A Life Well Lived

A Life Well Lived Carol Suzanne Ruddick (June 21, 1942 – October 26, 2023) When most committed believers pause long enough to grasp the realities and priorities of their journey, there exists a heart-cry: that theirs might be a life well lived. As the one who lived closest to her for over 52 years, as […]

Beyond the Shadows

Beyond the Shadows John’s Gospel is different. So was John. Once he stumbled into the rhythm, the beat seemed to be almost to a different drummer. No question that what Jesus was inundating John and his friends with was above their pay grade. Yet as John kept reaching, he closed the gap and began walking […]

The Passage, for Even the Elect

The Passage, for Even the Elect It was swift and unexpected, when the bottom dropped out for Job, simultaneously losing his health, his wealth and his sons and daughters. There initially seemed to be little insight into what had just happened. Other than the growing whispers that the fault was likely something hidden in Job. […]

Reaching for Rest

Reaching for Rest Reaching for rest, at first glance, seems to be an oxymoron. Of the most basic and first steps toward spiritual maturity is the admonition from James to be doers of the Word, avoiding the deceptions that come from passively having our ears tickled. Yet the depth required from the mix of abiding, while […]

Mysteries-Thinking Deep or Practical

Mysteries: Thinking Deep or Practical Since God has had a people, the stumbling block for the household of faith too often has been found at the gateway of the profound: the deep things of the Spirit. God reveals the depths to give His own an advantage, which in turn make us distinctive. Yet, the subtlety […]

Those I Call Friends

Those I Call Friends There are some who cross our lives, sometimes for only a brief time, who leave an indelible mark. It is what happens when our spirits touch. It engenders a depth of relationship beyond the soul. It is what accompanies the expectation that Jesus was extending when He told the disciples that […]

The Listening Heart Revisited

The Listening Heart Revisited Note: A precursor of this SIGN message was originally posted in 2017. However, this core post represents a vital message for the season now upon us. With the spiritual subtleties currently operating, it is a message that even the seasoned and mature need to more fully grasp and put into action. […]

Without the Spin

Without the Spin In 2005 I penned a piece that became a chapter in my “Something More” book. Titled “The Fine Line,” I described this “fine line” as it being a dimension found only beyond the portals, having entered the narrow gate of the Kingdom. It taps Jesus’ central message of the Kingdom of God […]

Uncorked

Uncorked The American slang usage of “uncorked” relates to an unhindered, unfiltered expression of releasing one’s heart. Indeed uncorking can serve to unveil the deeper levels of one’s thinking and motivations, with it being unleashed in a state of spirited, unpredictability. In winemaking, it is the final step to release what has been a systematic […]

Entrepreneurs and Cultural Change

Entrepreneurs and Cultural Change An entrepreneur is defined as one with the ability to spot opportunity and to know what to do about it, at a profit. The defining link is in correctly discerning and knowing what to do about opportunity, which from both a biblical and an historic Jewish stance is what stewardship is […]