Blog posts by Bob Manuel
The metaphor of "walking" is often used in Scripture to describe our lives with God (Gen.5:24; 17:1; Gal.5:16; I John 1:7). "Our God gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint." (Isa.40:29-31). Perhaps Isaiah "descends" in intensity here, from soaring, running, and ending with walking, because he knows most of us don't soar or run every day, but we do and can "walk". My overall hope with each blog entry? To encourage you to walk with me as I walk with Him.
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Bob Manuel
Pastor
Come!
With this entry, I have in mind those who are either weary or wary of church. Even to you, maybe especially to you, Jesus says, "Come to me . . . "(Matt.11:28-20) Let me explain what I mean. I have always felt an affinity with those who feel like they just don't fit...
Coming to Jesus (Again and Again)
So, we made it through another holiday season! It's been a while since I contributed to this blog, but in my last post I talked a bit about experiencing the holidays as "holy-days". It seems to me, that shift of experience from a hectic mess of getting things done...
Holidays as Holy Days
Happy Holidays! This is a greeting/sentiment you will most likely hear during the next several weeks. Probably many of you reading this blog post are aware of the root meaning of our English word "holiday". It comes from the Old...
Walking in Peace
Perhaps you have heard the following thoughts: Man is not at peace with other men because he is not at peace with himself. And, man is not at peace with himself because he is not at peace with God. So, in today's blog, I want to ponder with you, what it means to walk...
Walking in Joy
I remember hearing years ago, a simple description of how to distinguish Happiness from Joy. It was said that happiness is dependent upon external happenings or circumstances, while having joy is not dependent upon circumstances. That is, if things are going well, I...
Walking in Love
I suspect the word, if not the very idea of "love" is one of the most used and perhaps misunderstood word in the English language. We usually equate love with our emotions/feelings toward something or someone we truly enjoy. We say, "I love hot dogs". "I love...
Smelling The Flowers (Joy!)
Yes, I know, take time to "smell the flowers" may be a tired cliche, but like most familiar sayings, they are repeated often because they resonate with us, strike a need, a hunger, desire, wish, longing, or experience common to being human. If this is true, then, why...
Walking by the Spirit
I'm sure you've heard sermons, read books, and heard teaching on "walking by the Spirit". While cognitively I might grasp this, experientially, I seem to forget as I slip back into a performance mode motivated and animated, not by the Spirit of God, but by the sheer...
WAITING
So, what connotations does the word "wait" have for you? Is it mostly positive, negative, or neutral? I may be wrong, but I am guessing for many of us (most of us?), the word, and especially the act of waiting leans more toward the negative. Honestly, I think waiting...