Dene's Blog

The Armor of God

9/10/2025 0 Comments

Today's post is by guest writer Joanne Beckley.

Ephesians 6:11-18 Put on the full armor of God, that you may be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual [forces] of wickedness in the heavenly [places.] Therefore, take up the full armor of God, that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Stand firm therefore, HAVING GIRDED YOUR LOINS WITH TRUTH, and HAVING PUT ON THE BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS, and having shod YOUR FEET WITH THE PREPARATION OF THE GOSPEL OF PEACE; in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming missiles of the evil [one.] And take THE HELMET OF SALVATION, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints.

Whatever task we face will require the armor of God, Ephesians 6:10-19, (perhaps prompted from Isaiah 59:17) for we face Satan every day as he tries to destroy every good thought and deed. Even the apostle Paul felt compelled to ask for prayer on his behalf as he faced the wiles of the devil while carrying the gospel to the lost. The book of Ephesians was one of Paul’s letters written from prison. During Paul’s time in prison he obviously became well acquainted with the armor worn and carried by his captors in the Roman army. Following Isaiah’s lead (Isaiah 59:17), Paul drew a powerful comparison between a soldier’s armor and the spiritual armor of God.

For us, our own temptations may only be the day-to-day variety in facing the challenge of a new day, or we may be dealing with increased pain or grief. God provides these six areas, including prayer, in living the life of a Christian, to strengthen and protect us and help us triumph over Satan in our spiritual battles. Each piece of the armor of God is essential, and the Bible tells us how to put them on and use them effectively.

Paul emphasized that with God’s help we are “to stand”. We will be able to hold the line, to not retreat, to not give up an inch of God’s territory. If God’s army is fighting for us in heaven than by all means we should be ever diligent concerning the spirit of faith within us and for those that are fighting for us! (see 2Kings 6:14-17) 2Ki 6:17 Then Elisha prayed and said, "O LORD, I pray, open his eyes that he may see." And the LORD opened the servant's eyes, and he saw; and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. Notice the invisible guard of angels that encompass and defend us, Psalm 34:7 The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear Him, And rescues them.

THE BELT: A belt was a critical piece of equipment to be put on, and it secures all the other pieces of our armor. Wearing the belt showed that the soldier was ready for action, since he would only loosen his belt when he went off duty. Truth should surround us like a belt. Knowing God’s truth is the ONLY source that will fight Satan’s lies and deception. And to be truly ready for the battle, we must be completely truthful ourselves in our inner being. As Jesus said, “Thy word is truth” (John 17:17). Paul exhorted us to speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15).

BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS: The breastplate protects the most vulnerable area of the body. To be righteous is first of all to believe, repent, be baptized, to be forgiven of our sins (Acts 2:38) through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ that justifies us and makes us right with God (Romans 5:9). In gratitude we should strive to do what is right in God’s eyes. Psalm 119:172 tells us that God’s commandments are righteousness. Obeying God is beneficial, not burdensome (Deuteronomy 10:13; 1 John 5:3).

SHOES WITH THE PREPARATION OF THE GOSPEL OF PEACE: Not barefoot, but shod, just as Alexander the Great and Julius Caesar realized the benefit in traveling over rough terrain, held firm with spikes on the soles. The word “preparation,” denoting being prepared and ready, reminds us that we are to be eager to preach the gospel of peace. Romans 10:15 And how shall they preach unless they are sent? Just as it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring glad tidings of good things!” (Isa 52:7).

SHIELD OF FAITH: When our faith in God and His love is strong, it is impossible for Satan to break through our shield and land a blow. If you notice how a long-ago army fought, the presence of a wall of shields required many soldiers working together. Together we too will be able to take on any challenge, strengthening each other with our faith, building up and serving together as we are able.

HELMET OF SALVATION: The heart of our hope. We can receive tremendous comfort by focusing on the incredible sacrifice Jesus Christ gave to save us and the wonderful Kingdom in which we now serve, looking for the hope of our salvation.

THE SWORD OF THE SPIRIT: The sword of the Spirit, like the Roman gladius, their offensive weapon, can also help us to conquer all our enemies, including that most difficult one, our human weaknesses. Hebrews 4:12 “For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” We must continually sharpen it with regular and focused Bible study. By studying the Word of God daily, we can have God’s wisdom in the forefront of our minds, ready to help us make wise choices to fight off Satan’s attacks.

WITH ALL PRAYER AND SUPPLICATION: Praying reminds us we are in the battle of our lives, and it reminds us of the source of our strength and defense. How often do we fail to talk to God or are our prayers without depth? Surely not. Watch out for “me” trouble and don’t forget to give thanks.

Eph. 6:13 Therefore, take up the full armor of God, that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm.

Taken from various resources

Joanne Beckley

Making Ketchup

9/9/2025 2 Comments

At the end of every gardening year I always end up with extra plum tomatoes and nothing to do with them. My pantry is full of canned tomatoes, tomato sauce, and even tomato jam. So what else is there? Now that I have a grandson who is a manic dipper of anything he can pick up in his chubby little fingers, I had a sudden epiphany. “Ketchup!” I said to myself. “Make the boy some ketchup.”

So I found an easy recipe—not a quick one by any means, but once you get past the initial chopping and measuring stage, all you do is stir once in awhile for a couple of hours.

I did not want to put a lot of energy into something I had never tried, so I made a small batch. I filled a five quart Dutch oven halfway with chopped plum tomatoes, onions and peppers, sugar, vinegar, and spices, and put them on to cook. About two and a half hours later I poured up one generous cup of ketchup. It was definitely the best ketchup I had ever tasted, and plenty for Keith and I who take a year to go through a 32 oz bottle, but it was not going to do for a ketchup fanatic, and it certainly wasn’t worth the work. Now that I know the recipe is good, though, I will fill two of those pots to the brim and in about the same amount of time have something a little more worthwhile.

And that is our problem when it comes to converting the world. We only fill one pot half full and then wonder why we got such a small return. Then we become discouraged, or worse, decide that God’s way doesn’t work any more and then we really get into trouble, going places and doing things we have no authority for, denigrating God in the process.

We see the 3000 baptized on Pentecost and say, what’s wrong? Why can’t we do that? Let’s do a little math. Most scholars estimate the population of Jerusalem during a feast day at 1 million or more. Three thousand out of one million is not that much. In fact, it’s the same as 300 out of 100,000, or 30 out of 10,000 or 3 out of 1000. That’s less than one third of one percent, or, to be silly about it, it’s a short one-third of a person for every hundred.

Stop being so negative. Stop allowing sheer numbers without perspective to discourage you. This is a Biblical principle. The road is narrow. Only a few will find it. We just have to make sure that their inability to find it wasn’t our fault. And we have to remember above all, that it isn’t God’s fault either. It is not the fault of His methods. It is not the fault of His plan. We certainly cannot improve on the ways of the Almighty. What we can do is implement them.

Fill as many pots as you have with tomatoes. If you want a 3000 day, then cook a million. Most of us can’t do that, but we can cook a hundred in a lifetime surely. And if all you get is one cup of ketchup, that’s wonderful. In fact, it’s better than Pentecost. You did not fail by any means. You did your part, and, even better, you did it God’s way.

For seeing that in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom knew not God, it was God's good pleasure through the foolishness of the preaching to save them that believe. Seeing that Jews ask for signs, and Greeks seek after wisdom: but we preach Christ crucified, unto Jews a stumblingblock, and unto Gentiles foolishness; but unto them that are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God. Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men.

1 Corinthians 1:21-25

Dene Ward

Book Review: The Jesus Legend, A Case for the Historical Reliability for the Synoptic Jesus Tradition by Paul Rhodes Eddy and Gregory A. Boyd

9/6/2025 0 Comments

Don't run away because of the title of this book. The authors do believe that Jesus existed and was the Son of God. The aim of authors Eddy and Boyd is to carefully study and ultimately call into question those who do not believe Jesus was the Son of God, or that he even existed. In order to do so, they very carefully distance themselves from their faith most of the way through the book in order to make their treatise as academic as possible. Be aware that this is a scholarly treatise. It is not easy to read, but if you are reasonably intelligent, as I believe my readers are, you can understand it and come away more assured about your own faith.

The first chapter is nearly interminable. Don't run away from that either. Just read a section or two at a time, keeping a dictionary handy. The authors are setting forth not only what they are investigating, but also how they plan to do it. That part does get a little tedious, but I am not sure you will understand what you are reading if you skip it. Once you are past that, it goes much more quickly. In fact, the last half of the book is a breeze after that.

The scholars the authors are speaking about say they are using the "historical-critical" method, which includes a naturalistic (no miracles allowed) approach to everything. Eddy and Boyd show how this method is nothing more than post-Gutenberg Western Academia blowing their own horn as the only ones who are doing it right. They are charged with chronocentrism, ethnocentrism and circular reasoning. "When nothing is allowed to count as evidence against a presupposition, and when nothing is allowed to call into question one's metaphysical commitments, the commitment to the presupposition is, for all intents and purposes, a religious commitment to a dogma…This hardly seems consistent with a discipline that calls itself 'critical' and strives to be…objective and unbiased…in its assessment of evidence." The authors then advocate an "open" historical-critical method, which they believe is much more fair and includes the humility to recognize that they are not the only intelligent ones out there. More than once, Western Academia is scolded for its arrogance. Some of the arguments made by these people to "prove" that the Gospels are no more than myth even I can answer. The fact that Jesus' sermons on the same topic are often "different" in each gospel? I am married to a preacher. He often preaches the same sermons again and again, but he does not use exactly the same words. It depends upon the audience for one thing, and anyone telling the same story more than once will use different words with each telling. It is not a rote performance.

The authors answer every objection these scholars make in their own very scholarly way. At the end, they don their theological hats for a final brief moment and say, "the Holy Spirit, personal commitment, and covenant trust must carry one the rest of the way. If this work has, to any extent helped to clarify the solid historical grounds for this faith response, it has served its purpose." I think it does exactly that.

The Jesus Legend is published by Baker Academics and is also available on Kindle.

Dene Ward

Out to Lunch

9/5/2025 0 Comments

We are a self-centered and selfish culture. If you think that has not found its way into the church, you are wrong. If you think it hasn’t found its way into your own heart, you are probably wrong again. Have these words ever left your mouth? “No one came to see me when I was sick/injured/in the hospital?” There is your evidence right there.

God meant for us to minister to others every day and in every circumstance of life, not judge our brother's service to us.. Too often, if we see our lives as a ministry at all, we see it as periods of service broken up by periods when we cannot serve—for example, when we are ill. In other words, when things don’t come easily, when things are not perfect, we are “on break” or “out to lunch.”

            If anyone had an excuse for taking a break, it was Paul while he was in prison. Yet he tells the Philippians that he was fulfilling his mission to preach the gospel, “this grace,” even while imprisoned, Phil 1:5-7. God recently taught us this lesson of perpetual ministry in a way we will not soon forget.

            Keith had major surgery that kept him in the hospital five days. In fact, it kept me in with him since I can more easily communicate with this deaf spouse of 50 years than anyone else can, and I took care of many basic nursing chores too.

            We have always made it a point to treat service people as people, not personal slaves or furniture. Many waitresses have told us they remember us from earlier visits precisely because of that. We tried to do the same with the hospital medical staff. We didn’t complain; we didn’t make demands; we took care of our own needs as often as possible, and said please and thank you when we had to ask for something. We never really thought about that—it’s just something we do because the Lord would have us treat everyone kindly and with respect.

            One night one of the nurses took me aside and asked about our “religion.” “There’s something different about you,” she said, and gave me an opening to talk with her about the Lord and our church family.

            Another night one of the nurses stayed in our room talking to us far longer than she needed in order to accomplish her task. Finally she said with a sigh, “I need to go check on the others, but I’ll be back to talk more when I can.”

            Yet another day, one of the nurses who had been with us for three days was leaving for four days off, and knew that she wouldn’t see us again. She made a point to come say good-bye.

            While we were there we handed out tracts and blog cards. We wrote down church addresses and website addresses. We gave out email addresses. Although we had taken those things with us “just in case,” I was shocked at how many we were able to give out, at how many people wanted to talk. We thought we needed their care, but God showed us how to give it right back.

            What is happening in your life right now? Don’t assume that you cannot serve when you are physically indisposed. Don’t hang an “out to lunch” sign on your life because you have too much going on right now to pay attention to anyone else. What did Jesus do while he was hanging on the cross? How many did he minister to? His mother, a thief, the very men who drove the nails, and all of us as he died for our sins.

            Jesus expects us to live as he did, thinking of others’ needs first. If you have done it long enough, it comes without thought, even in turbulent times, painful times, sorrowful times. The trick is to do it while things are good. Do it in the grocery store. Do it on the freeway. Do it at school and work and when you speak to your neighbor. It must become natural in order to come automatically in trying circumstances. Any difficulty you have, especially when things are easy, is a telling factor—it shows how little you have been working on it.

            Service, first, last, always--and regardless of circumstances—that is the motto of a true disciple of Christ.

I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel, so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ, Philippians 1:12-13.

To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak, Ephesians 6:18-20.

Dene Ward

September 4, 1957 The Biggest Dud in History

9/4/2025 0 Comments

     I was born legally blind. In those days, they did not check children like they do today, and I learned to feed and dress myself, and played happily in my bedroom with no one the wiser. Finally, when I was four, my parents noticed that I kept getting closer and closer to the television. Don't judge them harshly. They loved me and cared for me as any parent would. They just did not recognize the problem because of how well I coped. And I coped that well because I assumed everyone was like me and so never raised a fuss.
     I got my first pair of "coke bottle" glasses when I was 4—and it was still nearly 50 years later before the doctors came up with a name for what was wrong with me. But those glasses were pretty amazing. My mother said the first thing I did when we left the doctor's office with them was to lean over and look at the ground. Finally, she came to see what I had found and nearly cried when she realized it was the first time I had ever seen ants.
     I spent a lot of time looking at things after that, and seeing them for the first time. My daddy, who was a car guy, was especially tickled that I learned all the identifying characteristics of the different models of cars. Back then, there were not as many as today, so a four year old noticing a "Winken" and "Toodebaker," which for some reason I also called a "backwards forwards car," was not all that amazing. I also remember when Edsels came out. That big horse collar of a grille was easy to see for a four year old who paid attention to things like that.
      But Ford had goofed in their research. They were aiming at people who would buy mid-priced sedans. Time magazine says they spent $250 million dollars on research and advertising, but by the time the car came out, the country was in a recession and people were looking at compact cars to save money. The Edsel came out on September 4, 1957, and was discontinued on November 19, 1959. The car's name has come to mean "a dud," in our slang, and people will always remember it that way.
     The last thing any of us should want is to be remembered for our worst mistake. In the scriptures, Jeroboam probably has that distinction. In order to solidify his reign and hold on the people, he introduced things to the worship of God that were considered from then on as some of the worst abominations in the land, particularly the golden calves in Dan and Bethel. I counted at least 25 times that these sins were listed in the historical books as they described the kings who reigned after him--he departed not from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat. God had promised him a dynasty if he only obeyed, but he did not trust God to keep his word, and so he lost that promise.
     We can make life-changing mistakes ourselves. Whom you marry is probably one of the most important decisions you will make—it can determine your eternal destiny, AND your children's. "But I can change him," has about as much chance of happening as snow in Tampa—which has happened only once in my lifetime. How you choose to raise your children is another one. What you do and don't do, and who you listen to can determine their whole lives. The career you choose can also be important. Even the congregation you choose to be a part of can make a difference if all you want is entertainment or "easy listening." Whenever you find yourself saying, "But I will do better than all those others, it won't affect me that way," you have put an Edsel on the assembly line and are likely to have the same results.
     Please be careful. Young people, please listen to those who are older and have come through the same stages of life you are in now. They care about your souls and they want to help you. You don't want to be remembered as the biggest dud in history, and you don't want the eternal results that might lead to, especially for those you love.

An ear that is hearing the reproof of life lodges among the wise. Whoever is refusing instruction is despising his soul, and whoever is hearing reproof is getting understanding Prov15:30-32

Dene Ward

Dead Morning Glories

9/3/2025 0 Comments

We made a mistake this summer. We planted climbing roses at either end of a fifteen foot long trellis, and then planted morning glories along it as well. To fill up the blank spot in the middle, we told ourselves. But as the summer progressed those morning glory vines wound their way not only up the trellis but across to the new rose canes and completely covered them. They shaded the leaves from the already filtered sun in that area of the yard and even hid the few blooms the roses managed to put out.
            Enough, we decided, and Keith clipped the smothering vines one morning. They were wound so tightly, I had to wait for them to begin to wilt before I could remove them without damaging the rose vines. Do you know what happened? For five days those clipped and wilted vines put on new blooms and not just a few.
            Finally on the fifth day, I grabbed some heavy duty scissors and began cutting and carefully unwinding them. After a half hour of cautious work and quite a few bloody thorn-pricks, nearly all the morning glories were lying in a pile along the bottom of the trellis and I discovered more rose vines than I ever imagined trailing along nearly the entire fifteen feet of trellis. I gathered the morning glories in an armful and tossed them out in the brushy field.
            The next morning we came out to look at the roses. New red leaves grew on nearly every end, with half a dozen new buds. Finally we can breathe, they seemed to be screaming at us. Then we walked over to the field and out there in the thick grass lay those dead morning glory vines—with brand new purple, blue, pink, and magenta blooms on them! The next morning we saw more new morning glory blooms. It had been a week since they were cut and they had lain in the sub-tropical summer sun without even any rain. Yet there they were, putting on new blooms still, even though their vines were wilted and brown.
            By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, through which he had witness borne to him that he was righteous, God bearing witness in respect of his gifts: and through it he being dead yet speaks, Heb 11:4.
            How many hundreds of names do we know from the pages of Scripture? Though they are long dead, their examples still speak to us and help us along our path.
            Therefore let us also, seeing we are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily besets us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Heb 12:1.
            That great cloud of witnesses continues to speak as we read about their lives, as we study them in Bible classes and hear them spoken of in sermons. We give our children great Bible heroes to pattern their lives after, and well we should. But what is true of them is true of us as well.
            After we are gone, our deeds will continue to speak, maybe not to as many as those in the pages of Scripture, but to everyone who knew us. What will they see in the field after we are gone? Will we leave nothing but a wilted vine, or will colorful blooms still dot the ground? Will the deeds we do continue to inspire others, or will our useless lives stand as an example not to follow? Will people talk about us with words of blessing or will others need to come along and undo the damage we left behind?
            Think about my morning glories today. Someday your stem will be snipped, too. What will be left behind for others to see?

Show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works, and in your teaching show integrity, dignity, and sound speech that cannot be condemned, so that an opponent may be put to shame, having nothing evil to say about us, Titus 2:7,8.

Dene Ward

Bad News Bearers

9/2/2025 0 Comments

Have you noticed this about the internet? Everyone is in a hurry to spread bad news, almost as if a prize were given to the one who knows it first and has the most lurid detail. Why is that, especially among Christians? Shouldn’t a group created by Good News be far more likely to share that? Yet the many who are quick to excuse their inability to talk to their neighbors about their salvation, have no such qualms about telling even their enemies about a tragedy.
            Psalm 22 should give us pause. We tend to think of it as “the crucifixion psalm” and relegate it to Messianic prophecy alone. However, most scholars believe that these psalms had an application in the day in which they were written also. Therefore, Psalm 22, which is clearly Messianic in many ways, also applied to some time in David’s life.
            It must be obvious that we do not know every detail of his life. John said about the life of Jesus, Now there are also many other things that Jesus did. Were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written. John 21:25. Surely the same could be said for David, who lived far longer than the Lord on this earth. He could easily have had a serious illness we are not told about, or a life-threatening injury. As many enemies as this man of war had, this psalm could refer to some of them. Whatever it was, this psalm tells us about some dire straits David found himself in.
            Note the structure of the psalm. If you have a modern version, you will see the sections separated clearly. The “I/me” sections, those about David and his lament, are alternated with the “thou/you” sections, those addressed to God. The “I/me” sections gradually increase in length, first two verses, then three, then seven. The “thou” sections gradually increase their urgency until the final one when David seems to scream, “Save me from the mouth of the lion!”
            The danger pictured in the psalm gradually increases. “Many bulls encompass me.” “They open wide their mouths.” “Dogs encompass me…they pierced my hands and feet.” “Come quickly. Save me from the mouth of the lion and the horns of the wild oxen.” By this point, David feels the end is near one way or the other.
            Suddenly, in verse 22, the mood changes. The poet uses less figurative language and calmer speech. “Praise” becomes the repetitive word instead of “Deliver me, save me, rescue me.” David begins to recount this desperate time only so he can tell others the good news—God delivered him. “Praise him, glorify him, stand in awe of him,” he tells the assembled congregation, probably those whom he had invited to his thank offering feast. The Law of Moses made provision for a man to offer a sacrifice when something wonderful had happened to him. He was to invite his friends and neighbors and share not only the feast, but the good news of the blessings God had given him. (Lev 7:15; Deut 12:15-18; Psa 40:9,10) Wouldn’t it be wonderful to have such a tradition today? Especially in a day where all we want to share with others are the disasters, the complaints, and the bad news, to actually share good news and praise God for His blessings would be a welcome change.
            What are you sharing with your Facebook friends today? With your family and neighbors, your classmates, fellow workers, and even the cashiers and waitresses you see during the day? Is bad news the only thing that exhilarates you, or do you excitedly tell others the good news—that a Savior loves them just as he loves you and has done so many wonderful things for you.
            God had a people once who only reveled in the bad news, including ten men who came back from seeing a glorious Promised Land and with their evil report (bad news) “made the people complain” Num 14:36. It did not take long for God to give them up to a wilderness in which they learned what bad news really was.
            Think today, not only before you speak, but before you share. Let’s start a new tradition. Let’s make a thank offering feast for our friends instead of a gripe-fest. Share the good things in your life, so that someday you can more easily share the most important thing—your Lord.

The light of the eyes rejoices the heart, and good news refreshes the bones…Like cold water to a thirsty soul, so is good news from a far country, Prov 15:30; 25:25.

Dene Ward

September 1, 1914 Becoming Extinct

9/1/2025 0 Comments

     A couple of centuries ago, Passenger Pigeons were the most widespread bird in North America, estimated to be 25-40% of the entire avian population, roughly three to five billion. When they passed overhead, the skies darkened for up to an hour, the time it took for one flock to pass by. Someone said they sounded like a thousand threshing machines, a thousand steamboats, and a thousand trains all at once. They ranged from the Atlantic to the Mississippi River and from the Great Lakes to the southern United States.
     The birds flew far in their migration and when they returned in the spring, the settlers in the early days of this country jumped for joy—free protein after the near starvation of winter. The birds flew so low and so thick that you could swing a pole and kill enough for dinner. With the advent of the telegraph and railroad, the hunting of passenger pigeons by both amateur and professional sportsmen flourished with numbers nearly as many as the birds themselves, until by the mid-1890s, only three captive breeding flocks were left. On September 1, 1914, the last passenger pigeon, a female named Martha, died at the Cincinnati Zoo. She was about 29 years old and had never laid a fertile egg. Efforts to save them had come too late. (All information courtesy of Audubon, the e-magazine.)
     What are you doing to keep Christianity from going extinct? Or do you just expect others to do that?
     Think first about your family. Are you teaching your children at home, not just expecting them to pick it up in church Bible classes, but spending regular time every day talking to them about God in any and every way possible, praying with them, reading the scriptures to them, helping them to begin to make small decisions that a Christian must eventually make in his life in a much larger way?
     How about your neighborhood? Does the man across the fence know you are a Christian? Does the woman down the street whom you pass as she weeds her flowerbeds, the couple who take a walk every evening on the sidewalk that runs past your house? Does the friendly cashier know that you are on your way to Bible class and just stopped to pick up a couple of things you forgot? Does the UPS man know that you are pressure cleaning the sidewalk because you expect some folks to come that night for a study? Or are you hiding your allegiance to the Lord, and if so, why?
     What happens at work? Does the boss know that staying late on Wednesday night is not a good option for you? Does she know that you will miss the company picnic because you will be worshipping God on Sunday? And maybe more important, do they know they can count on you to work hard and do things right precisely because you are a Christian. That you won't be making flimsy excuses for missing work, possibly even lying about being sick?
     Will any of that keep Christianity from going extinct? Why do you think people ask you about your religion? Because, as a nurse told us once after several days in the hospital, "There's something different about you." You'd better believe it will help.
   But for today, just think about your home. The first step to extinction is when the next generation is lost. What's happening to yours?

And also all that generation were gathered unto their fathers: and there arose another generation after them, that knew not Jehovah, nor yet the work which he had wrought for Israel. And the children of Israel did that which was evil in the sight of Jehovah, and served the Baalim; and they forsook Jehovah, the God of their fathers, who brought them out of the land of Egypt, and followed other gods, of the gods of the peoples that were round about them, and bowed themselves down unto them: and they provoked Jehovah to anger. And they forsook Jehovah, and served Baal and the Ashtaroth Judg2:10-13.

Dene Ward

Read the Label

8/29/2025 0 Comments

Today's post is by guest writer Keith Ward.

Of course, we all know to read the label and follow the directions. But I keep discovering new ways this rule applies. After years of bearing well, my muscadine grapes began, as the Bible describes it, "casting their fruit." This was a major disaster as not only did we and our friends enjoy the fruit, Dene made the only true grape jelly I ever ate. Commercial grape jelly is primarily sweet and only slightly grape. So the county agent came and said it might be Boron deficiency. I immediately ordered some from Amazon and began applying it. The next year, the vines only cast a few grapes so I was eager to continue the program. But, sometime over the winter, my brain sparked across a dried up synapse and I thought to read the label on that laundry staple 20 Mule Team Borax and found it was a boron compound! And guess how much cheaper it is than boron? Then there was Oxyclean Bathroom Cleaner. Did you know that it is ordinary hydrogen peroxide? I can buy a lot of that for the same price and reuse their sprayer. Be careful, not all Oxyclean products are just peroxide, read the label!

So, when Jesus picks you up and reads the label, what ingredients will he see? Will "other ingredients" be the highest percentage? When we introspectively examine ourselves, sometimes we list ingredients that Jesus is not looking for. Surely you have noticed that in the judgment scene where he separates the sheep and the goats, not one of the ingredients had to do with right church or right worship? In fact, it seems that even religious works and deeds count for little (Mt 25:31-46; 7:22; James 1:27).

So, we go to the right church that does Bible things in Bible ways and we even manage to pray more than at meals and study our Bible some. Those things are not high on the list. They are "other ingredients" to build us up and strengthen us so that our faith will lead us to fill ourselves up with God. Worship is whom you become, not what you do (Gal 2:20).

Thus says Jehovah, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches; but let him that glories, glory in this, that he hath understanding, and knows me, that I am Jehovah who exercises lovingkindness, justice, and righteousness, in the earth: for IN THESE THINGS I DELIGHT, SAYS JEHOVAH (Jer 9:23-24). Knowing God has more to do with who you are than the religious stuff you do, "Did not thy father eat and drink, and do justice and righteousness? then it was well with him. HE JUDGED THE CAUSE OF THE POOR AND NEEDY; THEN IT WAS WELL. WAS NOT THIS TO KNOW ME? Says Jehovah (Jer22:15-16).
When Jesus reads your label, will it say, "sports, video games, TV bingeing, recreation, vacation…but he went to church."?

Or will it say, "lovingkindness, justice, righteousness, cared for the poor and needy"?

But if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him; knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dies no more; death no more hath dominion over him. For the death that he died, he died unto sin once: but the life that he lives, he lives unto God. Even so you reckon yourselves also to be dead unto sin, but alive unto God in Christ Jesus. Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that you should obey the lusts thereof: neither present your members unto sin as instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves unto God, as alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. (Rom 6:8-13)

Keith Ward

The Oscillating Fan

8/28/2025 0 Comments

Since Keith has retired we sit on the carport nearly every morning with a final cup of coffee, talking and tossing treats to Chloe, watching the hummingbirds dogfight, listening to the squeaky whine of titmice fussing over the feeders, counting blooms on the Mexican petunias, and trying to decide if the clouds bode well or ill for the day. Even in the summer, we enjoy our time, but in the summer one thing changes—the quiet of the country becomes the roar of the big shop fan. That fan makes it comfortable enough, as it blows away the gnats and mosquitoes, and turns the early morning humidity into a cool breeze instead of a heavy and suffocating blanket.
As a born and bred Florida girl, fans were a large part of my childhood. We did not have air conditioning until I was a teenager, and central air did not come along until Keith and I had been married three years. Not that it wasn’t invented, but it had not yet reached our income level.
            I remember summer afternoons at my grandmother’s house, sitting on the porch under the shade of oaks and chinaberries, listening to the soft whir and tick-tick-tick-tick as her old oscillating fan swept back and forth across us, evaporating the sheen of sweat and cooling us in the process. That fan felt wonderful. In an air conditioned world, I doubt many but my generation have known that feeling.
            This morning I came across Genesis 3:8 and saw a margin note I had never noticed before.
            And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day…
            Did you know that word “cool” can also be translated “wind” or “breath?” God created everything, including the cooling effects of wind and, thus, an evening breeze to cool off His earth. So even the perfect garden must have become a bit warm during the “heat of the day.” Surely God had already created the ability to perspire, as well, since that is essential to the function of the body. Man, as he worked in the garden (Gen 2:15), must have become warm and must have sweated. Then God sent the evening breezes to cool him off. It wasn’t until after he sinned that the work became difficult and the heat and the sweat became intolerable, just as it wasn’t until after then that conception, which I view as the whole of the female condition, became painful.
            You can find that word again in Prov 17:27: He who spares his words has knowledge, and he that is of a cool spirit has understanding. “Spirit” is “wind” is “cool.” So now I have fans and breezes and dispositions in my mind, and it all came out this way: If I have a hot nature, I need the cooling effects of the Spirit, and what better way than to read the word he “breathed” to cool me off?
            Many of us are foolish enough to put ourselves in situations where we know we will be tempted to anger, where we know we will be pushed and prodded and even shoved right in its path. Why?! We tell our children to avoid situations of temptation. We tell them it’s downright stupid to go certain places and not expect trouble. But we sometimes even contrive them, almost as if to flaunt our freedom to do so. Then we shout out, “That shouldn’t have been so hard,” as we fall, flailing our arms for some sort of lifeline that isn’t there. We decided we didn’t need it.
            This might be more motivating: Not only can God cool us, but with the breath of his lips he shall slay the wicked, Isa 11:4. One word seems to say it from every angle, just as the old oscillating fan hit from every angle. Cool yourself off with the Word of God, and don’t go near the torrid zones.

Whoever is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city, Prov 16:32.
Good sense makes one slow to anger… Prov 19:11.
Be not quick in your spirit to become angry, for anger lodges in the heart of fools, Eccl 7:9.

Dene Ward