But Repentance

The Master of the universe Himself spoke of Repentance with an oath recorded in Ezekiel 33:11 -- "As I live, I do not wish for the death of the sinner but for his Repentance." 

"God wants all His loved ones to have the opportunity to repent and He confirms this desire by His own almighty will." 

Clement of Rome 

"Worship Only God!" Rev. 22:9 NLT

Grateful 

"Through It All"

We closed our Sunday service with this powerful song and video:

https://youtu.be/G0Dzh3RZn0E

"Worship Only God!"

Grateful 

Worship Him

(Click text below for full-frame rendering:)

"Worship Only God!" Rev. 22:9 NLT

Grateful 

Knowledge / Truth

Never confuse knowledge with Truth. Knowledge is something we can manage, but Truth is Someone Who controls us. 

"Worship Only God!" Rev. 22:9 NLT

Grateful 

Clay Jars

(Click image then text for message illustrated and message written:)

"Worship Only God!" Rev. 22:9 NLT

Grateful 

No Concessions

"Jesus never sought to gain adherents by lowering His claims. He made no concessions to the passions or prejudices of His hearers. He stood as a rock in unwavering steadfastness to His great ideals." 

-- F.B. Meyer

"Worship Only God!" Rev. 22:9 NLT

Grateful 

Wind Down Time

From time-to-time we need to take some wind down time in this wound up world. As we study the life of Jesus, we often find Him taking His disciples away from the maddening crowds and toward places of solitude -- the mountains, the deserts, and the seashores. 

This week my wife and I have been saturating in some places of solitude. Though 25 other pastoral couples are near us, we have found much needed rest for our hearts, minds, souls, and bodies. 

Below are some scenes from this week of re-creation. We are so indebted to our Lord and our local church for extended mercy and kindness towards us: 

(Click on images to view full-time.)

"Worship Only God!" Rev. 22:9 NLT

Grateful 

The Secret

"The Secret to Jesus' life was the Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit is anxious to be The Secret of your life and mine." 

-- Kinlaw

(Click text below for Scripture full-frame.)

"Worship Only God!" Rev. 22:9 NLT

Grateful 

Godly Counsel

(Click below for Godly Counsel:)

"Worship Only God!" Rev. 22:9 NLT

Grateful 

"Something Brand-New"

(Click on text below for message:)

"Worship Only God!" Rev. 22:9 NLT

Grateful 

Job 9:4-8 / Job Describes God

(Click sacred text below for Job's description of God from Job 9:4-8 NLT:)

"Worship Only God!" Rev. 22:9 NLT

Grateful 

Human Need

"Whether it was a single leper or a crowd, Jesus was always moved with compassion in the presence of human need." F.B. Meyer 

If we would win souls? We must learn this lesson from our Lord! A broken heart offers healing to others suffering brokenness. 

"Worship Only God." Rev. 22:9 NLT

Grateful 

God Alone

"Nothing short of God can satisfy your soul. Therefore, fix on Him in all, through all, and above all. For all the power, and all the merit is of Him alone." 

-- John Wesley 

"Worship Only God." Rev. 22:9 NLT

Grateful 

Grant Me

(Click on image below for full-frame prayer:)

"Worship Only God!" Rev. 22:9 NLT

Grateful 

Every Generation

"It is necessary for every individual in every successive generation to see the work of God personally" (and to chose Him as their own Lord.) Kinlaw with Willis remix 

"Worship Only God!" Rev. 22:9 NLT

Grateful 

 

Lifesaving Document

This document about coastal lifesaving stations inspires me more than mere words can convey.

(Click on document below for full-frame rendering.) 

"Worship Only God!" Rev. 22:9 NLT

Grateful  

Jesus Went

(Click type below for full-frame reading.)

"Worship Only God!" Rev. 22:9 NLT

Grateful 

His Presence

Today, I helped teach a 3-hour workshop at our local church on my favorite theme "The Ministry of Presence". About halfway through the Light-Your-World learning laboratory, these words fell deep into my heart and are in fact my own testimony:

(Click image for message:)

"Worship Only God!" Rev. 22:9 NLT

Grateful

Listening to Lady Melba Read Devotions

Yesterday, we drove to Harkers Island, home of my family, for the funeral of a family friend. 

After spending just one night at the Willis' family homeplace, the joy is all mine to sit at the breakfast table with Mom, Lady Melba, as we share aloud our morning devotional readings. 

Mom shared this one from Mrs. Cowman's writings:

(Click for full-frame text.)

(Click for image full-frame.)

(Click for view from Willis' homeplace this morning, full moon over my Great Grandaddy John's Creek.)

"Worship Only God." Rev. 22:9 NLT

Grateful

 

Consider Mortality

As I write this blog post, I am sitting in a funeral home chapel awaiting a service to begin. As I wait, I get to consider my own mortality.

While I have always known my days on this earth are numbered, it wasn't until my own Dad's passing on November 17, 2014, did my own mortality really begin to become undeniably vivid on the horizon of my existence. 

Too often, people live their entire lives with little or no thought that they will not live here for forever. Perhaps I dwell too much on mortality, but it is preferred to spending too little time considering it. 

The old saying is true: "Until we are ready to die, we will never be ready to live." So, I attend funerals. It helps me to make sure I am ready to die, so I can be ready to live. King Solomon said this about attending funerals:

(Click type below for Scripture and second box for definition of mortality.)

Want Eternal Life? Call on Jesus. He alone can swallow up our mortality in His immortality -- only His Life can overwhelm our death! 

"Worship Only God!" Rev. 22:9 NLT

Grateful 

ASPIRE

During the early morning hours, I arrived at the University of Virginia Medical Center to be with a dear neighbor and brother in Christ before surgery. While the medical team was preparing him for his long day, I stepped out of the room and saw this acrostic on the wall near the nurses' station. It speaks for itself as the mission of the medical facility and also challenges me to ASPIRE!

A - Accountability

S - Stewardship

P - Professionalism

I - Integrity 

R - Respect

E - Excellence

"Worship Only God!" Rev. 22:9 NLT

Grateful  

Surrender Expectations

Let us, Lord, surrender our expectations for this day and simply saturate in the experience of knowing You more intimately. 

Where we go today is secondary to Your promise -- that You will surely come to us. More than doing Your will, we long to truly become Your will. 

If our day includes more suffering than celebrating, remind us that it will not be a wasted day as long as we worship You in Spirit and in Truth.

This is our solemn prayer. In Your Holy Name, Amen!

"Worship Only God!" Rev. 22:9 NLT

Grateful 

Tireless Desire

"With our faith, hope and love, we are always praying with tireless desire. Let us be constantly in a state of desire for the Life of eternal happiness, and ask for it from Him Who alone is capable of giving it."

Augustine

"Pray without ceasing."

1 Thessalonians 5:17

"Worship Only God..." Rev. 22:9 NLT

Grateful 

  

F-E-A-R

Pastor Billy Logan shared this acrostic in our Sunday message on the topic of fighting fear:

F- False

E- Evidence

A- Appearing

R- Real

Fear? Not!

"Worship Only God..." Rev. 22:9 NLT

Grateful 

5 Things

This week I saw these truths for God's Children and believe simply reading them will encourage you deeply:

(Click image for full-frame rendering:)

* And even if we do sometimes feel useless, remember we are still valuable to God! 

"Worship Only God..." Rev. 22:9 NLT

Grateful 

Epiphany 1969

You My blog post today is a cut and paste from my Instagram post:

It's January 6, 2017, ✨Day of #Epiphany. It's the day that we remember the Wisemen from the East, coming to Bethlehem to place their lives before the Baby King Jesus in Worship. Also, on this day, January 6, 1969, my own dad, Capt. Billy, proved to be a wise man, too. For it was on January 6, yes, in the early morning hours of a Monday -- Epiphany Day - actually during the fourth watch of the night, around 3am while in his bunk aboard the old family fishing boat docked on the Eastern Seaboard at Wanchese, N.C., and after a dream where Jesus appeared to him... that Billy Cameron Willis crawled out from his sleep and onto the floor of the galley and began seeking in brokenness a right relationship with God. He said "yes" to Jesus, found forgiveness and fulfillment for the rest of his days. It proved to be an Epiphany for our family that will last for forever. ✨ #Grateful #WorshipOnlyGod Pictured: My glass Epiphany Nativity that I bought for $2.97 from @kirklands in an after-Christmas sale a few years back. ✨

(Click images for full-frame.)

"We are on pilgrimage to worship Him." Matthew 2:2 (MSG)

A year ago while vacationing on the Outer Banks of N.C. I purchased this old water-coloring and it looks like our family fishing boat "Miss Vickie" closest to the dock. It feels like a gift to me from Above to remind me of Dad's conversion at the fishing docks at Wanchese, N.C. in 1969. (Click for full-frame.) 

Face-to-Face with God

As we journey into a new year, does the face of God indeed go with us? Or are we traveling without the face of God? A face is an incredible thing. It can speak louder than a voice, more tenderly than a touch. God desires a face-to-face relationship with his people so we can see in his face what he wills for us, what pleases him, and what brings him sorrow. In Jesus Christ we can see the face of God, revealed by the Holy Spirit. We are to live every day in such a way that we can sense his face and know his presence. Let's not begin this year alone when we could be face-to-face with God himself. Dennis Kinlaw

"Worship Only God..." Rev. 22:9 NLT

(Click on images below for full-frame.)

 

Grateful 

Blessed to Bless Others

Today, as I read in Genesis 12, about Abram who would be renamed Abraham, my heart was touched deeply. Not that it was a new truth for my mind, but the verses just came at me more beautifully than I have remembered them before.

So, here's what I read in Genesis 12:2b and 3b NLT: The Lord was speaking to Abram. These words were given:

"I will bless you and make you famous and you will be a blessing to others. All the families on earth will be blessed through you."

Too often, as God-worshipers, we forget that God wants to bless us, however, He doesn't want the blessing to begin and end with just us. No, He wants to bless us and then He wants to bless others through the blessing He has extended to us.

Recently, I wrote these words: "Self-centeredness is the deepest depth of poverty." It's so true. If we seek blessings from Holy God and only intend to keep those blessings for ourselves, we are surely not grateful for the goodness God has given to us. We have sadly misunderstood the heart of God, as expressed to Abram. If we truly love God, we will prove our love with a gratitude that blesses others.

Yes, we should realize that being recipients of God's blessing comes with tremendous responsibility. When He sends blessings to us, He is entrusting us to allow those blessings to flow through us... to others.

No wonder Abraham was called "a friend of God." Are we?

"Worship Only God!" Revelation 22:9 NLT

Grateful

"Unless you become as a child..." -- Jesus

Renewed Purity

Let us pray together:

"Lord, shed the brilliant light of Your wisdom upon our dark souls, so that we may be enlightened and serve You with renewed purity. Lord, bless our souls with the spiritual vision of You and our bodies with Your warmth and sweetness. Amen." -- Ancient prayer by Ephrem the Syrian

"Worship Only God..." Rev. 22:9 NLT

Grateful 

Proud/Ashamed

Is it me, or does it also seem true to you that one tragedy of humanity these days is that people are ashamed of things they should be humbly proud of (like living holy/pure lives) and are proud of things they should be horribly ashamed of (like leading wicked/perverted lives)? 

Who cares about holy living? God cares! The question is, who cares about what God cares about?

"Worship Only God... Always!"

Grateful 

New Year, No Fear

Holy New Year to you!

Hallelujah!!!

Out with the old. In with the new. Fear? Not! Let us pray. Let us trust. The #future is preferred. Onward. Forward. Upward. ☄️💥↗️

"All is well!" Isaiah 52:7 GW

Grateful