Faith Archives | Council Fire

January 24, 2026

http://Yesterday,%20Today,%20and%20Forever

January 24, 2026

Yesterday, Today, and Forever

“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” Hebrews 13:8 (NIV) The Bible says that God is the same yesterday, today and forever. How can you know Him? By getting into His Word. It talks about Him forgiving our sins as far as the east is from the west. They are gone forever! We sin because of our human nature. I’m not saying it’s okay, but when we sin we need to go quickly to the Lord and ask for forgiveness. God’s Word says that He is faithful to forgive our sins. He did that yesterday. He’s doing […]

January 23, 2026

January 23, 2026

We Have This Hope…

“We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where our forerunner, Jesus, has entered on our behalf.” Hebrews 6:19-20 (NIV) The human soul . . . my soul, your soul . . . is most precious to God Almighty in all His creation. He created the human soul in His likeness and image to live forever and ever, eternally! Jesus said, “What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?” (Mark 8:36, NIV). The word forfeit means “losing.” The sober thought […]

January 20, 2026

January 20, 2026

Poverty or Plenty

“I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.” Philippians 4:11 (NIV) Have you ever been flat broke? There’ve been a few times I’ve been there, and it’s not a real enjoyable place to be. At the other end of that gamut is having more than enough, which is a whole lot more comfortable and easier to appreciate! The Apostle Paul, like most of us, didn’t have a whole lot of trouble dealing with the upper end of the “poverty to plenty” spectrum—that wouldn’t have been an issue. Writing […]

January 19, 2026

http://Run%20the%20Race%20You%20Know%20You%20Can’t%20Win

January 19, 2026

Run the Race You Know You Can’t Win

“When I fall, I shall arise.” Micah 7:8b (KJV) It doesn’t take courage to run the race you know you will win. It takes courage to run the race you know you can’t win. When my daughter, Storm, was in school she joined the track team. She was small for her age and she had asthma. She would enter every event and she always came in last . . . and not just “last,” but sometimes minutes behind the winner. At times it was painful to watch her struggling to cross the finish line when every breath was an effort. […]

January 18, 2026

http://Do%20Not%20Hinder%20the%20Children

January 18, 2026

Do Not Hinder the Children

“Jesus said, ‘Let the children alone, and do not hinder them from coming to Me; for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.’ ” Matthew 19:14 (NASB) I can remember when a certain woman came to me. She was very distraught. She told me that her grandson had just been born, and she had been told to go find a priest to baptize her grandson, or else he would go to hell. I told her that, as a pastor, I don’t do water baptisms for babies. I told her what I do is called a “dedication” to the […]

January 17, 2026

http://Pontius%20Pilate%20Stands%20His%20Ground

January 17, 2026

Pontius Pilate Stands His Ground

“The chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, the Roman Governor, ‘Do not write, “The King of the Jews,” but, “He said I am the King of the Jews.” ’ Pilate answered, ‘What I have written, I have written.’ ” John 19:21-22 (NKJV) When asked, “Why do you believe in the white man’s God?” by those who reject Christianity, many if not most Native/Indigenous Christians may feel a level of discomfort. The long history of mistreatment of Native peoples by Euro-Americans on many levels speaks for itself, and many still feel the psychological lashes of that brutal and unfortunate […]

January 16, 2026

January 16, 2026

The God We Serve

“Hear me, LORD, and answer me, for I am poor and needy.” Psalm 86:1 (NIV) “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.” Galatians 6:7 (NKJV) The God of the Bible is a God of love, mercy and justice. I gave up trying to understand God a long time ago because His ways are far higher than ours (Isaiah 55:8-9). Both my wife and I came to know Christ in 1979 as a result of a terrible tragedy in my brother and sister-in law’s lives. Their five-year-old son drowned in […]

January 15, 2026

January 15, 2026

Never Saw It Coming

“The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” Lamentations 3:22-23 (ESV) When my father passed away in 2019, it was the first time in my parents’ 57 years of marriage that my mother would be alone. We had assured my father not to worry, that my four brothers and one sister and I would take care of her. We were all taught that in the first year we should let the grieving grieve. So, we let our mother do that and, like we promised […]

January 13, 2026

Trophies

“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Matthew 6:21 (NIV) “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness and all these things will be given to you as well.” Matthew 6:33 (NIV) We once had trophies lined up in our house from accomplishments, and we were especially recognized and known for the sport of volleyball. One day, as I was sitting there looking at those trophies, I realized that I, as a father, was missing the whole point if I was raising my children to base their lives only on who they are and what they […]