope we can keep the promise we made to ourselves and to others. But…

This is the giving time of year!  Some gifts we give cheerfully. Other gifts are given grudgingly – “well, I have to give this gift because they are going to give me a gift, but I really wish I didn’t have to spend the money.”  “Yes, we’ve got to get a gift – after all,…

Lately my Facebook algorithm has been flashing aerial shots of million-dollar mansions and estates of the rich and famous. They spread out over many acres, with the requisite swimming pool, tennis courts, multiple wings off the main house. The lawn and gardens are immaculate. Everything within me says, “Now that’s the kind of place I…

Most of us have had the experience of doing something out of good intentions only to have it backfire and take an unexpected turn for the worse. Such was the case with an Old Testament character by the name of Uzzah. What we might consider to be a good thing and a needed thing, actually…