Blog

God’s Favor & Blessing

By Dwayne Hicks | August 11, 2015 |

The longer I live and walk with the Lord, the more concerned I’ve become over what the Lord thinks of me rather than other people. I do care about people’s perception of me, but I care way more about what the Lord thinks. I’ve been lied too; I’ve been lied about; I’ve been hurt by…

Secrets

By Dwayne Hicks | August 10, 2015 |

  I’m pretty sure everyone has secrets. I’ve learned the value in not telling everything I know to everyone I meet. In fact there are times that something I’ve learned or something I know can hurt a lot of people if it were to become public. My mom used to say: “You can be sure…

Hate

By Dwayne Hicks | August 9, 2015 |

  This is a strong word in the English language. I really dislike this word and I don’t like to use it in regard to people. I believe it is opposite of love. There are times that God “hates”, but His hate is directed at behavior and not people. I learned at a very early…

Replacement

By Dwayne Hicks | August 8, 2015 |

  I have met some pretty old people before. I met a man a few weeks back that was 97 years old and still pretty sharp. His body was a bit weak and tired. He was also a bit slow moving. I’m not sure what it takes to live to be 90+ years old. I’m…

Return & Revisit

By Dwayne Hicks | August 7, 2015 |

I remember my parents taking our family back to some of the places we lived when we were growing up. There were some incidents that happened at some of the places and these incidents didn’t necessarily define me, but they were markers along the way of life as a kid. I remember going to the…

Revenge & Retaliation

By Dwayne Hicks | August 6, 2015 |

  These two words must be “cousins”. Revenge & Retaliation are very similar because they both involve striking back and hurting the person or persons who have hurt me. I think it is natural to want to hurt someone back who has hurt me. I believe that revenge and retaliation can end up backfiring on…

Forgiveness

By Dwayne Hicks | August 5, 2015 |

  This is a really big concept in the realm of relationships. I think everyone on the planet has needed forgiveness at one time or another. I think everyone has had to dispense forgiveness as well. Forgiveness carries with it the idea of willfully stop being angry or resentful toward someone for something they’ve done…

Two Word Prayer

By Dwayne Hicks | August 4, 2015 |

  There are times when my prayers get a bit “wordy”. I remember an older gentleman who prayed at church years ago. He said the same prayer every time he was called upon to pray in church. I don’t consider myself to be a “good pray-er”, but I think it’s quite ok to get right…

Notice

By Dwayne Hicks | August 3, 2015 |

  I think of this word when advising someone of something I know or a deadline that is just ahead. I also see that this word means I’ve become aware of something. I noticed something. I think it’s very wise to pay close attention to my surroundings. I think it’s wise to pay attention to…

Pay It Forward or Pay It Back

By Dwayne Hicks | August 2, 2015 |

There is a huge difference between these two concepts. I see “paying it forward” as kindness given not knowing if you’ll get anything in return, but maybe hoping for a reciprocal blessing in the future. “Paying it back” seems to imply a debt that is owed. I have owed people money and it is not…