Blogs

By Paula Williamson guest writer Someone needs to hear this today! I have been on the receiving end of an unforgiving heart far too many times in my life. You know the feeling, that vice gripping your heart and squeezing the life out of it, your mind consumed with thoughts and lists of what someone did to you over and over. Unforgiveness is emotionally and physically draining for the one who carries it. The issue of forgiveness is not about whether what someone did is forgiva

By Paula Williamson guest writer God has a wonderful plan laid out in the Bible through which all may enjoy peace with Him, but He also created us with the freedom of choice. He did so because He wanted it to be our choice whether to love and follow Him and His ways. In Deuteronomy 28, He laid out the benefits and blessings that come with living a life that honors Him. In the book of Proverbs, He laid out how we could gain wisdom. Scripture is filled with wonderful stories of

By Paula Williamson guest writer People believe all kinds of things about death. You only need to bring up the subject to find differing beliefs about what happens when we die. Some say that when we die, that is the end and there is nothing afterward. Others believe in reincarnation and are born over and over as other things, such as a dog or another human. Scriptures say that death is not final. There is more to come.   It Is Written   MATTHEW 25:46 These will go away into e

By Paula Williamson guest writer  I can’t imagine being a young and impressionable person in today’s world, with today’s news, social media, and the conversations they must hear. I listen, observe, and wonder how much hope we are passing on to future generations. I wonder how much hope they have for their future. I wonder if they realize they have a future. The Bible says Truth is a person. Has anyone ever introduced you to Jesus? Open the Bible and read the book of John, and

By Paula Williamson guest writer You only need to scroll through social media for a few posts before you come across controversial topics and differing opinions. Even churches and church members don’t always agree. Disagreements have always existed and will continue to as long as we are alive. Instead of looking for things to argue about, why not focus on finding common ground?      It Is Written   JOHN 17:17 Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth.   1 TIMOTHY 2:1-2 F

By Paula Williamson guest writer   The Bible speaks of one God who inspired the entire scripture. The oldest parts of the Bible date back to 1400 BC, while the newer sections were written around 90-100 AD. For centuries, scholars, skeptics, and critics have tried to disprove the Bible. In the process, many key artifacts have been discovered, including the Tel Dan Stele, the Pilate Stone, the Dead Sea Scrolls, and more. Many prominent figures have converted to Christianity aft

By Paula Williamson guest writer Initially, God created Eve because He said it was not good for man to be alone. He instructed Adam and Eve to be fruitful and multiply. That was God’s original plan. According to scripture, engaging in same-sex relationships is to do something opposite to God’s plan. He, the Creator, knowing us better than we know ourselves, placed loving boundaries in His Word that serve our best interests. We all have the choice to follow them or to be our o

By Paula Williamson guest writer   Free Will God created us with free will. He intentionally didn't create puppets. We are free to believe whatever we choose. Everyone living under the heavens suffers the consequences of human beliefs. Since the beginning of time, instead of honoring, acknowledging, and surrendering to the Creator of the Universe, man has chosen his own way.   It Is Written   JUDGES 17:6 (In those days there was no king in Israel, but every man did that which

By Paula Williamson guest writer What Happens When We Die?   The world we live in today is full of opinions. Everyone has one, and most of us don't know what's true anymore. Depending on your news source, your truth can be completely different from your neighbor’s, which puts us all at odds and invites accusations of conspiracy theories.    I remember when I was expecting my first child, I knew my parents hadn't gotten it right. I also knew that my tiny baby, soon to be born,

By Paula Williamson guest writer  My life, my body, my kids, my stuff, my way, my choice—my, my, my! Humans really are selfish creatures. In nearly any conversation longer than five minutes, you'll notice it filled with I, me, and my. Sometimes I think we are just toddlers in adult bodies! What if we stopped talking about ourselves? What if we shifted our focus away from ourselves?    It Is Written 1 CORINTHIANS 6:19 Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spir

By Paula Williamson guest writer What we choose to think about is powerful. Our thoughts can encourage or discourage us. They can cripple or empower us. They can make us courageous or powerless. Discipline in our thought life is just as important as physical exercise or diet. The good news is that we hold the power to control them.   It Is Written   PROVERBS 23:7a For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he…   ROMANS 12:2   Do not conform to the pattern of this world but be tra

By Paula Williamson guest writer I realize some might think this blog is narrow-minded. In a world where the secular version of truth is constantly changing, I’ve chosen to base my life on the truth of God’s word. He promises it will never pass away.   I’ve also lived long enough to see that fads, the latest fashion, trends, what’s popular, and what’s not change every year. Who creates these trends, and what motivates them? One reason is money, and the other, more sinister, i

By Paula Williamson guest writer Sowing and Reaping Every farmer understands that you reap what you sow. It would be unwise for him or her to sow nothing just because they think it doesn’t matter. The reality is that we all get back the kind of crop we plant. If we sow nothing, we gather nothing.    It Is Written GALATIANS 6:7 -8 Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a person sows, this he will also reap. 8 For the one who sows to his own flesh will reap destruc

By Paula Williamson guest writer Whoever came up with the phrase, “Sticks and stones will break my bones, but words will never hurt me didn’t know what they were talking about! Words are powerful! They can encourage a downcast soul to live again or wound a heart like a sword. No weapon in the world can impact a soul for good or evil the way words can. It Is Written JAMES 3:10   Out of the same mouth come  both  blessing and cursing. These things, my brothers, should not be th

By Paula Williamson guest writer Victim Mentality There is a challenge for those of us who were raised by strong, authoritarian parents who were not empowered to think for ourselves. We doubt ourselves, tend to look for voices outside our own heads for direction. I remember one of my friends trying to solve a problem, and her father said, “There are a million solutions! Pick one.” That blew my mind. My thinking was black-and-white at the time. Only two choices, right or wrong

By Paula Williamson guest writer I grew up in a Baptist Church. When I was a teenager, a family I knew took me to a large Baptist Church at the Broco Bowl in Dallas, Texas. It was known for practicing the early church’s gifts. That night, I had a terrible headache, a toothache, and an extremely painful ganglion cyst on my wrist. The family asked me what I thought about the service. I told them I really liked it and then listed all my ailing body parts. They asked me why I did

By Paula Williamson guest writer Who is in Charge? The Authority and Responsibility of the Ekklesia   Have you ever been in a situation where leadership was unclear or suddenly absent? When no one takes responsibility disputes rise, conflict escalates and chaos follows.   In the church the head is never absent. The Lord Jesus Christ is the head, and His people live under His authority. He gave His church the authority to act on His behalf in this world.   It Is Written MATTHE

By Paula Williamson guest writer Hollywood and the secular world often portray Christians as kooks or fanatics. Maybe some might be! Maybe some might not be.     Scripture warns us to be sober because there is an enemy in the world seeking to devour us. The spiritual world is invisible but undeniably real. Just leave us alone with our own thoughts and anyone with a brain can conclude that what we can’t see but think impacts us powerfully.   It Is Written   1 PETER 5:8 Be sobe

By Paula Williamson guest writer God Still Speaks   In the book, Experiencing God, the author, Henry Blackaby teaches that God speaks to people today in real and personal ways by the Holy Spirit, His Word, worship, people, circumstances and many ways. A well-known women’s speaker and author, Beth Moore, says God speaks through the Bible, circumstances, godly counsel and that He is always talking.   So why does Hollywood and much of the world today try to discredit that God st

By Paula Williamson guest writer Where are the dreamers, the visionaries, the inventors—the inspired? What is the difference between us and Thomas Edison, who created the incandescent lightbulb, the phonograph, and the motion picture camera? Or Alexander Graham Bell, Wright brothers, Marie Curie, Johannes Gutenberg, Leonardo da Vinci, Benjamin Franklin, George Washington Carver, and so many others who believed beyond the limitations of their time? What set them apart? Could i