Church Life
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A Christmas Eve “Life Lesson”
Last year, Christmas Eve was on Sunday. Something happened on that day that was both unusual and normal at the same time. Just as the congregation where I worship was getting ready to partake of the Lord’s supper, I heard the sound of a helicopter. Since our church building is fairly close to one of the hospitals in our city and since we used to live just across the street from the church building, I knew what that sound meant. Somebody was being airlifted to a larger hospital in another location because of the seriousness of their condition. In that moment, all kinds of things were happening. Christians were remembering…
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Two Upcoming Holidays that Baffle Me
We are in the hap-hap-happiest time of the year, or so they say. Some of the people I’ve seen lately don’t appear to have gotten the memo. I’m a huge fan of Thanksgiving because families gather and spend time together and just enjoy good food and one another’s company, but Thanksgiving is not one of the holidays I’m writing about. The two holidays that baffle me are Christmas and New Year’s Eve. Don’t get me wrong, I love Christmas with our family. We exchange gifts, eat too much, sing, and play games together. That isn’t the topic for this post. What baffles me is that, all over the place, mention…
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You Don’t Love If…
First Corinthians 13 is a beautiful passage. In context, the description of love is meant to show the church at Corinth a “more excellent way” than even the miraculous spiritual gifts with which they were endowed. With the age of miracles passing, though, this description of love still challenges and loves Christians the world over. Each individual aspect of this description of love is worth serious consideration, but there is one that I want to focus on for a moment today. It is one that should cause each of us to think, but it is one that should also be taught to our children and reinforced by everyone. It is…
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It Doesn’t Take Much Sometimes
On the Saturday before Thanksgiving Day, Donna and I were in Cookeville, Tennessee to watch our granddaughter who lives there in her final performance as Maria in The Sound of Music. I had no idea that I would get an idea for a post while we were there, but I did. As we were leaving, I noticed a man just slightly in front of me and in a position where I could say something to him. I probably would not have said anything except for the fact that his long white hair and beard made him look like a certain “jolly old elf.” He wasn’t quite as portly as that…
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As You Have Believed
Today’s post is short, but I hope it hits you as hard as it hit me. In our Wednesday evening devotional, the speaker talked about the account from Matthew 8 where the centurion asks Jesus to heal his servant. When Jesus offers to go, the soldier shows both humility and great faith in his response. What stood out to me was Jesus’s response in verse 13: “And to the centurion Jesus said, ‘Go; let it be done for you as you have believed.’ And the servant was healed at that very moment.” As you have believed. What if the centurion hadn’t been sure? What if he thought Jesus could only…
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What Is Your Congregation Known For?
Ask someone what the congregation they attend is known for, and you are likely to get some interesting responses. You might wonder if they are giving a view that is skewed–not out of dishonesty, but because they love the congregation so much–but the answer is probably something really good. “We’re a loving family.” “We defend the truth.” “We’re very friendly.” “We are known for our ___ ministry.” “We help people.” Now, let me say that my words today are not meant to diminish any of those. Read the New Testament and you will see that congregations need to defend the truth, be kind and loving, and have ministries that help…
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Ego
Since most of us are not psychiatrists, psychoanalysts, counselors, etc. we may not know (or maybe even understand) all of the technical definitions for the word “ego.” At the same time, like a lot of other things, we kind of know it when we see it – at least as the word is used in normal conversations. When we are talking about a person whom we would describe as having a big ego, we usually have in mind a person who has a very high opinion of himself or herself. His or her demeanor, speech, etc. “gives them away.” Since this is a busy time of the year, I thought…
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Are You Even Listening?
Jim and I have been traveling lately and that has resulted in us visiting several congregations of the Lord’s church. We love to visit others and usually come away blessed by the worship and fellowship. However, I have been distressed lately about something I have noticed on more than one occasion, both at those congregations and at our home congregation – the lack of listening intentionally to obtain what is being said concerning God’s Word and focusing on offering your worship to God. Oh, I’m way ahead of you. I have a feeling at this point in this post some of you are thinking, how does she know they’re not paying…
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The Big Three (or One)
The shelves of bookstores and libraries are full of the latest ideas, tips, methods, techniques, etc. which are designed to help people succeed in their chosen professions. Courses, gadgets, gizmos, seminars, websites, podcasts, and workshops are numerous that ostensibly help people to find a job/career and “move up the ladder” quickly in the workforce. “Life coaches” are more than willing (for a fee) to help prospective employees and/or current employees who want to make a name for himself or herself in the corporate world. Advice and instruction is provided on all sorts of subjects and comes in a variety of forms. Have you ever wondered what a real expert has to…
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Sometimes, It’s Okay to Just…
This time of year, there are many reminders about gratitude. I think we all know that we need those reminders every so often, because it can become far too easy to slip into complacency and not be grateful. One of those reminders that we often get is the song “Count Your Blessings.” I suppose that, for many people, this hymn is a favorite. I like it a lot, too, and it helps me to think about how much God has done for me. And before going on to the gist of this article, let me say that counting your blessings is a wonderful habit. As the song states, “It will…
