Kevin Dibbley

                   I just happen to be in the Los Angeles area as the huge scandal erupted around comments made by Donald Sterling. It has been the dominant story now for days, not only here, but across the nation. In a nutshell, Sterling, the owner of the NBA Clippers, was recorded privately telling his "girlfriend" that he preferred that she not be seen publicly associating with "black people".  The reaction has been swift, widespread, and unequivocal. Yesterday, NBA commissioner Adam Silver banned Sterling for life, fined him a few million dollars, and declared that steps would be taken to force Sterling to relinquish his ownership of the LA Clipper franchise.             From a Christian perspective, there is much to applaud in the unwavering and immediate response to such blatant racism. In fact, there is so much that we as Christians can and must affirm in our opposition to this evil that I haven't the space here. From an ontological

"On the glorious splendour of your majesty, and on your wondrous works, I will meditate." Psalm 145:5             Jonathon Edwards once observed a remarkable spiritual transformation in the life of his wife. She had become so affected with the things of God that he asked her to write down what had happened. She tells of a particular occasion when she had become disappointed and convicted over particular sins in her life and had lost a sense of the peace of the presence of God. However, after seeking God's face, she came to a happy awareness that God was indeed her Father on account of the forgiveness offered to her through the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. Here is a bit of her joyous testimony:    "I cannot find language to express, how certain this appeared—the everlasting mountains and hills were but shadows to it. My safety, and happiness, and eternal enjoyment of God’s immutable love, seemed as durable and unchangeable as God himself. Melted

       "Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world."   John 17:24           The cross has opened the gate into a world which Jesus Himself desires to share with us. He fully knows the glory that awaits those who follow Him. Jesus has tasted the delights of this "heaven" for all of eternity. We ourselves encounter it briefly and find ourselves trying to cling to elements of it that are yet beautifully reflected in this realm. We reminisce of moments when we have caught a glimpse of it but find that we can not hold it or even recapture it. We create idols that we vainly hope will continually convey to us the pleasures of which our souls have once tasted and for which we now long. Yet, these are fading shadows indicating the reality of that ultimate pleasure that He has always known in communion with His heavenly Fa

                    Over the past several days, I have been reflecting upon two proverbs. The first reads this way: " Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life ." [1] The second is a few verses down in Proverbs 13 and the wise writer puts it this way: " A desire fulfilled is sweet to the soul but to turn away from evil is an abomination to fools ." [2]             What I have been attempting to do is to put these two verses together in my mind and build them into my philosophy of life. Let me explain why. All of us have hopes, ambitions, and desires. The question, of course, is this: what stands in the way of many of them being realized?             No doubt, there are numerous answers to that question. There are a wide range of factors that shape the direction and makeup of our lives. Yet, one answer is probably more common than many of us are willing to admit. We, ourselves, can stand in the way of the realiz

            We all have ideas at the core that shape how we view life and the world, how we process information and ideas, and how we react, respond, and engage with others day by day. What we truly believe sets the stage for how we live.             I want to share with you a thought that has held me for several decades now. It is a foundational key to my entire perspective on life. Simply stated, it is this: God is who He is.             What this means to me is very simple and yet, it is all encompassing. Again to put is as plainly as possible, if God truly exists, then He is who He actually is . He is not who we imagine Him to be, or want Him to be. He is not the creation of  a thousand different religions. He is not a man-made carving or a philosophical concept. If God exists, then He is who He is. His nature, His characteristics, His temperament, His values are already existing. Just like you are who you are, He is who He is. He is not clay to be moulded and fo