Thoughts from Within

I fail God everyday. There are days I fail Him by sinning willfully and there are days I sin and don't even realize it. We've all been there, I'm sure. When we sin willfully, we understand it and we can choose to correct the behavior at our own inclination. But how can we change the pattern of sin of which we are unaware? A few days ago in my morning devotions, I came across Psalms 19:12. It says, "Who can understand his errors? cleanse thou me from secret faults." It struck me, and humbled me as I read, re-read, and pored over it in meditation. Here King David enlightens the believer to recognize that there are sinful actions, thoughts and behavior of which we are completely oblivious. In fact, we are repeat offenders because these sins have not been revealed to us. It got me to thinking, "what are my secret faults?" I'm sure those who observe me closely can tell me, and I could very easily return the favor because it's always easier to poi...

The year 2014 was a roller coaster ride for me and my family, and as with any roller coaster, you start at the bottom. Our ride began in January, homeless and living with my in-laws. It sounds way worse that it played out. Being homeless was actually an answer to prayer. We owned our own home for seven years before we outgrew it. It sold quickly and, to make a long story short, we needed a place to crash until we found a new house. My in-laws were actually very hospitable and patient with us during our tenure there. February was looking up. But that's the only direction it could have headed after receiving news that my dad had prostrate cancer. We spotted a home online, did some research and made an offer. By month's end, we signed paperwork and the house was ours. This was a miracle in itself, seeing the home had been repossessed and was government-owned. The process on houses like this normally takes months and months, but God worked it all out. March w...