Contentment
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What’s Your Definition of “Enough”?
Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”Hebrews 13:5 “Do we really need all of those wooden spoons?” she asked. I was very direct in my reply. “‘We’ don’t need any of them,… Continue reading
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Lessons From the Prodigal: The Allure of “Distant-Country” Living
Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. – Luke 15:13-14 The younger son didn’t waste… Continue reading
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Love… is Rejoicing in Others’ Blessings
[Love] does not envy… – 1 Corinthians 13:4b Yesterday we read the apostle Paul’s initial thoughts on what Love is. Today we examine more of this “Portrait of Love” that Paul continues painting; negative things that are absent because of love. He shifts his attention to a destructive emotion that love has no part of:… Continue reading
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A Complaint about Complainers
Have you ever noticed how complainers have a way of finding each other, like pigeons flocking to a park bench covered in breadcrumbs? One minute you’re stuck in line behind someone griping about the weather, and before you know it, someone else chimes in with, “Oh, you think that’s bad? Let me tell you about… Continue reading
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The Fruit of Peace
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. – Philippians 4:6-7 As we continue our meditations this week on the fruit of the… Continue reading
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The Fruit of Joy
“The ultimate ground of our rejoicing can never be our circumstances, even though we as Christians recognize that our circumstances are providentially arranged. If our joy derives primarily from our circumstances, then when our circumstances change, we will be miserable. Our delight must be in the Lord himself. That is what enables us to live… Continue reading
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A Thirst Forever Quenched
“Then, leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people, “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Messiah?” – John 4:28-29 Something remarkable happens when Jesus enters a person’s heart and they become filled with the Holy Spirit. Their attitudes… Continue reading
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September 7th: Embracing the Mundane
“You show me any athlete at any level who gives maximum effort, and I will show you a player who will excel. It is not a matter of talent. It’s not a question of where you went in the draft. The question is do you have the heart of a champion? And at the heart… Continue reading
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Living in Yesterday’s Light
I got up early this morning and watched the sun rising over the mountains. This is much too early, I thought to myself. I yawned and asked myself why I decided to get up so soon. Surely daylight would appear without my presence, like it has all the other times before? But it had been… Continue reading
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Keeping Promises
Not long after I returned home from rehab, my wife said to me one evening, “We need to talk.” Now I don’t know about you, but anytime someone says this to me – the panic button automatically gets pushed. My mind begins to race with the worst-case scenarios playing out and my heart pounds in… Continue reading
About Me
Welcome! I’m Scott (aka Former Blackout Artist), and I’m so happy you decided to drop in! I hope you find the content here spiritually enlightening and uplifting. Most of all, I hope that my love of Christ is revealed through my writing and that it encourages you in some way today. Thanks for stopping by!
Former Blackout Artist 