Night Candle Meditations

 "That's what we know and how we was raised!" During an afternoon conversation a friend was defending the behavior of a well-known singer and his marital relationship with a beloved icon now awaiting Gabriel's resurrection trumpet call. It is tragic that traditional family bonds have fragmented. Without positive guidance from familial role models, television becomes the medium to shape developing minds. It should not be surprising when our youth grow up without a knowledge of God while idolizing pop stars and athletes When it comes to positive role models and examples, the entertainment and sports industries are deficient. Too often it is the bad behavior and immorality in their ranks that attract the admiration and mimicry of others. Consider the common maxim stating that history repeats itself. Noah lived during a time of intense evil in the world, yet he was a positive example to others as he lived by his faith in God (see Genesis 6:5-12). As we see what is going ...

Everything we do has consequences which give us good reason to think before we act. It is important to think about what we do now and how it may affect our future. From Scripture it appears that Eve never considered the future consequences of lingering near the forbidden tree. From our perspective, God provided all that was needed to ensure happiness and satisfaction for the Eden couple. The adversary Satan moved to disrupt God's creation by using the serpent as a medium to divert Eve's thoughts from God's blessings to what she didn't have. He did this by suggesting that God was holding back the really good stuff (see Genesis 3:1-3). That first bite of fruit subjected our lives to sorrow and strife as wayward thoughts transitioned from ideas to action. The trickle down affect of wayward thoughts is now a cascade flooding our world from humble havens to Congressional halls. This has nothing to do with global warming. It is the result of ignoring the principles encapsula...

"I could never leave you!" Carolyn's words underscored the hurt in her eyes as she placed a hand against the glass wall separating us. It was more than just the hurt of what I had done to warrant arrest, but that I minimized and disparaged our marriage vows by suggesting she take the children and divorce me. I knew that I would be going away for a long time after taking the lives of two innocent people. A week ago Carolyn and I marked the passage of our fifty-third anniversary of marriage. Many think this is extraordinary when considering my past forty-one and a half years of incarceration. While reflecting on the love Carolyn and I share, I think about Jacob's love for Rachel when he equated the passing years as mere days (see Genesis 29:20). It is such love that quickens the heart and soul while diminishing the passage of time. I believe the motivating force of such love for another comes from one's relationship with God. Loving God with heart, soul, and mind...