Building on the Foundation

  Have you ever encountered people who refuse to take responsibility for their own actions? Who never admit fault for anything, or, if they actually do admit some wrongdoing, still try to blame you or someone else for their wrongdoing? Have you ever encountered people who erupt in anger if corrected in any way, no matter how delicately one approaches it? Or who lash out in anger if you don’t do exactly what they want when they want it? Have you ever encountered people who are thin-skinned and easily offended? So much so that you never know what might set them off? Any innocent word or action might set them off, and so others walk on eggshells around them. These are characteristics of narcissism. Narcissists are, above all else, extraordinarily selfish and self-centered, as we can see from the above description. They feel entitled to getting their own way on everything; they try to manipulate others; they berate and lash out at others, but are easily offended; they refuse to accept ...

  The Big Question Let me get started by asking all of you a question. No, it’s not that big question. This question is a little more awkward than that. Show of hands. How many of you have ever committed adultery? How about murder? Idol worship? I can imagine not too many of your hands went up, but honestly, I didn’t expect them to. All of you who are reading this are probably good solid Christians horrified at the thought of committing adultery or murder, so why would I even expect any hands to go up? This isn’t a fair question, though, because I already know that most of you have committed adultery, and if you are a guy, you certainly have for our natural sinful state with no conscious effort to the opposite is adultery. Wait! Before you get upset with me, just hear me out a little longer, and I think it will all make sense!  Let’s Define Adultery To discuss any subject effectively, we need to all start with the same definition of what we are talking about; otherwise, confu...

  A LIGHTHOUSE is a high tower or building; the upper part is called “the lantern.” The light of these lamps shines all night, guides ships on their way, and shows where the danger lies. Two or three people live in the lighthouse to attend to the lamps.  We will now look into one of these buildings on the coast of Cornwall, England. Little Mary was in the lighthouse alone. The night was coming on, and a storm was rising on the sea. Mary’s father had trimmed the lamps, and they were ready for lighting when the evening came on. But as he wanted to buy some food, he crossed the “causey,” which leads to the land. This causey was a pathway over the rocks and sands, which could only be passed for two or three hours in the day; other times, the waters rose and covered it.  Some rough-looking men behind a rock seemed glad as they saw him go to the land. Who were they? These men were wreckers. They waited about the coast, and if a storm drove a vessel on the rocks, they r...