As I rapidly approach my seventies (a little over a year away), I am finally beginning to realize that I am no longer a young man. There are certain things that serve as (not so subtle) reminders of that. The mirror is one of those things. As hard as I try and as much I would like for it to be the case, I no longer see the reflection of a man with smooth skin and brown hair. I’m actually seeing wrinkles, age spots, sagging skin, and white hair. When did that happen? My muscles and bones are also informing me that I am not as young as I used to be.  Whatever happened…

If you were to read Luke 9:23-27 carefully, you would notice that there are a number of the more well-known teachings of our Lord packed into that one short passage. When there is such a dense section of Scripture, it can be quite easy to overlook certain words or phrases, but we do so to our own detriment. Included in that passage is this statement from Jesus: “For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words, of him will the Son of Man be ashamed when He comes in His glory and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels” (verse 26). I don’t know how many…

I recently held a meeting in another congregation where at the end of one of the services several people responded to the invitation. Some were restored while others were baptized. When the local preacher was expressing to the church the spiritual decisions that were being made by those who responded, he got very emotional. This was a natural reaction to a very important moment in the lives of those who had been touched by God’s Word. Watching this preacher in action reminded me of what the church needs most. The church needs preachers who cry. A man who speaks the message must also be moved by it inwardly. This involves…

It seems to me that life was much more simple and uncomplicated as I was growing up. I realize that I revealed a great deal about my age as I typed those words, but I believe that most people of almost any mature age can look back on their childhood and make a similar assessment. I’ve been doing some thinking lately about one way in which my life was much simpler than it is now. I’ve also been in conversations with people lately that have caused me to think about this. Some of those conversations have been face-to-face and some have been written exchanges. You see, when I was growing up, I was…

The book of Ruth takes place in the time of the judges, a period after the Canaan conquest but before the time of Israelite kings. It was a time of war, violence, idolatry, and spiritual confusion. Everybody did as they saw fit (Judges 21:25). It is in this dark and desperate time that Ruth emerges as a person of loyalty, godliness, and character. She literally “found God;” a God she did not know before. Many people don’t realize that Ruth was raised in Moab. This means she was a descendant of Lot, Abraham’s nephew. Though she was related to the Jews, she was not one of them. Her clan worshiped…