On Azimuth

  16 From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. II Corinthians 5:16-17 English Standard Version             One of the things that I love about living at high altitude near Cloudcroft is the clouds. We live at about 8,800 feet. The big puffy clouds: Nimbostratus, Cumulus, and Cumulonimbus, form between six and eight thousand feet, with Cumulonimbus often soaring well over ten thousand feet. Consequently, we live very close to clouds, and I enjoy watching them sail past sometimes close enough to reach out and touch. Of course, proximity does come with its own challenges. Recently during the night, a particularly violent thunder and lightning storm passed through. The lightning flashed all around us while...

  10 I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment. 11 For it has been reported to me by Chloe's people that there is quarreling among you, my brothers.   I Corinthians 1:10-11 English Standard Version             Many Christians refer to their place of assembly as “the sanctuary.” This refers to two ideas; one the sanctuary is a place that we have set aside for a holy purpose for worship and two a place where we can find refuge from the world. In fact, for years a man who was fleeing persecution or punishment, just or unjust for a crime could claim sanctuary in the Church building. This harks back to the cities of refuge found in the Mosaic Law. Our worship centers, our sanctuaries, ought to be places where we can find rest and refuge from the turmoil that roils our world....

7 For they sow the wind,     and they shall reap the whirlwind. The standing grain has no heads;     it shall yield no flour; if it were to yield,     strangers would devour it. Hosea 8:7 English Standard Version             When my social media started filling up recently, I did not recognize the name Charlie Kirk, neither did Christy. We had to look him up to find out why he was important and what he stood for. At first, all I knew was that a speaker at a university had been assassinated. As time passed, I  noticed trends developing. I was unsurprised at the direction of the trends and who embraced what. These postings were a dark commentary on the state of our culture. As the hoary prophet said, “They shall reap the whirlwind.”             We’ve given voice and platform to our darker impulses. We allow peopl...

  When all around my soul gives way; He then is all my hope and stay. On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand: all other ground is sinking sand; all other ground is sinking sand. From “My Hope is Built on Nothing Less” by Edward Mote, 1797-1874   26 And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. 27 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.” Matthew 7:26-27 English Standard Version               A few years ago, my conservative friends were distraught, up in arms; some claiming that the moral rot would soon end civilization as we know it. Now my liberal friends are the handwringers, some considering relocating to a supposed far-off Eden where there are no problems. In both cases, they put their faith in a political system and when it failed ...

16 So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. I John 4:16             “Think of three words that God would use to describe you?” This was a question I tossed out to a group of my friends as we sat around shooting the breeze. It’s a simple question, one that I did not think would take much time to answer or generate much consternation. After all, these friends are all Christians, men who actively seek the Lord and desire to walk out the lives in a fashion that honors and reflects God. Though I’m not around them all the time, I would not consider these men as Sunday Only Pew Warmers. They are good men, salt of the earth types. Yet, they all struggled with this question, “How does God see you?”             Most Protestants embrace the concept of having a “personal relation...

  23 Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! 24 And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting! Psalm 139:23-24 English Standard Version             Last week we started looking at the idea of living simply, a challenge in our increasingly convoluted and chaotic world. Despite how we might feel, living simply has challenged men and women ever since we were evicted from the garden long ago. Living simply is more a matter of decluttering our hearts than it is decluttering our closets. This week, we will look at three steps we can take to start the process of living simply. Where do we look for guidance in this matter. Our world, our culture, does not offer much in the way of guidance or encouragement in this endeavor. Our relationship with the Lord and His word are a good place to go for guidance.             A...