by Mike Costanzo | Nov 5, 2024 | Politics, Reflections
The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord; he turns it wherever he will. -Proverbs 21:1 The Nature of Our Hearts If I hold a drop of water in my hand, and I tilt my hand this way or that, what happens? The water moves. Did I exert any energy on the...
by Mike Costanzo | May 9, 2023 | Devotion, Faith, Reflections
What kinds of things in life do you enjoy? What brings you joy, happiness, or pleasure? What delights you, brings a smile to your face, makes you wish it would never end? I think that for most of us, delicious gourmet food or refreshing beverages rank pretty high on...
by Mike Costanzo | Jun 22, 2022 | Faith, Reflections
Everyone knows that we here in America are in the midst of an all-out culture war regarding guns and their place in society. And in this skirmish, most of the pro-gun rhteoric presupposes the sanctity of a little thing called “self-defense.” This tenet of U.S....
by Mike Costanzo | Dec 25, 2021 | Devotion, Reflections
Every year, everyone asks my kids if they’ve been good this year. Why? Because, as the legend goes, if they’ve been good then they’ll get presents. Not only that, but the presents-to-goodness ratio is directly proportionate, so the more goodness, the more presents...
by Mike Costanzo | Feb 9, 2013 | Devotion, Reflections
Death. Nobody really likes to talk about it. And for good reason; it’s a raw, gritty topic that throbs with the pain of past losses, the fear of future losses, and the threat of the ultimate loss—ourselves. Even for Christians, who believe that death is...
by Mike Costanzo | Sep 17, 2012 | Devotion, Faith, Reflections
And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.1 In the version of the Bible I read, the New Testament talks a lot about the “flesh”—that is, my sinful nature, the part of me that is hell-bent and always wanting to do...