The Blazing Center

Yep, There’s One For That

13 June 2010

46998 CommentsYep%2C+There%27s+One+For+That2010-06-13+21%3A12%3A16Mark+Altrogge

I recently got an iPhone. This week I read there are currently 215,539 apps available for download. I Like the Starbucks app, that locates the nearest store and guides me safely in. And the Dragon app, which turns spoken words to text, so I can send long rambling text messages to my kids without typing. [...]

How To Have Hope

4 September 2008

9159 CommentsHow+To+Have+Hope2008-09-04+10%3A00%3A53Mark+Altrogge

One of the special gifts God gives his children is hope. Trials may batter us down like waves of the ocean but somehow we come bobbing back up, like human corks. Though at times we may be cast down and discouraged, God gives us hope through his Word. Sometimes God pours hope into our hearts [...]

God Does Good With Gusto

27 June 2008

5564 CommentsGod+Does+Good+With+Gusto2008-06-27+10%3A00%3A43Mark+Altrogge

I will make with them an everlasting covenant, that I will not turn away from doing good to them. And I will put the fear of me in their hearts, that they may not turn from me. I will rejoice in doing them good, and I will plant them in this land in faithfulness, with [...]

Things That Give Me A Bad Feeling

22 February 2008

2770 CommentsThings+That+Give+Me+A+Bad+Feeling2008-02-22+13%3A00%3A00Stephen+Altrogge

I get a bad feeling when I: _See the flashing lights of a police car behind me _Hear a dentist or barber say “woops” _Hear someone call me by my first, middle, and last name _Realize I’m watching a movie that features any of the following actors: Keanu Reeves, Bob Saget, Whoopi Goldberg, Oprah, or [...]

Mysterious Promises

20 February 2008

2750 CommentsMysterious+Promises2008-02-20+13%3A00%3A00Stephen+Altrogge

His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises… 2 Peter 1:3-4 The promises of God. We say those words all the [...]

The Jimmy Cone Debacle

9 November 2007

1797 CommentsThe+Jimmy+Cone+Debacle2007-11-09+13%3A00%3A00Mark+Altrogge

Years ago my wife and kids and I were all in the van of my friend Joe (the name has been changed to protect the guilty, but you know who you are) along with his family. During the course of the evening Joe described the wonders of an ice cream stand called Jimmy Cone. “It [...]

How to Survive an Elephant Stampede

8 November 2007

1789 CommentsHow+to+Survive+an+Elephant+Stampede2007-11-08+13%3A00%3A00Mark+Altrogge

I recently purchased The Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook: Extreme Edition. This handy little reference book tells you how to escape a charging rhino or giant octopus. It has chapters on how to survive if you’re stranded on an iceberg and how to land a helicopter if the engine fails. You can bet I’ll be carrying [...]

That Settles It

7 November 2007

1771 CommentThat+Settles+It2007-11-07+13%3A00%3A00Mark+Altrogge

Years ago, as a young Christian, I heard someone say, “If God said it, I believe it, that settles it.” Actually, God’s Word is true whether we believe it or not. But this saying underscores an important truth. In order to enjoy all God’s promises that Christ has purchased for his children, we must believe [...]

The Money’s in the Bank

6 November 2007

1760 CommentsThe+Money%27s+in+the+Bank2007-11-06+13%3A00%3A00Mark+Altrogge

My son David is launching a video production company. My father graciously offered to loan him some money to buy a professional camera. The other day Dad called and said, “I’m having the money transferred from an investment into my bank account. The money will be in the bank in two days. Tell David he [...]

Spartacus of the Monkey Bars

5 November 2007

1752 CommentsSpartacus+of+the+Monkey+Bars2007-11-05+12%3A45%3A00Mark+Altrogge

As a kid I watched Spartacus, Ben Hur and other movies about heroic warriors. Every recess in 6th grade, my friends and I imagined ourselves to be mighty heroes facing our foes in bloody battle. They sat leering and jeering atop the monkey bars, taunting us who were about to mount our attack. With a [...]