Welcome to the Truth@Life Blog Site by Curtis Songer


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There are 5 threads of thought in this blog site:
1. Church Stuff - things pertaining to the evangelical Christian Church of today
2. Leadership Corner - concepts on management & leadership
3. Two Becoming One - principles of marriage enrichment
4. Train Up a Child - principles of parenting
5. Personal Thoughts - my mental ramblings on how God is growing me

I highly recommend you find an entry on one of these topics that interests you and click on that label at the end of that entry. It will bring up all the entries on that particular category. And be sure to check out the great web site links in the lower right corner of this page - Enjoy!

Monday, October 31, 2011

From Indulgent to "Outdulgent"

Do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. Philippians 2:4 Graham Kerr became a household name when his cooking show, The Galloping Gourmet, emerged as an international success in the 1960s and 1970s. With achievement and acclaim came money, of course, and Graham and his wife, Treena, were indulgent in purchasing the types of goods and gadgets wealth can buy. But at some point along the way, Graham and his wife realized that God had placed them here for much greater purposes. They knew they needed to live more simply. As if their own convictions about this weren't enough, Treena began experiencing a series of major health episodes, including a heart attack, a stroke, the onset of diabetes, and raging hypertension. God was calling them to change, not just their material footprint, but their physical lifestyle as well. One of the stark realities of these health conditions, naturally, was the need to make changes in their eating habits. They would be consuming much less now and spending much less on their grocery bill. Then the thought struck them, What if we could take our savings from not eating these things that once harmed us and turn that money into provision for someone else? So over the course of the last 20 years, the Kerrs have been calculating the money they've saved by foregoing unhealthy choices in their food budget and have redirected that money into needy areas and causes. They have been the first beneficiaries of their fit lifestyle, but those who have been helped through their generous, ongoing gifts have made it a double blessing. Instead of living indulgent lifestyles, Graham and Treena have become, to borrow their own term, "outdulgent." Please post a comment below or send me an email at curtis.songer@gmail.com

Sunday, October 9, 2011

Well-Driven Nails (Part Three)

The conclusion, when all has been heard, is: fear God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person. Ecclesiastes 12:13. A. W. Tozer said, “The word of God was not given to us to make us intelligent sinners, but obedient and authentic saints.” As important as it is to remember God - to recall who God is and what He has done for us - and to fear God by practicing a reverential awe of Him and His presence in our lives, it is equally important to hammer home the final nail. Nail Number Three: Obey God. Our lives are made up of choices - difficult forks in the road where we must decide to choose God’s way or to pursue our own. And as Moses said to the children of Israel, the choice is really not between right and wrong but between life and death (see Deuteronomy 30:15-16). The prophet Amos said it very succinctly: “Seek the Lord that you may live” (Amos 5:6). Truly, the only sure path to life is found in obedience to God and His Word. So when you don’t feel like loving your spouse, obey God. When you’re tempted to steal or to compromise your integrity, obey God. When your boss asks you to do something you shouldn’t, obey God. When your lusts and passions are telling you to give in, obey God. When you’re suffering and feel like quitting, obey God. When the easiest thing to do is nothing, obey God. When you feel like being lazy, obey God. Whatever choice you may be facing, obey God . . . and live! Thomas Carlisle wrote, “Conviction, be it ever so excellent, is worthless until it converts itself into conduct.” It is not enough just to know what’s right. Well-driven nails only become that way when we have the courage to sink them deep into our lives by obeying God. Please click on the word “comments” below or send me an email at curtis.songer@gmail.com

Friday, October 7, 2011

Update on My Dad

Thanks to all of you for your thoughts and prayers for my 95 year old father. Surprisingly, he is doing much better. Two days ago, the doctors did not have much hope for him. Within 24 hours he was responding to us again, talking and understanding us, eating well, and even feeding himself! He is an amazing man with an amazing constitution. He is still in the skilled care facility and will be for at least several more weeks, if not permanently. It is our hope that, though your prayers, and the physical rehab, he will be able to come home again in the future. If there are any changes in his condition, I'll post an update. Again, thanks so much for your prayers. I guess God is not finished with him here on earth! Please click on the word “comments” below or send me an email at curtis.songer@gmail.com

Well-Driven Nails (Part Two)

It is good that you grasp one thing and also not let go of the other; for the one who fears God comes forth with both of them. Ecclesiastes 7:18 When I was a young lad growing up, it seemed as though the preacher in my church would frequently speak on hellfire and brimstone. He preached about the almighty God who was just and righteous in His judgments. As a boy I learned to have a reverential awe of the One who held my destiny in the palm of His hand. We rarely hear sermons today about the fear of God. Reverential awe has been largely replaced with much softer, sweeter emotions. We’ve traded the "fear" of God for the love of God, not realizing we need both of them to keep us balanced and secure. Nail Number Two: Fear God - have a reverential awe for Him. Believers in past centuries talked about living “in the presence” of God or living “before the eyes” of God. Keeping their view of Him high and majestic drove them to change their world, because they knew that the Lord God almighty was watching. And they never forgot it. Living for God is not about kicking back and seeking ease. It is serious business. Rather than seeing the promises of God as ways to increase our checking account balances and meet our own needs, the Bible calls us to “cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God” (2 Corinthians 7:1). It’s not about entertainment and feeling good. It’s about seeing Him for who He is and seeing ourselves accountable to Him on a moment-by-moment basis. Real life is being accountable to Him by being accountable to others who share our pursuit of reverent, holy living. Please click on the word “comments” below or send me an email at curtis.songer@gmail.com

Thursday, October 6, 2011

Well-Driven Nails (Part One)

The words of wise men are like goads, and masters of these collections are like well-driven nails. Ecclesiastes 12:11 Wisdom, which I define as skill in everyday living, is one of the greatest needs of every generation. And the writer of Ecclesiastes 12 shares about the words of a wise man being like “well-driven nails” - words that bring perspective, security and life. Over the next three blogs I’d like to describe three well-driven nails. Nail Number One: Remember God. Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, the Nobel Prize-winning author and Russian dissident during the Soviet era, said, “I have spent fifty years working on the history of the Russian Revolution. In the process, I have collected hundreds of personal testimonies, read hundreds of books and contributed eight volumes of my own. But if I were asked today to formulate as concisely as possible the main cause of the ruinous revolution that swallowed up some 60 million of our people, I could not put it more accurately than to repeat: Men have forgotten God.” These powerful words confirm that when people fail to remember God and do not recognize His presence and authority in their lives, anything goes. They develop spiritual amnesia and are unable to remember what God has done to show Himself faithful and true, not only in their own lives, but also throughout human history. When we forget God, we forget to trust Him. If you want to drive this nail home, I would encourage you to consider three things: First, learn how to truly worship God. Second, get to know Him by spending time reading the Bible. And third, create a list together of spiritual milestones - divine acts that exemplify something significant He has done in your life or family. When we rehearse what God has done, we not only remember Him, but we also are more likely to trust Him for what we are facing today. Remember your Creator. Please click on the word “comments” below or send me an email at curtis.songer@gmail.com

Wednesday, October 5, 2011

Prayer Request

I don't normally put prayer requests on my blog, but since it is such a great way to get the word out.... Please pray for my dad, Curtis H. Songer. He is 95 years old and may be in his final days here on earth. He is a believer, and so our prayers are simply that he would be comfortable as he passes into eternity.

Monday, October 3, 2011

All You Really Need

And those who know Your name will put their trust in You, for You, Lord, have not forsaken those who seek You. Psalm 9:10 NASB At the very moment Darnly Motter was giving birth to her third child in the delivery room, her husband, Larry, was one floor below having a blood clot removed from his brain. These are the kind of paradoxes that entered the Motters’ world the day their car crashed on a lonely stretch of South Dakota highway, leaving Larry in a coma with severe brain damage. When he returned to consciousness, he was partially paralyzed and his short-term memory was gone. For all intents and purposes, he was another baby in the Motter household. There were people who advised Darnly to find Larry a comfortable place to live - to set him up in a nursing home - so that she could get on with life. But Darnly knew she couldn’t do that. Making a home with Larry - even the new Larry he had become - was part of keeping her wedding vows, she believed. Over the years, she has often cried herself to sleep at night, and she has occasionally succumbed to the heavy undertow of depression. Her lonely walk as the only “adult” in her marriage has left her feeling maddeningly desperate. But when times get the murkiest, she remembers, “I don’t need answers; I just need God.” That, my friend, is a faith statement - something that people who walk by feelings can’t say, because it demands that they know and trust God enough to be able to handle the challenges He often allows into life. Faith like this brings freedom and peace, even in the midst of the storms of life, known only by those who choose to set their dial and choose to live by the trusted timeless truths of Scriptures. When life isn’t fair, God is still there - to make sure you have everything you need to hang in there yourself. Please comment below or send me an email at curtis.songer@gmail.com

Sunday, October 2, 2011

Two Great Movies

Two of the greatest movies I have seen lately are "7 Days in Utopia" and just yesterday, "Courageous". Go see them soon before they leave the theaters - they're awesome! And suitable for the entire family!