Stephen De La Vega

[This post originally appeared here  with the title:  Wise As Solomon .  I wrote it as a guest blogger for Liz Petruzzi.   Be sure to visit her site  and enjoy her heartfelt blog .] Wisdom was nicely packaged along with a dreamy and delectable fruit dangling from a forbidden tree.   At least, that’s how it seemed for the woman… No, this isn’t the opening lines of a romance novel.   It’s our history.   It’s the framing of an eternity apart from God when you spin it from a crafty serpent’s vantage point.   But the fruit was supposed to be looked upon with reverence and awe toward God, the Creator, by anyone who fears Him. We can read about this fruit in Genesis 2 and 3 and recall the passing of events that determined the fate of humankind.   A universal death sentence, all because someone aspired toward something good (wisdom), but in a way that dismissed a required reverence toward God.   And Adam continued to d...

This blog post is a little different.  It's unplanned and not my regular, biblically-based writing.  I'm happy to announce I'm a Sunshine Blogger Award  nominee. The Sunshine Blogger Award is a peer recognition for bloggers across all genres who inspire "positivity and joy."  While there is no formal evaluation or vetting process, and no tangible prize, I am truly honored to receive this award because it comes directly from a fellow blogger who also puts pen to a page and appreciates the value of every post and every word.  So, much thanks to you, Tim Kiser of The Profit Dare , for nominating me. This is a good time to send appreciation to everyone in my blogging community.  We have developed a wonderful sense of community and mutual support and I appreciate you all.  There will be times I don't acknowledge a kind favor, but it's not because I don't care.  It's just too easy to miss things that file into my online activ...

[If you’re able, read Part 1 , then Part 2 , then this post.   This trilogy includes some extraordinary but true animal stories and offers insight into some of our human tendencies, a.k.a., animal instincts.] My dog Izzy has grown almost completely blind and deaf, and her sensitivity to odors is failing as well.   We rescued her from a shelter so we don’t know her complete care history or even how old she is.   But she’s been in our family for over 10 years and she’s definitely showing signs of old age.   Often, when she stops during her walks, she loses her bearings and starts up again in a different direction.   Even when I tug on her leash, she somehow believes that her poor sense of smell is a better compass than her master's guidance.   And, inside the house, she bumps into walls and furniture, and often bumps around in circles because she doesn’t know which way is right. Izzy is out of her comfort zone.   As her owner, I’m also...

Paul was a man on a mission. Why wouldn’t he be? He was commissioned by God. God chose Him, told Him what to do, and empowered Him. Paul committed to God’s plan and got it done. He was a doer and he pursued God’s plan with boldness and tireless passion. The sobering truth is God also commissioned us… Maybe we see Paul as a superhero, or, humanly speaking, a really, extraordinary person.   The one-of-a-kind guy we’re tempted to emulate using the social media shortcut.   He’s a luminary we might celebrate in history books, but maybe not the type we’d ever attempt to become ourselves.   He’s just too far off the charts.   I mean, it’s nice to dream, but we’re not Jesus, right? No, we’re not Jesus and we really are severely handicapped when it comes to living as He did.   We are “prone to wander…to leave the God [we] love,” as Hymnodist Robert Robinson penned in 1757 ( Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing ).   But Paul, though human like us, someh...