NCarolinian

One look can say a lot! Ever seen a child, no matter how old - when in the company of one of his/her parents - receive a look that says, "Don't even think about doing that, you know it is against my rules and your best interest."?  I experienced that a few times growing up and it was enough to straighten my behavior. Why? Because I knew the consequence(s) of continuing in the course of my actions and it would not be pleasant (understatement). So, what does any kid do when faced with this situation? They try to dodge or avoid The Look. This means they will be testing the waters or misbehaving out of the sight of The Parents. There is nothing hidden from God. " Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account." (Hebrews 4:13)  I could stop right there, but I want to crystallize the image of No Privacy. We might have thought we grew up thinking we got away with stuff f...

I maybe can count on one hand the amount of people I have known in my life (46 years so far) that have had A Commanding Presence. I long for this kind of pervasion in any location. Somebody that can control a room simply by entering it. Not that the "air" about me is conceited or pompous, but the way I carry myself would exude a more positive demand of attention. I want more people to experience Christ in me by just being with me. I believe, as 2 Corinthians 2:16 says, that believers in Christ Jesus should have a "Heavenly Scent" about them that is so pleasing that it draws all people to them. " To the one we are an aroma that brings death; to the other, an aroma that brings life. And who is equal to such a task?" I also believe, as Matthew 5:15 says, that believers should be a light to the world and especially within their own household.  " Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives l...

Back in the days of King Solomon, the culture viewed the act of winking as someone with bad intent. "A troublemaker and a villain, who goes about with a corrupt mouth, who winks maliciously with his eye, - he always stirs up conflict." (Proverbs 6:12-14)  "Whoever winks maliciously causes grief,..." (Proverbs 10:10)  "Whoever winks with their eye is plotting perversity; whoever purses their lips is bent on evil." (Proverbs 16:30) The last verse ( Prov. 16:30 ) states if you wink, you are involved in something perverse and if you scrunch up (purse) your lips something evil is your passion. The other verses indicate that one could wink "maliciously" . These physical observations remind me of the Tell or give-away in a card-game of Poker. In King Solomon's culture these Tells were observations that identified one with the individuals who were "troublemakers", "villains", "corrupt", "causers of grief...