Rev. Michael Duncan: Archive Posts

Praying for Daylight - Acts 27
Posted by Michael on Monday, October 31, 2011 at 2:05pm

The day had dawned with pleasant winds and a hopeful outlook. Despite the warnings of the Apostle Paul, the centurion determined to take the advice of the pilot of the ship and put out to sea. Circumstances quickly changed. What had started as a day of hope became a day of horror as the great Northeaster swept down upon the sea. Panic struck the ship as the crew furiously struggled against the power of the storm, all in vain. The storm was relentless, unforgiving and unwilling to release the captive vessel from its grip. Two weeks passed without relief. Desperate men cried out. Hope slipped away as they were powerless to change circumstances they never should have been in. Even after the great Apostle proclaimed the deliverance of God the people on the ship were bound to the fear that was carried in the storm. “Fearing that we would be dashed against the rocks, they dropped four anchors from the stern and prayed for daylight.” – Acts 27:29 They prayed for daylight… have you ever been there? Have you ever been in a place of such despair that it seemed even the sun might fail? There are times when we set our course according to the wisdom of the world rather than the Word of God and plunge ourselves into a storm. We make every frantic attempt to keep our course, to make for the shores of our own desires and find that we are swept away, lost in the maelstrom of circumstances… praying for daylight. A worldly decision in the past cannot be cured by another worldly decision in the present. Maybe you listened to the pilot instead of the prophet – to the counsel of the world rather than the word of God. Pray for daylight. Pray that God will again shine upon you His wisdom and truth so that you can survive the storm. And once God does give you the understanding to find deliverance, have the courage to take it. The pilot and crew of that ill-fated vessel lost their cargo. They lost the ship’s tackle, the anchors, even the ship itself yet found that God had saved them. It was worth the loss of all things that they might live. So, what would you give in exchange for your soul? When you pray for daylight, when you ask the Savior to deliver you from the storm, will you cling to your sins and stay with the ship? Or, will you determine to do exactly what God has said – even if it means that you might lose all things? “When daylight came… the stern was broken to pieces by the pounding surf… and everyone reached land in safety.” – Acts 27:39-44 ©2011 Rev. Michael Duncan messages and devotions
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Book Review - Cassie's Wedding Dress by Clare Revell
Posted by Michael on Friday, October 21, 2011 at 2:39pm

Cassie’s Wedding Dress is a warm-hearted, enjoyable ride. It is the story of two people, Cassie Hinton and Jack Chambers who, though life-long friends, took diametrically different paths. At the peak of her career as a jockey, tragedy strikes and Cassie is forced to confront the failing strength of her own faith. Cassie and Jack find themselves back in each others lives, all the while fighting the reality that love, which had sparked years before, still held its flame. Through faith, friendship, internal fears and external foes, both Cassie and Jack find that life can begin again and that dreams can come true. To come into the richness and realness of the characters, especially Jack’s daughter, Lara, was a delightful experience. Even the ancillary characters were wonderfully alive and added to the story with grace and charm. And, just when you thought that Cassie and Jack had finally settled into the truth of their love, turmoil erupts. I found myself wanting to dive into the story and help! Cassie’s Wedding Dress is a fabulous and touching story. You will fall in love with the characters and find yourself warmly received into their world. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and will look forward to more from Clare Revell. Review by Michael Duncan Book Reviews
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Guest Post from T.A. Carlton - The Pilgrim's Journey
Posted by Michael on Tuesday, October 18, 2011 at 10:19am

The Pilgrim Journey Acts chapters 27 & 28 How is our (Believers) journey on this earth different from the average persons? What makes ours different? Paul has an answer. Paul is headed to Rome to see Caesar. His mode of travel is by a ship of Alexandria. Anyone can travel by ship so this is normal. However, this trip is different than any other for Paul as you will see. They set sail with Paul in the custody of Julius, a centurion. Paul makes the comment that he, “…perceived that this voyage will be with hurt and much damage, not only of the lading and ship, but also of our lives.” The centurion believed that the master of the ship knew best so they went on in spite of Paul’s warning. Sure enough a tempest hits them hard for several days. Paul again speaks up and says, “Sirs, you should have harkened unto me, and not have loosed from Crete, and to have gained this harm and loss.” “And now I exhort you to be of good cheer for there shall be no loss of any man’s life among you, but only of the ship. For there stood by me this night the angel of God, whose I am, and whom I serve.” “Then they were all of good cheer and they took some meat. And they were all in the ship two hundred threescore and sixteen souls.” The ship was run aground on an island where there were natives. As Paul had told the sailors, no one lost his life. Paul gathers up fire wood and is bitten by an extremely poisonous snake. To the natives this meant that Paul was a murderer and this snake had taken vengeance on him for the murder. However, Paul was not killed or even made sick by the serpent. The natives decide now that Paul was a god and the chief, Publius gave them lodging. Now, at this time the father of Publius lay sick of a fever; Paul enters the lodge and prayed and laid his hands on him, and healed him.” Paul then proceeds to heal any of the others in the tribe who were sick. What is different about this journey Paul is on? Notice the knowledge of, “hurt and much damage.” Then the fact that he tells his shipmates to, “be of good cheer.” And when a ship wrecks in a storm what are the chances of all two hundred and twenty six passengers surviving? Plus, a serpent, whose venom is sure death, bites Paul and nothing happens to him. Can we apply this to our pilgrim journey here on earth? Is our journey not full of, “hurt and much damage?” Do we not continually struggle with the storms of life on our journey? Are we not ministers of our Lord sent by Him to heal the lost souls of unbelievers? Are we not also told by our Lord to, “…be of good cheer I have overcome the world?” Are we not surrounded by angels of our God, who continually protect us? Our Lord promises in Psalms 34:18, that He is, “…nigh unto them that are of a broken heart,” and I Corinthians 10:13 promises that He, “…will not suffer you to be tempted above that you are able,” and that, “...no temptations have been given to you that are not common to man.” When the journey is tough, circumstances overwhelming we need to remember the journey of Paul and keep looking to our Lord because He has a purpose and protection for our journey. T.A.Carlton messages and devotions
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Shadows: Book of Aleth, Part One
Posted by Michael on Monday, October 3, 2011 at 11:28am

By: Michael Duncan “If history is written by the victorious, what if the victors lied?” A stolen text...When the Book of Aleth is stolen, Aaron, captain of the Royal Guard, is ordered by Emperor Therion to reclaim the ancient tome. The mission thrusts Aaron into a world he's never known--a world of elves and dwarves, races long thought extinct; a world where everything he has known and believed is a lie. A secret past... Forced to challenge his long-held beliefs, Aaron and his companions, two soldiers of the Royal Guard and two men of the Dwarvish kingdom of Brekken-Dahl, set out on a quest to recover the Book. Aaron resolves to discover the truth, and rescue the empire he is sworn to protect. To Purchase a copy, go to: http://www.pelicanbookgroup.com/ec/shadows-book-of-aleth-part-one. It is also available at multiple online retailers such as Amazon, Barnes and Noble as well as Christian Book Distributors (CBD) in both print and e-book formats (i.e. Kindle and Nook).
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Strength for the Heart
Posted by Michael on Friday, September 16, 2011 at 10:08pm
The silver cord of life Untouched by human strife Is little more than a spider’s web And has no strength in the flow and ebb That comes to every life Through pain and grief and sorrow There’s hope for all the ‘morrow For iron strength will come at last To those in Christ who will hold fast And bear up under sorrow Trust not to human hands Or the glint of silver strands For God alone will be your strength If through life you go the length And hold His nail-pierced hand Don’t walk through life alone And falter at God’s throne For Christ will be your saving grace Just trust in Him and seek His face You’ll never walk alone ©2011 Rev. Michael Duncan (Scriptural references: Ecclesiastes 12:6; 1 Peter 5:10; 1 Timothy 6:17; Mark 13:13; Psalm 30:5) messages and devotions
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