The Beatitudes:  Hunger and Thirst In Psalm 42:1 we find these words, “As the deer pants for the water brooks, So my soul pants for You, O God.”  A deer “pants for water” because it is thirsty.  It is thirsty because it is running from something and hasn’t had a moment to stop and drink.  It is desperate. The Psalmist felt the same way but not about water. He had a deeply rooted, desperate desire f...  Read More

The Beatitudes:  Strength Under Control The bite force of a German Shepherd is strong enough to break bones and require major surgery.  However, when it is properly trained, a German Shepherd can control its bite and only cause discomfort without causing harm or breaking the skin.  That is strength under control.  That is what the Bible means when by meekness. .Jesus said in Matthew 5:5, “Blessed are...  Read More

The Beatitudes:  Say What? In Matthew 5:4, Jesus said, “Blessed are those who mourn…” Wait…say what?  Did I misread that?  Those who mourn are “blessed”?  How can that be? Out of context, that phrase seems harsh but when it is read with the rest of that sentence, you understand what Jesus is saying.  “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” Now that’s better but still, it strikes...  Read More

The Beatitudes: Poor in Spirit In Matthew 5:3-12, we find Jesus teaching the multitude who had come to hear Him teach and watch Him heal the lame and sick.  As He sat on a mountainside, He began His great sermon with the words “Blessed are…” and these first few verses are known today as The Beatitudes.I have always referred to The Beatitudes as “beautiful attitudes”.  If we can master even one of t...  Read More

A Special Bond I have an old t-shirt that I love to wear from time to time.  It is comfortable and I feel relaxed in it.  It is a little worn so I don’t wear it out of the house…much.  I usually put it on at night when I am stretching out for the evening.  But when I go on vacation, I have been known to wear it for several days in a row.  It unfortunately becomes smelly, as you can imagine, and I h...  Read More

A Better Servant When I was a little boy playing little league baseball, I played the position of catcher.  The ball fields in South Carolina were made of red clay and in the summertime, the fields were very dry and dusty.  As a catcher squatting down in that dirt trying to stop every pitched ball, I could get quite dirty.  After a game, I often looked like a red-faced raccoon as the dirt would go ...  Read More

This week we have our final guest writer, Mark Clay, who is one of our iLove Elders.  I hope that you have enjoyed our Elder Edition of Words for Wednesday over these last few weeks. I want to thank each of our Elders for contributing to Words for Wednesday. Your Poor, Silly Sheep One thing I am not is a writer, but I am most definitely a "poor, silly sheep." When I read this devotion last week, I k...  Read More

This week our guest writer is one of our iLove Elders, Perry Whitley. I hope you enjoy this week's Words for Wednesday. Happy New Year That common phrase ‘Happy New Year’ is one we have all quoted, declared, shouted, and/or proclaimed.. The New Year date, January 1, was started with the Julian calendar (i.e. Julius Caesar) and has migrated to what we know today as the Gregorian calendar (Pope Gregor...  Read More

This week, one our iLove Elders, Mike Jordan, is our guest writer. I hope that you enjoy his Words for Wednesday. The after Christmas blues….? It’s Wednesday, December 27th…..How are you feeling?  The answer to that question may highly depend on how you spent the last few weeks.  For many, it has been a time of busyness with social gatherings, last-minute shopping, baking and other preparations for ...  Read More

As we enter into the final week of Advent, I want to remind you that we will be having a Christmas Eve service this Sunday evening, December 24 at 5:00 at Pleasant Grove Baptist Church. Our Advent theme for this week is Love. One our iLove Elders, John Horn, is our guest writer. I hope that you enjoy his Words for Wednesday. ADVENT WEEK 4 - LOVE In Search of Love It's the time of year when we are so ...  Read More

As we enter into week 3 of Advent, I want to remind you that we will be reaching out to the Ballentine neighborhood this Sunday evening at 5:30 to Christmas carol from house to house. We will meet at the school at 5:30 and proceed from there. Our Advent theme for this week is Joy. One our iLove Elders, Warren Williams, is our guest writer. I hope that you enjoy his Words for Wednesday. ADVENT WEEK ...  Read More

As we enter into week 2 of Advent, our theme is Peace. This week, one our iLove Elders, Raymond Moore, is our guest writer. I hope that you enjoy his Words for Wednesday ADVENT WEEK 2 - PEACE Good Wednesday everyone. I was reading a 7-Day Devotion called "Missing Peace", the devotion for Day 3 was on "Peace of Mind". Its message was so true and applicable that it captivated my thoughts for the rest...  Read More