This evening is another beautiful evening on the banks of the beautiful Ockluhwahhah River, which flows south from here until it joins the French Broad many miles from the end of Old Field Road. For the sake of trivia, i … Continue reading →

We hide, we are hiding, and often remain hidden. Hide, hiding, and hidden. i think, these days, many of us are hiding from God, but, you know, it’s not a childs game, and there’s no laughing and giggling to it … Continue reading →

Where are you on the “at rest” scale, with ten being at total rest, and zero, of course, being completely unnerved, twitchy, can’t settle your thoughts in one place, and restless? How about the “peace scale”? Are you feeling a … Continue reading →

Ever been in a relationship with someone where you felt if a new model came along, they’d gladly trade you in for a new one? I often hear from married couples how one partner or the other thinks and feels … Continue reading →

I won’t accept when things go wrong and to someone else, the blame belongs. That’s the blame game by choosing to be a victim for reasons of an agenda. When conflict comes our way, for those who play the “blame … Continue reading →

11.06.2024 Let the vision play. See this… Imagine yourself on a long stretch of highway and you’re driving. It’s a two-lane black top road. See yourself driving across mountains and valleys, wide places and desert places. One day, as you’re … Continue reading →

Sometimes examples of communication can be ridiculously funny. The Massachusetts Bar Association Journal printed the following questions that were actually asked of witnesses during a trial. Were you alone or by yourself? Was it you or your younger brother who … Continue reading →

Philippians 3:13-16, My friends, i’d like you to know that, although i have left and am definitely on my way, i don’t count myself as having arrived, nor do i think of myself as being at such level of spiritual … Continue reading →

We love to say, “We are living in a culture of honor at our church,” and it’s highly likely, at least on some level, that’s true. But after having spoken to quite a few people about what their idea of … Continue reading →

Our adversary, the merchandiser, is the one whose will is fully set against God and ourselves, now and forever. It’s important to know something of who it is that constantly grieves the nations as a whole and us as individuals. … Continue reading →

There are not many things as uncomfortable as someone scowling and aiming their finger at you. It is possible to inspire feelings of guilt in other people simply by scowling and aiming our bony finger at them. There is a … Continue reading →

Kindness  Kindness is not only what we do, but how we are and why we do what we do. As example, it is a kindness to listen, and a kindness to bury the dead. It’s the kind of virtue which … Continue reading →

The sky is clear, i mean not a cloud in the sky this evening, just blue and blue as far as you can see in any direction; as to God’s brilliance about His color – blue – it’s the color … Continue reading →

In this life, there are very few things which are always. Unless we’re speaking about strict identities, like man, woman, up, down, etc, most everything else can change it seems. i realize we’ve spoken of the words “always” and “never” … Continue reading →

Never. Just as there are several important things for us to know of the Lord which are always, there are several important things which are “never”, meaning at no time in the past or future; on no occasion; not ever. … Continue reading →

In another room in the house is a blue metal box with a small lockable latch, though the key is long gone. i’ve had it for years now. In it are things from when i was a boy, memento’s, little … Continue reading →

During a pressing need to sound spiritual among other spiritually knowledgeable people, i’ve used the word “purpose”, as in praying out loud, “Lord, help us that we would be more involved with your purposes.” But, here lately, the Lord has … Continue reading →

Hey now. i want to talk to you for a minute. We men seem to often have a really tangled idea in our heads about our wives. As if you couldn’t have guessed, this is mostly directed to men, but … Continue reading →

There comes a time in the lifespan of any believer when there seems to be no wind, no inspiration, no motivation, we don’t know what to pray, and maybe even all purpose for praying is a vacuum of sorts. Oh … Continue reading →

Jesus said, “The poor will always be with us.” My idea of poor and God’s idea of poor don’t line up well many times. Somehow, i’ve gotten it in my head that to say someone is poor, immediately into my … Continue reading →

Recently, a man says to me, “Why do we so often defer to anyone and everyone except God?” You know, that’s a real good question. Why do we do that? National Geographic has published several articles in the last year … Continue reading →

Church – an essay What is this thing we do? Not too long ago, someone in a group conversation asked, “Do I really, truly, have to go to church?”

Counsel And Exhortation (the doctrine of Instruction)            Proverbs 12:20, “Deceit is in the heart of those who devise evil, But counselors of peace have joy.” It seems these days there’s a lot of people who like to offer lots … Continue reading →

We’ve been pursuing a better view of the King of Kings whom we love and serve, to understand His character which would be to know His values, that we would be like Him, from beginning to end in honor of … Continue reading →

          Transitions can be very tough and if they’re not made in today’s world, it’s called an adjustment disorder. James writes as a Jewish man who knows something about transitions. There he was, a half-brother of Jesus, learning to get over … Continue reading →

If – If Only (or Might Have Been), in the world of “If Only” and “What might have been”. Almost, pretty much, just about, for the most part, if, maybe, might have been…yea but, yea but if… …if …if only … Continue reading →

A few years ago, there were several declarations saying God was going to increase the harvest and His people in an unprecedented way. There was coming increase in answered prayer as had never been charted in the history of Christianity; … Continue reading →

          Romans 15:14, “Now I myself am confident concerning you, my brethren, that you also are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, able also to admonish one another.” The Lord is the personification of perfect choosing, and His heart … Continue reading →

Hey! The phone is ringing! Aren’t you going to answer it? i’d recognize that ring tone anywhere, i guarantee you it’s Jesus calling and He wants to talk to you. That phone has rung everyday of your life, just answer … Continue reading →

Set and Bearing Or Application And Provision In our beautiful Savior is justice based on accurate scales, He IS the perfect and just weight by which all standards of righteousness are based. He, himself, IS the Prince of Shalom, and Shayim, … Continue reading →

          In the early 1970’s Luther Ingram and Mack Rice, who were song writers for Stax Records wrote a song released by the Staple Singers titled, “Respect Yourself”. The lyrics were, If you disrespect everybody that you run into, how … Continue reading →

Intentions and inclinations. i believe anyone with a prophetic gift struggles with where God’s word to them ends and their imagination begins and it is hard won wisdom and maturity to sort those things out to do our gifting well. … Continue reading →

John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, He gave His one and only Son, that whosoever believes in Him, shall be saved.” – OR – God sent the world an invitation to come to His house, live and eat … Continue reading →

As the sun sets low and evening settles in until morning, the sky is absolutely hypnotic with its midnight blue directly overhead then fading to deep azure, and blazing pink and orange at the horizon. The world’s edge is so … Continue reading →

When God says “ALL”, He means what He says, All means all and nothing less than all. How often to we re-think God’s “all things” into being most things, some things, and a few things? We often seem to re-think … Continue reading →

We are all moving in the direction of our expectations, that for which we hope. Hope is always future-looking and is a type of “che’sed”, “that you may know I AM the Lord”. Do we have an anticipation that the … Continue reading →

As i woke up this morning, my eyes opened as they usually do, thank you Lord, to see the ceiling above my bed. In my house i’m glad their are ceilings. That means there’s a roof defending us from wind, … Continue reading →

                    Ting! Did you hear that? Listen again, “Ting!” That’s the sound in the Spirit when the Lord gives us ideas. “Ting!” Ah, there it is again. It’s not big, it’s not a boulder in your living room, but … Continue reading →

          Draw close to Him and He’ll draw close to you. Test Him. Phil 3:12 “Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus … Continue reading →

……the date is today, and the time is now. i’m Social Porter and this is Outposts, contemplative conversation, just for you in this season, at this time, where ever you are, be it grieving at home alone, or in the … Continue reading →

Let’s get right to the topic this evening – my guess is there are a lot of people who incur offense at the hands of others, mostly from family, friends, and the occasional stranger – probably, the worst of offenses … Continue reading →

          Wisdom. We won’t get far without it.           Wisdom is a deep understanding and realization resulting in the ability to choose to produce the optimum results, it is the comprehension of what is true and right coupled with right … Continue reading →

There is a strange stillness and subtle rippling of the Ockluhwahhah River this evening with it’s subtle greens and grays in the twilight of the day, as if time worries no one and the freedom of the water is at … Continue reading →

Love  In a 1985 Grammy award-winning song written by Terry Britten and Lyle Graham, as performed by Tina Turner, took the airwaves by storm… “What’s love got to do, got to do, got to do with it? What’s love but … Continue reading →

          i had a dream where i went to a friends house. As i pulled into his driveway the first thing i noticed was that his house was surrounded by a tall wooden fence, high enough that you couldn’t hardly … Continue reading →

Honesty is like a magnet radiating a strong magnetic force; in the heart of God’s people it is a clear bell set on a hill; like a clarion call it draws truth-hungry people to engage. Honesty should be one of … Continue reading →

Joy Nehemiah 8:10, “Then he said to them, “Go your way, eat the fat, drink the sweet, and send portions to those for whom nothing is prepared; for this day is holy to our LORD. Do not sorrow, for the … Continue reading →

Goodness           Goodness is intrinsic and essential to good works. From God’s perspective, doing good things is not His definition of “good works”. In order to have “good works”, the foundational element of our character must be … Continue reading →

Gentleness              i heard a story of a corporal at Valley Forge who was directing three men as they tried to lift a log into place. It was too heavy, but the corporal commanded again and again, “All right, men, … Continue reading →

Self-Control           Oh my gosh! In this country do we even have any self-control, which literally means that our thinking is on a level path? One group thinks the other is on a downhill skid, the second group is absolutely … Continue reading →

From the desk of Larry Foldoe The trusted delegates and scholars were in a struggle.  There was so much disagreement, clashes of opinion and heated discussion with little resolution to their task.  After more than three weeks of closed-door meetings, … Continue reading →

Peace i find the Lord often uses contrasts to teach us about Himself, and how to conduct ourselves worthy of our calling in Christ. Frequently the best way to understand God’s perspective about Shalom peace is to also investigate the … Continue reading →

Longsuffering            And there i sat, day after day … the sun came up and the sun went down … the seasons came and went … days went by …  waiting to hear from the Lord. Three years and not … Continue reading →

Among all of the things we all do, everyone does a good thing here and there, obviously some more than others, even the worst of people do something good from time to time, and i suppose it also depends on … Continue reading →

Why study the Attributes of God? Daniel 11:32 says that “the people who know their God shall be strong, and carry out great exploits.” Omnipotent Omnipresent Omniscient Immutable Eternal Faithfulness Love Goodness Holy Impartial Incomprehensible Infinite Jealous Justice Longsuffering Mercy Righteous … Continue reading →

          Don’t give up, we’re too close to going home and now is not a good time to quit.           The news media reports so much discouragement, it’s seems difficult for most to escape the landslide of bad news. Sometimes … Continue reading →

                 Millions of people, mill around, go to work, talk on their cell phones (or at least pretend to), are married, and have children. Many are living in neighborhoods around the world, communities where everyone is surrounded by everyone … Continue reading →

We typically think in concepts, and one key concept in scripture today is the idea of what to keep and what to toss out. That may seem like a simple thing, but consider carefully the world of a hoarder. To … Continue reading →

Fruit of the Spirit: Faithfulness             Isaiah 25:1, “Yahweh, You are my God; I will exalt You. I will praise Your name, for You have accomplished wonders, plans formed long ago, with perfect faithfulness.” An attribute of God is His … Continue reading →

          Sin, what is it? We use that word in many ways, but i do believe we’ve got an odd twist on what it is, how it came to be there, and why, oh why, is it a big deal? … Continue reading →

The idea of right expectations is such a big deal, the Lord directed me to also point out scriptural expectations that are the product of God’s heart, righteous expectations, and lifegiving expectations. A little of this program is a bit … Continue reading →

Many years ago i entered into a business relationship with two other people. We created LLC rules, wrote checks to the business, and it seemed all things were good. i had been warned about being in business with one of … Continue reading →

Yes, another beautiful evening as the sun sets low on the horizon. Spring has sprung, flowers are pushing their way thru last year’s rubble and ground cover to start the yearly cycle of spring, summer, fall, and winter … round … Continue reading →

There is no doubt as to who the listening audience is for these broadcasts. The programs are meant to encourage the body of Christ and to inspire us all to put our thinking caps on and think. Use your God … Continue reading →

There is no way to know what we could achieve in life if we made more of the right choices. Of course, someone a long the line is probably going to ask, “Right choices according to who?”  Learning to do … Continue reading →

            If i could want anything for you, what would i want? In Romans 12 & 13, Paul lays out for us a list of good things we should want for ourselves and others. It would seem that … Continue reading →

Epictetus was a Greek speaking Stoic philosopher, born a slave at Hierapolis, Phrygia, and lived in Rome until his banishment, when he went to Nicopolis in north-western Greece for the rest of his life. He wrote what is likely the … Continue reading →

Faith is not having conclusions. Faith is not being qualified. In our Western version of Christianity we are, basically, fed a line of thinking which says “If you have faith, you will have answers and conclusions. If you have faith … Continue reading →

Accents. Life is bright more often than we think. The glow of fellowship after a meal, the warmth of coming home to a friendly place, going to sleep knowing God has got your back and things are well with you.  … Continue reading →

          Recently, a man says to me, “Why do we so often defer to anyone and everyone except God?” You know, that’s a real good question. Why do we do that? National Geographic has published several articles in the last … Continue reading →

Pondering….what a pondersome thing to ponder upon. Pondering is powerful stuff. When i was a kid i was told to let my mind wander to imagine life from a different angle, then, by another adult, i was told to stop … Continue reading →

          Today the idea of prosperity is on the table. i know what i think it is, but what does the Lord say about it? So much of my life has been spent struggling to keep my head above water … Continue reading →

Prayer is the breath of our spiritual life. A Christian life without prayer is like not breathing and expecting to continue to live. Prayer is our lifeline to God, it is something we, as Christians, must do regularly, even as … Continue reading →

Many people today say they have no visions to speak of, but i’ve got this idea rolling around in my head that says just because we don’t recognize them doesn’t mean they aren’t there. i believe if God didn’t give … Continue reading →

         In much of scripture the word “imagine” is used in reference to the wrong which men dream of. If we were honest, i believe most of us imagine domination, manipulation, we imagine control, seduction, surrender and … Continue reading →

Thanks for tuning in. i’m Social Porter and this is Outposts, it is no accident that, as you were channel surfing, you stopped here. Hopefully you’ll sit a while with me to look a little deeper into the word of … Continue reading →

Purity is one of God’s attributes, and concerns the necessity, and power of living a consistent and repeatable life of being unmixed and undiluted with the world… a life of our being the same in private as we are in … Continue reading →

i think for most of my life, i didn’t know words to communicate with. i often left people wondering what in the world i was talking about, not to mention my own frustration at wondering why i felt so misunderstood. … Continue reading →

In your prayer time, do you practice to plead the case of another? Not hyperventilating with many words, but advocating their cause before the Lord? Proverbs 23:10-11, “Do not move an ancient landmark or enter the fields of the fatherless, … Continue reading →

i met a young man the other day, covered in tatoos, quiet, life in turmoil and chaos … in trouble. Across his neck he had the words “Expect No Mercy”. The tattoo reminded me of the words of someone who … Continue reading →

Isaiah 61:1-3, “The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and … Continue reading →

1 John 2:27, “But the anointing that you received from him abides in you, and you have no need that anyone should teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about everything, and is true, and is no lie—just as … Continue reading →

Another fellow and i were doing church at the local jail one Saturday morning, and in walked a guy who appeared so far down he couldn’t see up. Upon inquiry, he said he couldn’t even begin to fathom how his … Continue reading →

John 8 Jesus was in the temple teaching, as usual, and then came the Pharisees with a woman who was taken in adultery (where was the man? Also, how is it they just “happen” to be there to catch her?). … Continue reading →

Why do we study God’s word? Is it to gain information so we’ll know about Him? Maybe we do it so we can truly know our Redeemer. Is it so we can say we read the Bible? Is it for … Continue reading →

When i was growing up, my mother made almost all of our clothes for the entire family. i saw with my own eyes, that there were times when what she made didn’t work out …  i remember walking into her … Continue reading →

Ahhh, yea … it’s another of those hypnotic evenings with the sun having settled down to a rosey glow at the horizon and the clouds are parceled out across the sky, looking like the porches at the entrance to Heaven’s … Continue reading →

Even if it seems like the whole world is against us, even when our eyes see nothing but dark clouds all around, as believers, God is on our side, and we have the strength to come out winners. As believers, … Continue reading →

          What do all the following words have in common? Crossroad, intersection, cloverleaf, crosswalk, crossway, exchange, grade crossing, gridiron, interchange, junction, traversal, underpass.  They are all places where paths or roads meet and a decision must be made. True, we … Continue reading →

        What are you doing for no other reason than because you love Jesus? AND, what have you ceased doing for no other reason than His love for you? Jack Miller asked that question of his congregation when he served … Continue reading →

          “Am i ok?” “Will i be alright?” We are often so, so worried about our own welfare. i believe we spend untold hours being concerned if our money will work out, if our health will hold up, if we’ll … Continue reading →

Shadows Shadows….soft and rarely detailed and defined. They catch an outline enough to identify a silhouette, but never a lot of detail, at least not like the light. Shadows speak softly, in demure tones, whispering to each other, and to … Continue reading →

It is such a nice evening out i feel like i’m living in a postcard picture. There’s not a cloud in the sky except over towards the horizon… all those sky colors, singing, as if they were calling to something … Continue reading →

As the day is passing away and the sun fades from the sky, all the regular friends have gathered at the deck area and pulled up a comfortable chair for some cool jazz and contemplative conversation. Thank you for joining … Continue reading →

Romans 1:18-21, “For the wrath of God is revealed from Heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it … Continue reading →

Jesus, You did it! You changed my regret and overwhelming sorrow, You ripped off my black mourning band. You didn’t leave. You gave me room to breathe. Jesus pulled me out of the ditch, pulled me from deep mud and … Continue reading →

i visit the jail often, often enough over the last years to see patterns among those incarcerated. Most who are incarcerated are not only physically imprisoned, but also mental and spiritual prisoners too, many times, if not most times, in … Continue reading →

        There, at the end of my pencil point were letters and words, notes to myself and pictures of visions i had made to remind myself of what the Lord was saying or showing me. It was a very small … Continue reading →

i thought i would come to the cafe a little prevenient this evening, considering it’s getting dark earlier, i wanted to enjoy the fading light of the day with all the colors of the setting sun. i’m Social Porter and … Continue reading →

          The following is a compilation from The Message Bible: Did you know God is a safe house? The moment you arrive, you relax, and you’re never sorry you knocked on God’s door. When God speaks to victims, real victims, … Continue reading →