Christ

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Worthless Idols (Struggling with our desires)

What is an idol? As a youngster idols are usually thought of as objects from the past or things seen in a Hollywood production. Scenes of the hero taking a golden idol out of an old temple, or a view of a group of “ignorant natives” bowing down before their deity are easily found in movies or on TV. Even the Bible teachings guide us toward thoughts of a similar image. Exodus 34:17 says, Do not make any idols. and Leviticus 19:4 tells us, “Do not turn to idols or make metal gods for yourselves. I am the Lord your God.”

Idols are obviously a very important subject in the Bible. A quick word search using the word “Idol” in the Bible brings up 223 different references regarding Idol, Idols, or Idolaters. Why is it so important that we recognize what Idols are? Continue reading →

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A Child’s communion

Not being of the Catholic faith; as a young child I thought of communion as something only adults did. Later as I matured I learned that in the church I attended young people were only allowed to participate in communion if they had accepted Christ as their savior. These practices by the church left me wondering about the future of the souls of young children or people who died before they had ever heard about the joys of a relationship with Christ and it bothered me. On the other hand I was uncomfortable with the idea that a child’s soul could be saved by baptism. After all Romans 10:9 states; If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. I’d always thought to myself, “How could a child that hasn’t learned to speak yet make that kind of declaration?” Continue reading →

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Does God really talk back?

7 Aug 2013 by Sojourner’s Tales
When you were a child and you were about to do something that you knew that your parent would punish you for do you remember hearing a small voice in your head? Many times we think of that “voice of conscience” as a product of our upbringing or training or just our own life experiences. At other times we hear that same voice urging us to take a step along a new pathway in our lives and we call it a “hunch” or an “epiphany.” Why is it so seldom that we think of that voice as coming from God? Continue reading →

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Sex, Adultry, and the Good Wife

07/28/2013 by Sojotales

The subject of yesterday’s post (Are We Good Samaritans or Satan’s Tools?) was about a woman in need. On the other hand there are women who actively cause distress. The Bible talks about the kind of woman who causes distress and the type of woman who is her antithesis. The first is not just a gossip or a backbiter (though the Bible address those types of women as well) she is a willing adulteress; actively searching for unwary men. Her counterpoint is the virtuous woman, the treasure, the Good wife. So what is the difference between these two types of women?
The Bible is pretty clear in the words that are used to describe an adultress. Continue reading →

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Are We Good Samaritans or Satan’s Tools?

Mural on a Building in Mascoutah

Mascoutah Murals

Mural of indian & settler on the side of a building in Mascoutah

Mascoutah Murals

Statue of a Rearing Horse

Rearing Horse Statue in Mascoutah

07/27/13 by Sojotales
A beautiful day and the open road greeted my wife and I as we swung our legs over the motorcycle and went exploring. We didn’t have any specific destination in mind, but wound up seeing some beautiful countryside as we rode through Mascoutah and on towards Okawville. Before today we’d only been to Mascoutah to eat at the RoemerTopf German restaurant (which serves some wonderful varieties of schnitzel!) The town is small, but clean and well maintained; along the main road it even had a couple of artistic murals and some statues. A rearing horse was the first thing that caught our attention as we drove down the main street. The ride itself was the least of the blessings that God poured out on us as we continued down the road. We saw beautiful fields of corn rippling in the blowing wind, and children playing in the mud beside the river as we rode along.
We pulled into a gas station in Okawville to fill up the motorcycle’s tank. While I was pumping the gas I was witness to a blatant display of haughty disinterest followed in turn by the actions of an elderly gentleman who made me think of the story of the Good Samaritan.
A lady who was obviously from out of town pulled up in front of the service station looking for directions. She seemed frantic and lost; like she was in a hurry to get somewhere and was late. Continue reading →

Build Your Kingdom Here — Rend Collective Experiment


07/23/13 by Sojotales

This song has been running though my brain and pulling at my heart for the past couple of weeks. The first time I heard it I’d turned on the radio a little over halfway through it and only heard the end of the song. Something about the words that I heard that afternoon just seemed to reach inside my chest, grab hold of my soul and pull. When the song finished that longing pulled on me so hard that I ached to hear it again. The thoughts that this song evoked in me were all focused on Christ and his return; how glorious that day shall be. Those feelings welled up in me and everything else that came out of the radio after that just seemed to be white noise. I was focused on Christ, His kingdom, and what His return would mean for mankind. Continue reading →

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Matt 10:28-32 & Psalm 91 Birds in the air

07/19/13 by Sojotales

This morning as I drove to work a flock of birds wheeled and turned through the blue sky overhead. The Brownian motion of the flock flowed effortlessly through the current of the air. Watching them fly from east to west above the road in front of me brought an amazing thought to mind, “God who created these small fragile creatures has used them to create this wonderful scene.” That thought in turn led me to think of the verses in Matthew 10:28-32 that speaks of sparrows. Continue reading →

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Psalm 118: Sojourner’s Tales

07/10/13 by Sojotales

PSALM 118 The start of the blog

Sunday 7 July 2013 was an amazing day for which I give thanks unto the Lord; for He was so good to me on that day. A quick jaunt with my lovely wife to one of the local Ice-Cream shops filled me with more peace than I’ve had for quite a while. The warm summer breeze carried the scent of freshly mown grass as we meandered slowly down the road to the Ice Cream shop. I could almost taste the Vanilla Malt that I knew would be waiting for me once we got there. When we arrived, the anticipation that I’d had on the ride made the flavor explode across my tongue as the frosty beverage cooled my throat. It was so good that I had to force myself to slow down in an unsuccessful attempt to prevent BRAIN-FREEZE!!!! Aaaargh!!! J Continue reading →