The Word of God

Sunday, August 3, 2025

We went to Anchor Baptist Church today because our son, Patrick, was preaching. He ended with some Scripture from Hebrews that started me to think. 

For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.
‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭4‬:‭12‬ ‭NIV‬‬

I have always thought about this verse as it applies to the word of God being the Scripture. And, indeed, I think it does. 

But could the “word” be talking about the “Word” — Jesus?

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
‭‭John‬ ‭1‬:‭1‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Jesus is, indeed, alive and active. 

He comes to live in His children, penetrating into the nooks and crannies of our very innermost hearts. 

He judges our thoughts and attitudes.

If this passage isn’t talking about Jesus, then it’s talking about the Sword of the Holy Spirit. So either way it’s pretty cool. And I’m glad that God is still working in my life and in the world as a whole. 

LORD, thank you that you didn’t just wind us up like a toy and leave us to aimlessly unwind. Thank you for living in us and for convicting us of transgressions that need to be addressed. Thank you for your mercy and your grace.

Free admission

TUESDAY, August 19, 2025

is Senior Day

at The Kentucky State Fair. 

Anyone 55 and up can get into the fair 

at no charge!

We love to go to the state fair and now that we are in “that age group” Senior Day is when we make the trip. It costs $10 to park but our older-than-dirt ID gets us in without paying an admission fee. 

The Fair Hours on Tuesday, August 19th:

• Outside Gates: 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.
• Inside Buildings: 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
• Barns: 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.
• Thrill Ville: 3 p.m. to 10 p.m. 

So what are our favorite things to do at the fair on Senior Day? 

Well, we love to see the animals on display — cows, goats, sheep, pigs, etc.

We usually take a peak at the horses. 

The border collie shows are great. 

We love the little ducklings that slide into the water!

A ribeye sandwich is a must. And ice cream.

We always look at quilts and cakes and honey.

Then we end the night at a concert, of course!

This year’s “Happy Together Tour” on Tuesday night includes:

• The Turtles
• Jay and the Americans
• Little Anthony
• Gary Pucket and the Union Gap
• The Vogues
• The Cowsills

The gate to the concert venue opens at 6:30 and the show starts at 8:00. It is general admission seating so be prepared to scout out a place to land. 

South Wing A  open 9:00am-9:00pm Looking for all things agriculture? Head to South Wing A and visit 4-H's Cloverville, FFA exhibits, AgLand, and Discovery Farm!

South Wing B  open 9:00am-9:00pm

South Wing B is a one-stop-shop to see all things that make Kentucky, Kentucky! Visit Rescue Ridge and Safety Town, Kentucky Remembers: Vietnam War, Pride of the Counties, Main Street Kentucky, and Health Horizons.

South Wing C  open 9:00am-9:00pm

Shop 'til you drop in South Wing C! Hundreds of vendors are waiting for you from souvenirs and trinkets to local products and customizable crafts. Don't forget to fill up your belly at the South Wing C food court while you're there!

North Wing  open 9:00am-9:00pm

There's no shortage of fun in North Wing. Visit the lobby to see what demonstrations and crafts are happening or mill about and checkout competitive entries like homemade beer and wine and canned items. Don't forget to stop in the North Wing Shops, too, for dozens of equine-related vendors.

World's Championship Horse Show

in Freedom Hall

Watch as classes 1-10 compete on the green shavings. Kentucky State Fair admission and a World's Championship Horse Show ticket are required to attend.

West Hall  open 9:00am-9:00pm

Have you ever seen a gourd bigger than your entire body? Yep! You can find that along with so many other incredible agriculture-related competitive entries in West Hall. Browse around the beautiful cornicopias, sunflower seed art, golden honey, and so much more to see what took home the coveted blue ribbon!

East Hall  open 9:00am-9:00pm

East Hall has no shortage of beautiful competitive entries. You'll find our "General Entries" throughout the hall. Browse through Antiques, Hobbies, Textiles, Photography, Culinary, and so much more!

West Wing  open 9:00am-9:00pm

Dairy Cattle and Dairy Goats will be on-site. Please note West Wing and Pavilion will be closed for Changeover Day on Monday, August 18. West Hall will be open for the Junior Goat Show at 4 p.m. on August 18. To see other animals on Changeover Day, visit the Mules & Jacks Tent in Lot M or their show in Broadbent Arena. Additionally, animals can be found in South Wing A in Discovery Farm.

Pavilion Barns  open 7:00am-9:00pm

Poultry, Pigeons, and Rabbits will be viewable. Please note West Wing and Pavilion will be closed for Changeover Day on Monday, August 18. West Hall will be open for the Junior Goat Show at 4 p.m. on August 18. To see other animals on Changeover Day, visit the Mules & Jacks Tent in Lot M or their show in Broadbent Arena. Additionally, animals can be found in South Wing A in Discovery Farm.

   

Rooted in Love

Friday, August 1, 2025

Rooted In Love

A Night of Agape

First Baptist Church of Somerset has a dinner for middle school and high school girls that is pretty cool. 

The girls get dressed up a bit and come to the fellowship hall. A young man, also nicely dressed, escorts each girl to her assigned table and later serves as a waiter when the food comes out. 

Chloe was tonight’s guest speaker. She talked to the girls about being well-grounded in their faith and about agape love. 

so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭3‬:‭17‬-‭19‬ ‭NIV‬‬

I served on a panel of six women and we answered questions that the girls had written down for us. Some were a little silly and some were very serious. We addressed questions regarding foreign languages, peer pressure, anxiety, sin, personal relationships with Jesus, healthy relationships with boys, etc

There was laughter. There were a few tears. The panel’s answers were playful, honest, sincere, and Christ-centered. 

LORD, thank you for allowing me to be a part of this incredible night. I pray that all of these young ladies will draw closer to you as a result of it. 

He Loves Us

Thursday, July 31, 2025

When our daughter was in high school she and I read a popular book that was later made into a movie. It basically followed two teenagers as they sought to locate a poet that they particularly admired. His words had touched them deeply and they would do anything to get the chance to discuss them with him. 

As you can imagine, the poet turned out to be a bit of a jerk who couldn’t have cared less about these two pilgrims and their personal search for life’s meaning. They were, as you can imagine, crushed. 

Well, let me tell you something. Our Creator is nothing like this poet. From the very beginning after he made Adam and Eve, he would walk through the garden with them  (Genesis 3:8). He wanted a relationship with them. 

“The Lord appeared to us in the past, saying: “I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.”
‭‭Jeremiah‬ ‭31‬:‭3‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Through the centuries, he has loved us and has wanted our love in return. 

“This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.”
‭‭1 John‬ ‭4‬:‭10‬ ‭NIV‬‬

It is of utmost importance for us to realize that our lives cannot be whole without a personal relationship with our Creator. We will never be at peace without him. And he will never be satisfied without us. 

Admit the you are a sinner. 

Believe that Jesus died on the cross for you. 

Commit your life to him. 

Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.
‭‭Revelation‬ ‭3‬:‭20‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Jesus wants to live in you. Give him full access to every nook and cranny of your life. 

How much do we Love?

Wednesday, July 30, 2025

Have you ever loved someone so deeply that you would do anything for them? You would give them anything? In fact if it came right down to it, you would willingly give up your life in order to spare theirs. 

Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.
‭‭John‬ ‭15‬:‭13‬ ‭NIV‬‬

By the same token is there someone in your life who irks you to no end? They just really get under your skin? And, honestly, you wouldn’t walk across the street for them. 

What if it came right down to it and one or the other of you had to die. Would you give up your life in order for them to live? It would be human nature to answer with an emphatic, “no.”

Well, I have good news. Jesus loves each of us so much that he willingly laid down his life for us — even though we have disappointed him, said terrible things to him and about him, blasphemed against him and ignored him. 

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
‭‭Romans‬ ‭5‬:‭8‬ ‭NIV‬‬

This should be a sobering thought. That he would do this for us when we really didn’t deserve it. 

But he did. And in Godlike fashion, he had the ability to think about each of us by name as his life drained away. And no matter how awful we have been, he died to cleanse us from our ugliness and to present us as righteous before the Father. 

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
‭‭1 John‬ ‭1‬:‭9‬ ‭NIV‬‬

This is a very important step toward becoming a Christian. Admitting our transgressions before the Lord and asking him for forgiveness. 

LORD, Your love is higher and wider and longer and deeper than we can fathom. Thank you for going to the cross on our behalf. May we forward your love to others around us today. 

Know the Truth

In light of yesterday’s post, I’d like to tell a bit of a story involving my mother. 

Back in the early seventies, mother managed a bookstore where she learned the ins and outs of handling money. Counterfeit bills were circulating and several consultants offered advice on identifying them. Some illegal tenure could be identified by pattern irregularities or color discrepancies, etc. Mother came up with her own method: learn to recognize the real thing. 

She took this a step further into a spiritual application. It isn’t necessary to be able to recognized other religions or how they compare to Christianity. It is imperative, however, to become personally familiar with our Lord so as to recognize the imposters  as counterfeit.  

Which one is fake and which one is real?

Only a genuine $20 bill will buy something. 

Only Jesus has bought you. 

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
‭‭John‬ ‭14‬:‭6 NIV

No matter how you look at it, Jesus is the only way to heaven. He is The Truth and no falsehood can be found in him. And because of his blood atonement, we can stand blameless before the Father. 

Satan is a “liar and the father of lies” (John 8:44). He wants to deceive us with all his counterfeit ways and lies. We must learn all about the real Lord and have a personal relationship with him in order to recognize all the other stuff as diversions. 

LORD, you are our Savior. Help us to hunger and thirst for you and your ways so that we will not be distracted by falsehoods. Thank you for preparing the way for us.

Where Did the Weeds Come From?

Monday, July 28, 2025

The owner’s servants came to him and said, “Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?”
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭13‬:‭27‬ ‭NIV

Whenever I walk around my house and look at my flower beds, I wonder this same thing. “Where did the weeds come from?”

This morning I tackled the interlopers under my sunroom windows. 

I don’t pretend to be a horticulturist. I don’t think these plants are weeds per se — I have no idea what they are. I just know they aren’t supposed to be there. I can’t really get rid of them because their roots are intertwined with the shrubbery. So they always come back.  They sneak up on me and before I know it they are huge again and are trying to take over the place.

Isn’t that what Satan does to us? He sows some sort of dastardly thing in our lives and then watches as it tries to take over. And it doesn’t even have to be a “weed” — like sin. It can be any ol’ thing that just doesn’t belong there — like insecurity or self-doubt or mistrust or fear. These things suck the life out of us. 

So how do we manage these parasites? 

(1) One thing we can do is to talk to the Lord about them. Describe them to him and ask him to remove them. Sometimes when I identify something that I don’t want to take root in my mind, I ask God to help divert my attention. Then I make the conscious effort to concentrate on something wholesome. 

(2) Philippians 4:8 says that we are to think about things that are “true, noble, right, pure, lovely and admirable.” If we do that, then the weedy stuff diminishes.

(3) And remember, God doesn’t want ugliness in our lives. He wants us to let the Holy Spirit shine through in the form of “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” Galatians 5:20

Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.
‭‭Galatians‬ ‭5‬:‭‭25‬ ‭NIV‬‬

LORD, whenever weeds creep into our lives, help us remember that you don’t want them there. Help us depend on you, our Master Gardener, to keep them in check. And remind us of the things you prefer to have growing in our lives so that we can pursue them