Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Tough Truths for Tough Times
    Tough Truths for Tough Times
    Tough Truths for Tough Times
    Ebook143 pages2 hours

    Tough Truths for Tough Times

    By Saundra L. Washington D.D.

    ()

    Read preview

    About this ebook

    Today we do not experience great manifestations of God as Moses did many years ago. God has not spoken to us out of a burning bush and neither have we heard His voice as He walked in the cool of the day in the Garden of Eden. We have not looked up over our house of worship and seen the Shekinah glory of God in a visible way. But God does reach into our hearts and into our life and speak to us through His holy Word.

    One of the outstanding characteristics of Jesus while on earth was His keen skills of observation. He possessed what we sometimes refer to as a “homiletic mind” and saw sermon illustrations at every turn. As He lifts up some simple happening and draws insights from it, we feel refreshed by His words and they speak directly to our own condition.

    The twenty-one tough truths for these troubled times that furnish the content of this book do not originate with the author, but extracted from the storehouse of God’s inexhaustible truth found in both Old and New Testaments. The insights speak to the soul with urgings to rise above the petty to the significant, the secular to the sacred, and the finite to the infinite.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherSaundra L. Washington D.D.
    Release dateApr 25, 2011
    ISBN9781458152626
    Tough Truths for Tough Times
    Author

    Saundra L. Washington D.D.

    Greetings in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ,Christian writing in particular is an expression of my passion to educate and inspire the body of Christ. I enjoy writing (and reading) and perhaps the clue that it was to play a vital role in my future can be traced to my love of writing as a child. Actually, it was not writing but scribbling (smile). I would scribble pages and pages and go show my masterpieces to my mother for her critique. She always complimented me on how wonderful my stories were and had me interpret the meaning from time to time. But, to be honest, I never contemplated writing beyond those childhood illusions and fantasies. God does indeed work His will into the lives of those committed to Him.So now, decades later, semi-retired from pastoral responsibilities, I felt the Holy Spirit's urging to write what I otherwise would probably be orally teaching or preaching.I believe you will find my eBooks interesting, spiritually strengthening, educative, informative, motivating and encouraging as you grow in your spiritual walk.You are encouraged to view samples from each eBook to get a “feel” for content.God bless you and thank you for surveying my eBooks and perusing this profile.All glory to God!

    Read more from Saundra L. Washington D.D.

    Related to Tough Truths for Tough Times

    Related ebooks

    Christianity For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      Radiance

      Dec 30, 2022

      Radiance
      7 min read

    • Article

      Forward March!

      Sep 4, 2020

      Forward March!
      5 min read

    • Article

      Ilse Kleyn Prophetic Artist

      Jun 24, 2019

      Ilse Kleyn Prophetic Artist
      7 min read

    • Article

      A Guest At The Table

      Aug 7, 2018

      The 3-year-old son of a rabbi who's visiting this obscure corner of the diaspora already stands tall and straight -- like the proper mensch he is becoming, complete with skullcap, earlocks and a blue-and-white fringed garment in accordance with the b

      2 min read

    • Article

      The River Of Life

      Mar 8, 2024

      I love standing on a bridge, staring into the fast-moving waters of a river, on their way to the sea from their source in distant hills. The length of a river is like the span of a human life. Some lives are long, but others, sadly, can be much short

      5 min read

    • Article

      The Journey Of A Christian

      Oct 21, 2019

      The Journey Of A Christian
      6 min read

    • Article

      Letters To The EDITOR

      Apr 5, 2024

      D ear readers, we love to hear your thoughts on the stories that we publish, what is going on around the world, and what the Lord has placed on your heart! Email your letter through to editor@joymag.co.za for a chance to be featured – please try to k

      10 min read

    • Article

      God Is Able

      Mar 16, 2020

      There are millions of people walking in darkness who have no hope in this life or the next. They are turning to all sorts of alternatives to find answers, but there is only one way, only one answer, only one person who is able. He is able to bring ho

      5 min read

    • Article

      The Great Shaking

      Nov 27, 2020

      Way back in the last millennium when I was still a teenager there was a popular song made famous by Jerry Lee Lewis, “There’s been a whole lotta shakin goin’ on.”This is certainly true of today’s world. One major difference between the current global

      5 min read

    • Article

      Who made GOD?

      Jun 16, 2023

      I have had many secularists mock me as a Christian for believing in an eternal God. They’ve grinned and asked me the question, “So, who made God?” They then claim that it doesn’t make sense to believe in an eternal God. The Bible makes it clear tha

      4 min read

    • Article

      A Prayer for June

      May 15, 2021

      A Prayer for June
      9 min read

    • Article

      Happy New Year

      Sep 29, 2017

      I'm on probation these days. For it's that time of year when Jews put themselves on trial before the High Judge, so I write today's column from the dock, being my own accuser and, at the end of these Ten Days of Repentance, my own defense attorney. E

      4 min read

    • Article

      Letters To The Editor

      Nov 27, 2020

      I I believe b that we are living in the end times as we read about in all the books of the Gospel and listen to what Jesus had said. He warned of pestilences and famines. I believe that Covid-19 is one of the pestilences, as well as all the locusts t

      7 min read

    • Article

      Letters To The Editor

      Aug 19, 2019

      Thank you for your wonderfully illustrated Biblical series of articles that you regularly publish. I find that I can’t concentrate like I used to, and love the short, precise, and factual articles. I have learnt so much from reading them. I was fasci

      7 min read

    • Article

      Ask Val

      Oct 30, 2020

      Ask Val
      2 min read

    • Article

      Christmas The Gift Of Peace

      Dec 1, 2023

      Christmas The Gift Of Peace
      8 min read

    • Article

      Receiving The Good News Lessons From The Parable Of The Sower

      Jun 12, 2020

      The Bible is the best-selling book of all time. It is the best-selling book year after year, every year. It far outsells any other book, with a whopping 4 billion copies sold over the last 50 years. The mission with which I work, Hellenic Ministries,

      5 min read

    • Article

      Letters To The EDITOR

      Dec 29, 2023

      D ear readers, we love to hear your thoughts on the stories that we publish, what is going on around the world, and what the Lord has placed on your heart! Email your letter through to editor@joymag.co.za for a chance to be featured – please try to k

      7 min read

    • Article

      Church UNUSUAL Insight from Dr Jonathan David

      Apr 13, 2020

      Church Unusual lifts the paradigms of pastors and Christian leaders to see the church beyond its natural element and environment. It is the avenue and vehicle for the Kingdom of God manifesting here on earth as it is in heaven. When this happens, God

      3 min read

    • Article

      A Burden On The Heart Of The Believer “I Charge You Therefore, Preach The Word!”

      Oct 21, 2019

      Most of us would recognise that the last words of a great and godly man or woman before their death would likely be words of great value. Words to consider and ponder. Jesus’ seven statements from the Cross are of that category and are thus recorded

      5 min read

    • Article

      A Prayer for October

      Sep 19, 2020

      A Prayer for October
      10 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for Tough Truths for Tough Times

    0 ratings

    0 ratings0 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

      Book preview

      Tough Truths for Tough Times - Saundra L. Washington D.D.

      Tough Truths for Tough Times

      By

      Saundra L. Washington D.D.

      SMASHWORDS EDITION

      **********

      Published by

      Saundra L. Washington on Smashwords

      Tough Truths for Tough Times

      Copyright 2011 by Saundra L. Washington D.D.

      All Rights Reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) except for the inclusion of brief quotations in a review, without the prior written permission of the copyright owner.

      Smashwords Edition License Notes

      This e-book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This e-book may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

      Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 Biblica. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved. The NIV and New International Version trademarks are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica. Use of either trademark requires the permission of Biblica. The King James Version (KJV) is in U.S. public domain.

      ********

      Acknowledgement

      To the honor and glory of the true Author of this e-Book, the triune God.

      ********

      Dedication

      To all believers with ears to hear!

      ******

      TABLE OF CONTENT

      Preface

      Acknowledgements

      God’s Sacred Whispers

      Wet Powder and Unloaded Guns

      A Vertical Look at the Cause of War

      Time Assassins

      The Problem of Man

      In the Shadow of Cain

      Gospel of Humanity

      Risky Obedience to a Shameless God

      Though the Fig Tree Does Not Bud

      Living in the Jungle of Slander

      We Are Not Monotheists Yet

      Mad, Mad World of Lies

      Incredible Sulking Spirits

      The Ubiquity of Profanity

      From Persecutor to Persecuted

      World of Fools

      God’s Providence and Ezekiel’s Wheel

      Yearning for the Churchless City

      Venom Tongues and the Sins of Speech

      Bed Too Short, Blanket Too Narrow

      Show Business at its Best

      BONUS: Interview with Apostle Paul

      ******

      Preface

      Today we do not experience great manifestations of God as Moses did many years ago. God has not spoken to us out of a burning bush and neither have we heard His voice as He walked in the cool of the day in the Garden of Eden. We have not looked up over our house of worship and seen the Shekinah glory of God in a visible way. But God does reach into our hearts and into our life and speak to us through His holy Word.

      One of the outstanding characteristics of Jesus while on earth was His keen skills of observation. He possessed what we sometimes refer to as a homiletic mind and saw sermon illustrations at every turn. As He lifts up some simple happening and draws insights from it, we feel refreshed by His words and they speak directly to our own condition.

      The twenty-one tough truths for these troubled times that furnish the content of this book do not originate with the author, but extracted from the storehouse of God’s inexhaustible truth found in both Old and New Testaments. The insights speak to the soul with urgings to rise above the petty to the significant, the secular to the sacred, and the finite to the infinite.

      ******

      May the words of this book and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer. Author

      ******

      God’s Sacred Whispers

      And these are but the outer fringe of his works; how faint the whisper we hear of him! Who then can understand the thunder of his power? Job 26:14.

      The beginning and end of creation is the glory of God. The material creation is directed to man, and the glory of God consists in man’s knowledge and praise of God through the material creation.

      To the attentive ear the earth preaches of His goodness and mercy and exalts Him in highest praise. To the reflective mind all material substance is symbolic. Each object is a spiritual resource through which God speaks to His people, calling us unto Himself. God is everywhere in human life and He uses every means to speak. What messages of hope, of trust, of joy, may the inner ear catch if we but listen to God’s sacred whispers from the pulpit of His world?

      We are not always willing to listen to sacred whispers until we find ourselves searching for Him frantically amid the storm. When troubles blow hard and the fires of adversity surround us then we wonder, is there any word from the Lord? Yet, God is continually speaking to us in all of life. In every experience, every event, every sound, and in every catastrophe, there is God’s sacred whispers. Every place to which you journey, every animal that you see, every spot you visit speaks a clear message from God. Through events, dreams, friends, enemies, churches, communities, Scripture and conscience, God speaks.

      In every way imaginable, God is calling us to return to Him, our Creator. It is not that God is not revealing His thoughts and words to us; we are not listening to His sacred whispers. This is the worst form of deafness because there are none as deaf as those who refuse to hear God in the voices of nature, in the whisperings of conscience, in the sacred words of Holy Scripture.

      God’s Sacred Whispers

      When you wake up in the morning do you hear the sacred whisper?

      "I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star." Revelation 22:16.

      As you shower and clothe yourself in preparation for the day - do you hear the sacred whisper?

      "…holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience." Colossians 3:12.

      When you leave home heading to work - do you hear the sacred whisper?

      "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven." Matthew 5:16.

      As you go about the business of the day - do you hear the sacred whisper?

      "This is the day the Lord has made; rejoice and be glad in it." Psalm 118:24.

      When you take your lunch break or break bread with your family - do you hear the sacred whisper?

      "For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world." John 6:33.

      Whenever you drink a glass of water - do you hear the sacred whisper?

      "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me… streams of living water will flow from within him." John 7:37-38.

      When you cut grass or behold its beauty - do you hear the sacred whisper?

      Life is like the new grass of the morning- though in the morning it springs up new, by evening it is dry and withered. Psalm 90:5-6.

      Whenever you glance upon a flower - do you hear the sacred whisper?

      "But the one who is rich should take pride in his low position, because he will pass away like a wild flower" James 1:10. and I am a rose of Sharon, a lily of the valleys. Song of Solomon 2:1.

      Everyday, when the sun begins to set and the shadows of evening draw near - do you hear the sacred whisper?

      "From the rising of the sun to the place of its setting men may know there is none besides me. I am the LORD, and there is no other." Isaiah 45:6.

      Every night when you close and lock your doors - do you hear the sacred whisper?

      "Once the owner of the house gets up and closes the door, you will stand outside knocking and pleading, ‘Sir, open the door for us.’ But he will answer, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from.’ Luke 13:25.

      Whenever there is a new birth in your family - do you hear the sacred whisper?

      "The day of death better than the day of birth." Ecclesiastes 7:1 and I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again. John 3:3.

      Whenever there is a wedding celebration - do you hear the sacred whisper?

      "The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son." Matthew 22:2.

      Wherever there is a death - do you hear the sacred whisper?

      "I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life."

      Wherever we travel, whatever mode of transportation, whether we are on city streets, highways, roadways, or byways; whether we travel by train, plane, car, boat, bicycle, wagon, truck, or balloon, whether in the air, on the water, or under the water; God’s sacred whispers catches our ear. His whispers emanates from everything and from everywhere pointing, directing, encouraging, warning, reminding, urging to the City paved with gold.

      God’s Message to You

      I am the Creator of the universe and the God of history. Before Abraham was, I AM.

      I am more than the Unmoved Mover and the Undifferentiated Unity, I am the Almighty God who calls worlds into being and who rules over all.

      I am more than the Idea of the Good as Plato suggested, and the Super-essential One who is beyond good, as asserted by Plotinus, I am the Righteous Sovereign who wills the good.

      I am more than the Ideal of Pure Reason and a necessary postulate of reason as proposed by Kant, I am THE Supreme Intelligence who plans and shapes man’s destiny. I am the Holy Other the I AM who remains hidden until I choose to make Myself known in Revelation.

      I created you in My image and gave you authority and responsibility over My planet earth where you reside as a tenant. You do not own it as I retained the property title for Myself.

      So understand that all the riches, the fruits it produces, all the beasts of the forest and all the cattle upon a thousand hills are Mine. Your land and houses and everything made by the skillful hands of man are still Mine. The ground you walk on, the beds you sleep on, the water you drink, the air you breathe and even the pews some of you think belong to you personally, are Mine.

      You are not your own. Your body, mind, spirit, everything within, without, over, under, and around earth is Mine. I made it, formed it, founded it, established it and fitted it to be used by you.

      I am your Father. I created you and I know everything about you. I know your thoughts before you think them and I know your actions before you execute them. All the hairs on your head, I have numbered and I know all the cells in your body. In Me you live,

      Enjoying the preview?
      Page 1 of 1