Church Life
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Some Thoughts about Your Money This Holiday Season
It’s hard sometimes to stop long enough to think hard about who you really are. We are all wrapped up in this culture. And because we are in it we let everything around us dictate our behavior. We wind up being so swept up in the world that we do everything just like everyone else. I think the holidays are the ultimate example of this reality. Take this into consideration: On Valentine’s Day, we go to the restaurant. On July the 4th we go to the lake. On Thanksgiving, we go to grandma’s house. And the day after Thanksgiving for about a month we go to the store. I want to…
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Too Thankful to Sleep
I proved a song wrong recently. It was just after 2:30 in the morning, and my phone rang. It was a wrong number, but it woke me up and jarred me enough that I struggled to fall back asleep. My mind was racing. After a little while, my mind thought of some lyrics from the classic movie “White Christmas:” When I get worried and I can’t sleep, I count my blessings instead of sheep. Then I fall asleep counting my blessings. It was the middle of the night, so I figured I’d give it a try. I started to think of blessings, reminding myself that “every good and every perfect…
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Are You the Victim of a One-Way Relationship?
Over twenty years of counseling has brought some valuable insights to my ministry. One of those insights is that those who are struggling with their loved ones often feel as if they are in a one-way relationship. I’m not just speaking here of husbands and wives. I’m talking about all relationships: dating couples, parent-to-child and child-to-parent, sibling-to-sibling and friend-to-friend. People get hurt when they are constantly giving and not receiving. They feel unloved and unappreciated. They often come to the conclusion that their love is unrequited and that the other person in this relationship doesn’t really know who they are or what they truly care about. This all translates to…
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Not a Holiday or An Attitude
This week, our nation celebrates my very favorite holiday. It is not “marred” by some of the manmade legends and superstitions of other holidays. Neither has it (yet) become commercialized as much as other holidays. Thanksgiving, at least in our family, is a day that loved ones get together and enjoy some time together. There are no gifts to be exchanged. There are, at least in most families, no elaborate ceremonies or rituals. People who love one another get to relax (except for those who spend hours cooking), share memories, make memories, and, hopefully, spend some time expressing gratitude to God for the blessings we have. During this season, it is not uncommon to be…
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The Value of Complete Information
I have been sick. Like really sick. The kind where I actually missed worship and work and skipped fun family things. Through this experience, I have reaffirmed the need for complete information. Allow me to explain. Last Thursday, after not feeling well for about 24 hours, I finally gave in and went to the doctor once I began to run a fever. I felt very “flu-y.” However, I tested negative for both strep and flu so they looked at my white blood count to determine if my problem was viral or bacterial. The white blood count showed bacterial, so with the information available, I was given a general antibiotic and…
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What Does Your Arguing Prove?
On March 13, 1904, a statue of Jesus was placed on the border of Argentina and Chile. Known as “Christ of the Andes” – the monument stood for peace between the two countries. But the confrontational, self-preserving nature of man soon reared its ugly head. The Chileans began to protest that they had been slighted because the statue had its back turned to Chile. Thankfully, one Chilean newspaper saved the day. One of its columnists wrote an editorial that not only satisfied his countrymen, but made them laugh. It read – “The people of Argentina need more watching over than the Chileans.” – Bits & Pieces, June 25, 1992. Isn’t…
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Making it Personal
Recently, our daughter and her family visited Washington, D.C. During that visit, our son-in-law posted this on Facebook: For me, the highlight of this trip will not be touring the White House, or going to the Capitol building, or seeing the monuments or museums, but right here at the National Archives, where I just looked at the original Declaration, Constitution, and Bill of Rights. I saw those documents and my spirit was moved and I shed tears. These men were traitors, risk takers, and revolutionists. They knew they were going to have to sacrifice all to achieve true freedom. They were wise enough to properly define it. They foresaw what was…
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Personal Get-Back Coach
I don’t know a great deal about the game of football. I can’t name great coaches of the past or even very many of the coaches of today. I don’t know exactly what the positions are called on the field or who plays what position. You’ll understand what I mean when I tell you that while talking with Adam on the phone a couple of years ago I told him that Vermont was playing that day. He delighted in telling me that “VT” stood for Virginia Tech – not Vermont. I do, however, know enough about the game to know what is supposed to happen on the field. The object of the game is…
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Lest We Think God Doesn’t Care about How We Worship
Worship is vital to the church. Reading the New Testament, we find the church coming together for worship each Lord’s day (Acts 20:7) and Christians being encouraged not to fall into a habit of being absent (Hebrews 10:25). We find that worship was regulated and that God, through the inspired writers, gave five avenues of worship: singing, prayer, Bible reading/study, giving, and the Lord’s Supper. But we are living in times when we are told that Christianity is not about what you do on Sundays, but what you do during the week. In fact, we are living in times when many people claim that God does not really care how…
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If a Shooter Came to Church
Tragedy struck again in Texas this week at a small Baptist church in Sutherland Springs. Many people were murdered and injured and there are no human words for any of what took place there that would be sufficient. Before I go on let us stop and pray for the victims of this terrible crime. It is not my desire to dishonor or disrespect any person who has been affected in any way by this tragedy or by any other such occurrence. On the contrary, the purpose of this article is for the sake of preparation, both spiritually and physically, in the event that any of us might ever be in…
