Paul Aurandt in his book, Destiny tells of the life of Bartholomew Roberts, one of the great sea captains commanded 3 ships The Fortune, The Good Fortune and the Royal Fortune. Back in his day the ships musicians were on call to provide music anytime of the day or night. But his musicians got Sunday off as a day of rest and religious observance. On his ships, temperance was strictly enforced, and gambling was forbidden. Any sailor who smuggled a woman on board was hanged. He was

"The Blessings of the Lord, It Maketh one Rich!" Proverbs 10:22

Success is:______. How would you fill in the blank?

"That's easy," you might say. "Success is ... for an athlete, winning the Super Bowl, the World Series, or a gold medal: for an entertainer, winning an Oscar, a Grammy, or an Emmy; for a businessperson, being a top executive with one of the

Patience is essential to our salvation. The Bible says that hope is needed to be patience. For Christians it is our hope in Jesus Christ that brings patience. If we have no hope, we have no need for patience. Patience is also closely aligned with love as well as hope. Love is full of patience and hope. Just as God is a God of love, He desires for us to love Him as well as others. With God being a God of love, He is also patient. God is patiently waiting on us to come around to His way of thinking. Patience is essential to our salvation.

The elusive key to emotional mastery: Is it really that simple?

Let me steal and retell a little story from one of my favourite authors.

Two ducks float peacefully along in their pond; suddenly one crosses too far into the other duck's territory. A fight starts - fast and furious. It lasts for only for a few seconds before just as suddenly they float off in their respective directions.

"You are the light of the world-like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden." (Matthew 5:14)

So, here we are...Americans divided along ideological and political lines. We are divided on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, over how to deal with a crumbling economy, the mortgage crisis, health care, and much more. These divisions are unhealthy and give the lie to our being "one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."

A meaningful study of success must start with a proper definition. The world uses words like wealth, fame, and position to describe the good life. While those are types of achievement, true success means becoming the person

Our faith and spirit gain strength like the analogy of a "Good Dog" and a "Bad Dog". The one you feed the most gets the strongest. The one you don't feed will become weaker. We need to take an inventory of our own life and decide honestly for ourselves which Dog we are feeding? Is it the Good one or the Bad one?

"Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak ~ Matthew 26:41. We are all spiritual beings. There are 2 forces that are at war within

The term 'lord' has been around for centuries. Traditionally it refers to a person who has authority over others, such as a land owner to those working on his estate, a person of nobility or non-military rank over others. Often the title of 'lord' was inherited from family position and it involved some political responsibilities (House of Lords).

More recently the term 'lord' has become an honorary title signifying some privilege or recognition of societal achievement much like the title

"OH, GOD…"

If you are like me, you likely hear God or His Son brought into conversations on a daily basis. It is not that people around me are particularly religious; it is just that they like to use their names. Even young children have been taught to use God's name in times of exasperation or amazement. I have lost count how many times while children are over playing on the PS2 that I have heard, "Oh, God" or "Holy ______!" (you can fill in the blank) during