A number of years ago–in another location–I preached a sermon that I believe was titled, “The Hardest Work You’ll Ever Try to Do.” It was a very personal sermon, but one that I knew needed to be preached at that time. The point of the sermon was to encourage Christians to put forward the effort to try to not just win the lost, but to also try to encourage those who had slipped away in their faith. And, in many ways, that second one can be harder. For me, it is something I have a heart for, but my struggle is one that is really simply stated: I never know…

Pauline Kael was a film critic for The New Yorker magazine from 1968 to 1991. The magazine for which she worked may give you a clue about her political leanings. That fact may also give you a clue to the kind of people who were in her circle of associates and friends. She is probably best known today for a quote about politics than she is for any opinion about a movie. In 1972, Richard Nixon won reelection for the office of President of the United States by winning 60.7% of the popular vote and receiving the electoral votes of forty-nine of the fifty states. Apparently Ms. Kael was incredulous. The…

I was sitting in a Bible class recently when the teacher was having difficulty remembering something he had heard me say before. Because of the material he was dealing with, I thought I knew what it was. The phrase he had on his mind was not original with me. I’ve “borrowed” it from a former teacher of mine.  My former teacher has been gone from us for many years. The fact that I still remember his phrase and that others have heard it because I’ve used it may serve to demonstrate that our impact on others may not die with us. The two classes were separated by many years and…

A few weeks ago, something took place that was historic, dramatic, boring, and consequential – all at the same time. It took fifteen roll call votes to elect a Speaker of The United States House of Representatives. Typically, as you know, this is a mere formality. For about one hundred years, it has only taken one vote to elect the leader of the party that is in the majority of the House of Representatives to that position. It did not go quite that smoothly this time.   Representative Kevin McCarthy has been the leader of the Republicans in the House of Representatives and the last congressional election resulted in that party having a slim…

I had a couple of ideas for posts just about ready to go for this week, but those can be shared anytime. Instead, I decided to write something more “in the moment” that I hope will encourage you. It was something I said almost off the cuff a couple of days ago, but then reiterated in public just a few hours later. At Central, we have been working hard for awhile now to organize a congregational emphasis on evangelism. Instead of just preaching and teaching, “do this,” we are putting several things into place where each and every member has a role and so that many seeds can be sown.…

I was listening to a podcast recently that, in part, was explaining some of the differences between the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and the Orthodox Church of Ukraine. During the relatively short podcast, I learned some things I did not know – starting with the fact that I had no idea that these two groups even existed. Among other things, I also learned that each group has its own “Patriarch” – one in Moscow, Russia and one in Kiev, Ukraine. At the same time, I was saddened to learn of their existence. These two groups are merely representative of something that directly contradicts the wishes of Jesus that He expressed in His prayer…

I’m not usually in the habit of reproducing material from other sources here, but I’m making an exception this time. Most of what you will read below is from Quora Digest. I will add an application that I thought of as I read their material after I have reproduced what I read. ===== March 13, 1964. 3 a.m Catherine’s friends called her Kitty. She was young, just twenty-eight, and petite. Tiny really. And on this particular night, she was screaming for her life, as loudly as she could. After all, there were people all around. Someone would have to hear her. Right? Her shouts went on for thirty minutes, as her…

My mind has been on evangelism as never before lately. On Sunday mornings, I am teaching a Bible class on the subject and it has lit a fire in me that should have been there all along. But it has also caused so many in the class (which has about 30-35 in attendance) to be more confident. We have been blessed with guests at church from their efforts, and we are praying that doors will continue to open–and that we’ll walk through them! Recently, I was listening to a podcast (“God Magnified”) and the discussion was about 1 Peter 3. There is a well-known verse in that chapter that most…