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Christian Conflict Resolution
In John 17, Jesus prayed what is sometimes referred to as the “high priestly prayer.” My favorite title for this particular prayer is “the real Lord’s prayer.” In that great prayer, Jesus prayed for Himself in the very shadow of the cross. Then, amazingly, He took the time to pray both for those disciples with Him that night and for you and I. One of the major tenants of that prayer is that Jesus prayed for the unity of those who believed in Him. In fact, He prayed that we would have the same degree of unity as He and the Father had. But sometimes we don’t. We are people.…
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Encouraging Christian Single Parents
Parenting is a monumental task. God has set a very high standard for parents, and the work is difficult. When we consider the amount of time, energy, thought, prayer, and faith that it takes to raise godly children, it is a daunting task, indeed. But some–in fact, a lot–of adults are doing the work alone. According to the Census, some 10,500,000 households in America (in 2008) are led by a single parent. [pdf to “Fact Sheet”] According to the same source, around 29% of all children in America are currently living in a home led by one parent. This post is not meant in any way to berate single parents. Most…
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Lebanon Road Reading for July 1-7
First, let me apologize. I typed the readings for last week, but completely forgot to publish them. Sorry for the oversight. Month: July Theme: 31 Passages Every New Christian Should Read This month’s passages walk through the major theme of redemption in the Scriptures. Sunday, July 1: Mankind Sins : Genesis 3:1-19 Monday, July 2: God’s Own People : Genesis 28:10-15; 32:22-28 Tuesday, July 3: The 10 Commandments : Exodus 20:1-17 Wednesday, July 4: Old Testament Sacrifices : Leviticus 5:14-19 Thursday, July 5: Punishment for Sin in the Old Testament : Leviticus 20:7-27 Friday, July 6: Obedience from Love : Deuteronomy 11:13-21 Saturday, July 7: Cycles of Disobedience : Judges…
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How to Handle a Government Decision You Disagree With
Just a few minutes ago, the United States Supreme Court handed down a ruling that was sure to set people off, no matter how that 9-person high court ruled. Of course, the court upheld the so-called “Obama-care” legislation by a 5-4 margin. In our digital age, it came as no surprise that Twitter, Facebook, and other sites exploded immediately. People were sharing links, giving their opinions, and … well … some were doing far worse. This post is not about the health care ruling. I have my opinions on the matter, and I do care about our country. I like politics, and I vote (and I’d like to think I…
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“You’ll Never Have Children of Your Own”
Every so often, I get frustrated with our kids. There are moments–and even days–when they get on my last nerve, and sometimes they jump on it a few times for good measure. The amount of time it takes to discipline, teach, and motivate gets to be overwhelming at times. But every so often, those words ring in my ears, “Unless something changes, you’ll never have children of your own.” For those who don’t know our story, Mary Carol is our adopted treasure. We were told by a reproductive endrocrinologist that having children was a very, very faint possibility. To this day, I am thankful for the way he told us.…
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Keep Looking Forward
When I was a kid, I hated getting my hair cut. In fact, when I was a little child, I would throw a tantrum and cry in fear. I don’t really remember what I was scared of, but I was terrified in that chair. The barber would try to do all the tricks of the trade. He would talk to me, hold my head, tell jokes…anything to get me to settle down. All of it was of no use. I just wanted to be done, and I made that very abundantly clear. Once, when I was about four or five, I was getting my hair cut, and I was having…
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How to Handle it When Life Gives You Lemons
Life isn’t always easy. Sometimes we get dealt a difficult hand. Today’s post is not meant to downplay those times in life. However, there are several ways to handle it when life hands you one of those lemons. 1. Turn sour. Sadly, this is where most people end up. They get handed a tough lot in life and they allow their situation to make them bitter about everything. Frankly, it takes a great deal of work and desire to avoid becoming sour on life, but it can be done. 2. Eat the lemon. In other words, there are some who just internalize everything and never let it out. However, there…
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The Hardest Command to Follow
Pray? Check. Pray again? Check. Study the Bible on the matter? Done. Let that study fill the mind? Yep. Pray once more? Of course. Decisions must be made. Deadlines must be met. Struggles need to be worked through. And Christians know the “formula” of prayer, study, and thought that go into each of these. We know that open communication with our Father–both through speaking to Him in prayer and listening to Him through His Word–is essential. We know that all that. So what makes this process so difficult? It is following what I consider to be the hardest command of them all to follow. When we have prayed, studied, and…
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Kindle Highlight Highlights Heart
I am trying something new this year. After my family bought me a Kindle for Christmas last year, I decided to do my “read through the Bible in a year” plan on it. And, instead of trying to read a certain number of chapters per day, I am just reading the Bible each day like any other book. Whatever I get through in a day in my reading of the English Standard Version is fine. Incidentally, I am already well ahead of any sort of yearly reading plan. One of the features of the Kindle that I find interesting is that it will show you sections of each book that have…
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Thank God for Elderly Members!
I hear people talk about the “graying” of the Church, and the concern it brings. They are right in some ways. If we only have older folks in the Church, we are in trouble, simply due to the realities of life and death. However, there are younger people in the Church. Maybe we aren’t doing as well as we might like in reaching younger folks in certain pockets of the country, but I see a lot of young families, young single folks, college students, and teens who are on fire for Christ and who are working with all their might to “sow the seed of the Kingdom.” Sadly, many congregations…
