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God the Architect Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it. Psalm 127:1a Recommend Reading Psalm 127 Frank Lloyd Wright, one of the twentieth century's most well-known architects, practiced "organic architecture" - designs that flow out of and reflect the context of their environment.…

Familiarity with Christ soon begets congeniality of disposition and spirit, for those who are much with Christ become much like Christ. He who lies on a bed of spices will naturally find his garments smell of the same. A mirror upon which the sun is shining is bright itself and flashes its reflected…

If in reading the history of the first Christian centuries you are asked to point out the men to be envied for their joy, you would point to the believers in Jesus. There is a room in Rome that is filled with the busts of the emperors. They look like a collection of prizefighters and murderers, and scarcely…

The text (Gal 5:22) speaks of “fruit,” and fruit comes only from a rooted abiding. It could not be conceived of in connection with a transient sojourning, like that of a traveler. The stakes and tent pins that are driven into the ground for a nomad’s tent bear no fruit, for they do not remain in one…

Fruit does not start from the tree perfectly ripe at once. First comes a flower, then a tiny formation that shows that the flower has set. Then a berry appears, but it is very sour. You may not gather it. Leave it alone a little while, and allow the sun to ripen it. By and by it fills out, and you have…

Jamaican hurdler Hansel Parchment may not have won a gold medal in Tokyo, if a stranger had not intervened. Parchment took the wrong bus on the day of his event. He was listening to music, when he looked up and realized the bus was going the wrong way and he had no idea where he was. In a social media…

Officials in India’s Hindu north have begun marking stray cows with bar codes in an effort to manage the growing problem of abandoned livestock. Many Hindus consider cows to be sacred, and as a result slaughtering the animals is illegal in many Hindu areas of India. Farmers are complaining that the large…

Joshua Peninger enjoys being kind to strangers while driving his garbage truck. While running his route recently, Peninger saw two-year-old Charlie Pinion and his mother sitting on their front porch. When Charlie saw the truck, he waved. Peninger honked the horn and waved for Charlie and mother to come…

Bernard Reedy is an NFL wide receiver, recently traded from the Atlanta Falcons to the Tampa Bay Bucs. With a $465,000 contract, Reedy can give up the job he had before he made the big time but he continues to work as a driver for Care Ride, a Tampa-area company providing wheelchair and ambulatory transport.…

The internet has opened up a vast world of knowledge and experience. It has also enabled the harassment of people for their views, experiences, appearances, or demographic backgrounds. Pew Research reports that, “Fully 40 percent of online users have experienced bullying, harassment, and intimidation.”…

An Ohio appeals court agreed with a woman and said her parking ticket should be dismissed because the law she broke was missing a coma. Andrea Cammelleri said she should not have been issued a ticket based on the wording of the law alone. The law lists several types of vehicles that cannot be parked…

# Philippians 1:9-11 ## Opening — Paul’s Prayer This morning we conclude our look at the opening section of Paul’s letter to the Philippians. In verses 1–2, we have the opening salutation which identifies the author, Paul, and with him Timothy—The young man he has mentored. It also identifies the recipients—all…

A new study concludes regular attendance at religious services is associated with a more optimistic outlook and a lower likelihood of suffering from depression. The new results support other findings suggesting participation in religious worship and activities promotes psychological and physical health.…

An online poll taken by a social networking and dating website recently asked 30,000 people from 15 different countries to rank the “funniest” and least funny nationalities. The global poll found Germans to be the least funny nationality while Americans and the Spanish were the funniest or best at making…

Pedestrian Aggressiveness Syndrome (PAS) is the name given by psychologists to those who walk in a very brisk and directed manner on busy city sidewalks. The aggressiveness comes when they encounter dawdlers in their path who are intent with their cell phones, either talking or texting. As they pass,…

In Forgotten God: Reversing our Tragic Neglect of the Holy Spirit, Francis Chan writes, “Do you exhibit more kindness and faithfulness than the Mormons you know? Do you have more self-control than your Muslim friends? More peace than Buddhists? More joy than atheists? If GOD truly lives in you, shouldn’t…

A new study has found that self-control can be contagious. The study conducted in a laboratory setting, found that watching or even thinking about someone with good self-control makes others more likely to show the same restraint. The study also found the opposite to be true. A person with poor self-control…

ROME — Officials say a Swedish couple looking for the pristine waters of the popular island of Capri ended some 400 miles (660 kilometers) away in the northern industrial town of Carpi after misspelling the destination on their car's GPS.* Angelo Giovannini, a spokesman for the Carpi town hall, near…

Kindness “Constant kindness can accomplish much. As the sun makes ice melt, kindness causes misunderstanding, mistrust, and hostility to evaporate.” Albert Schweitzer

SELF CONTROL A new study combining and reviewing 80 years of psychological research suggests there is a link between religious belief and self-control. The study conducted by two psychologists from the University of Miami began as an attempt to understand why religious belief systems help so many people.…

On April 26, 2008, the Western Oregon women's softball team played against Central Washington University in Ellensburg, Washington. During the course of the game, Western Oregon senior Sara Tucholsky hit the first homerun of her college career. She dropped her bat and started to make her way around the…

In Character Is DestinyJohn McCain wrote about his imprisonment in the Hanoi Hilton during the Vietnam War. "During the time I was held in solitary, I was caught, not for the first time, communicating with my dear friend in the cell next to mine. For my transgression, I was kept overnight in a punishment…

KINDNESS, DAVID/SAUL The believer is to put on "kindness" (Col. 3:12). This refers to a gentle, gracious disposition. When I think of this quality, a particular godly leader comes to mind. Years ago another leader in the area did him much harm and sought to ruin his reputation. In a board meeting with…

How To Have Good Fruit In a World with None In the bible it likens our lives to tree‘s, and the things we do to fruit of those tree‘s. In the natural you know a tree by the fruit it bears apples oranges… so on. The bible compares the things we do to fruit because we are constantly doing things that effect…

The effectiveness of the Bible in your life lies in how much of it you obey. The US Department of the Interior once conducted an experiment using migratory birds. The birds were tagged with metal strips reading "Wash. Biol. Surv."—for Washington Biological Survey. The code was changed, so the story goes,…