The Lord has put things on my heart before. At one time the Holy Spirit spoke to me. I, however, am a deeply flawed man and have too often yielded to my fears and inhibitions rather than God’s direction. I have done so in confidence of God’s enduring grace to forgive my intransigence. Do I …
Author Archives: desertvessel
The Candy Machine
When I was little, maybe 4 or 5, my older sister (always the entrepreneur) decided to make a coin operated candy machine. She placed two large boxes atop one another, and through the upper box made one hole through which coins were to be inserted, and another hole through which the candy should be dispensed. …
Forever, Expiration Dates, and Hope
It was in 1991 that I stood before Pastor Greg Carson and vowed forever to the woman of my dreams. Years have intervened and taught me that forever often has an expiration date. I have invested too much time and emotion in studying the forensics of my failures. I’ve taken my pain and magnified it …
Ready to Go Home
I have effectively been on my own since 2018, but I have always consoled myself that I have family, friends, and most especially the Holy Spirit. There have been times when I felt that even the latter was not enough, and I indulged in despair and thoughts of self-harm. I have now completed my cross-country …
Who Am I? Why Am I Here? Why Won’t my Laptop Boot?
I typically restrict my posts to expositions of my thoughts or leading regarding my walk of faith. Though my faith underlies my thoughts, this post will be more one of wandering in the desert, so – my apologies. I don’t know who I am. I have become a stranger to myself, looking in the mirror …
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1 Thessalonians 2:13
Have you ever had a verse embed itself within your consciousness? I have had this verse lodged in my mind since attending Bible college in the late 1980’s. I attributed this to a quirk of my mind, as I remember many things that I wish I could forget, but lately it has occurred to me …
Sorry I Haven’t Written…
Prayer has always been a challenge for me. I have never been a particularly social person, and even in terms of personal relationships I often fail to maintain my side of the social construct. I am too comfortable with silence and too easy in my own company. So, though I have a relationship with Jesus, …
Come Quickly, but Maybe Not Today
Zohran Mamdani sealed Iran’s fate. With his election in New York, it became apparent that not all of the American people carefully weigh their sacred right to vote. They will blithely vote based on promises that objectively cannot be fulfilled and ignore the obvious dangers and risks that spell disaster. They will glibly get on …
Sufficient Unto the Day…
As I write this, I am assuming that my brothers and sisters in Christ are still around to read it (not that they do – Forgive them Lord, for they know not what they miss). I posit this as many have forecast that the rapture of the church would have occurred yesterday on September 23. …
What does Forgiveness Look Like?
Addressing an issue from the past, someone suggested that I had never really forgiven them. My response of “yes, I have” seemed inadequate, so I thought it important to explore further. I realized, then, that I did not actually know what forgiveness looks like. My simplistic assumption was that forgiveness was simply not holding someone …
