Congregations of the Lord’s people should do good things within their local communities. That needs to be said from the outset. Service works, kindness to neighbors, and being a good citizen are wonderful hallmarks of a faithful congregation. That said, there are some Christians who so emphasize that aspect of the Christian life, that they forget that there is to be an eternal purpose to it. Jesus “went about doing good.” That is a clear statement and reminds us that we need to do the same. We are to let others “see [our] good works.” That cannot occur if we are not actually involved in good works! However, the focus…

About a month ago, a college football coach died unexpectedly. He had been with his team on Saturday to practice for an upcoming bowl game, had gone to a holiday party that evening, had a massive heart attack early Sunday, and was dead by Tuesday. He was only sixty-one years old.  Mike Leach was unique in a lot of ways. He had a law degree, but never practiced law. He became a successful coach at the college level despite having never played football on that level. During an interview about football, he didn’t always stick to the subject. Instead, he might launch into a discussion about pirates, military strategy, his opinion about…

Those words are the first of a famous poem by Walt Whitman. Some people may think of the poem itself but many people my age also think of a Robin Williams movie where a group of students idolize him as their mentor and declare that with these words.  I thought of these words recently when I heard a verse from Hebrews. Hebrews 2:10 reads “For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings …” In writing this article, I decided to look up the entire poem…