G.R.A.C.E. MINISTRY

My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God? Psalm 42:2

Do you know the origin of Black Friday?   It’s the retailers trying to get out of the red.   In accounting terms, being in the ‘red’ means you have a negative balance, or a negative cash flow.   Being in the ‘black’ means you have a positive balance, or a positive cash flow.   Retailers seemingly mark down the prices on their big-ticket items, like cell phones, flat screen TV’s or other technology, to entice you to purchase them so that they can end the year in the black.   Especially if their 3 rd quarter sales were not that great.      Not a bad idea, but is that really your problem?   Consider this, according to an article by Aaron Tilly a former staff member of Apple in Forbes magazine , the average cost to make an Apple watch was $89.70 in 2017.   This same watch is sold for anywhere from $350 to over $900.   That’s a 25% to a 98% mark up or more.     Considering technology changes rapidly, this ...

John 2:13-17 (NIV) - 13 When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 14 In the temple courts he found people selling cattle, sheep and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money . 15 So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple courts , both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables . 16 To those who sold doves he said, “Get these out of here! Stop turning my Father’s house into a market !” 17 His disciples remembered that it is written: “Zeal for your house will consume me.” Some people use these verses to justify their anger at one thing or another.   In some cases, it’s used correctly, as it was intended, but in other cases, it’s not.   I’d like to take a stab at how we should think about these verses, and in what context.    Verse 17 gives us a clue, the reference made “Zeal for your house will consume me” comes from Psalms 69:9.   The rest of t...