Walking The Walk . . .

  "Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances;  for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." ~1 Thessalonians 5: 16-18 In an article I read recently, it said that a surprising number of Christians admitted that one area where they are lacking is in prayer.  The biggest challenge is often getting into a consistent habit of prayer.  Prayer can take many forms.  Some people pray when they exercise.  Some pray when they're commuting.  Some people keep a prayer journal and write their daily prayers down.  Whatever habit you create for yourself, always remember that God wants to hear from us.  He wants to be involved in our lives.  And God hears our prayers. Set a little time aside today and talk with God. (excerpted from Wednesday Night ReCharge message at Muncie Baptist Church 2/23/2022) ~Todd E. Creason

"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails." ~1 Corinthians 13: 4-8  One of the things we don't always understand about agape love as it is described in the New Testament, is that love is a state of mind.  Chuck Swindoll describes agape love like this: "Agape implies permanence, unconditional charity, a decision more than a feeling, a commitment more than a relationship.  Agape means loving not for one's own benefit, but for the benefit of others."  Agape love is not based on relationships necessarily or even feelings.  It's an attitude.  It's a decision.  It's how we as Christians have decided each day to view the world and how we have decided to treat o

“A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.”     ~Proverbs 15:1 One thing that we seem to be challenged with these days, is respect.   We don’t show much these days.   Too often we don’t show any respect for one other. I’m stunned sometimes at how rude we are to each other.   Social media has probably had a lot to do with that.   We like to get a reaction so we always seem to have strong opinions about things and use strong words with one another.   Going on “rants” is perfectly acceptable and even celebrated—a few years ago these would have been called “tantrums” and that individual would not have been considered very mature and certainly wouldn’t have received applause.   This irreverence for one another leads to all kinds of anger and debates, and that bleeds over into our face to face interactions.   I can’t tell you how many times in the last couple years I’ve been stunned at the frankly disrespectful things people say to each other in person.   Just a few y