Church Life
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“Fear Always Works”
That line, from near the end of the movie Zootopia, comes to my mind often. When people talk about being fearful or scared of certain things, that line–and a Bible verse I’ll mention in a moment–jump to my mind and cause me to do some thinking. Here are some examples: Fear can work in keeping parents from parenting. They fear that, if they discipline their children (especially in ways that are hard or that the world says are harsh), their children might hate them or not “be friends” with them. Never mind that God has laid our standards for parents that includes harder punishment. We live in fear and, so,…
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Was Crelow A Prophet?
Those of us “of a certain age” probably remember a very funny comedian by the name of Clerow Wilson, Jr. Actually, we probably know him better by his nickname, “Flip.” For some reason, I’ve been thinking recently about one of the routines he did on a fairly regular basis. In that routine, Flip Wilson portrayed a character by the name of “Reverend Leroy.” Supposedly, Leroy was the preacher for The Church of What’s Happening Now. The information on one source I checked lined up pretty well with my memory of Mr. Wilson’s portrayal. According to it, “Flip Wilson portrays a fast talking preacher who tells the truth, lies, and cons you at the same time.” I…
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Broken Things
While dusting a decorative plate the other day I was reminded of something that took place several years ago. We crossed paths with a family in a most unusual way. There were six of them – a father and mother and their two children, and an aunt and uncle to the children. They were traveling west on their way home from a vacation and the uncle of this family had hurt his back so they were at one of our local hospitals. It was determined that he needed to be admitted for treatment and possible surgery. As the case often is when traveling home, they didn’t have enough money for the…
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Not Three, But Four
Luke 15 is, for most of us, a very familiar chapter of Scripture. Likely, the most famous part of the chapter is the parable we often refer to as “the prodigal son.” Last Sunday morning, though, I was reminded in a very simple way of something I need to have in my thinking when I approach this great chapter. The reminder came from a young man who was speaking at the worship service held for Lads to Leaders in Nashville. His lesson was taken from this chapter, but the way he introduced the chapter was a wonderful reminder. I won’t get the wording 100% correct, but it was something like…
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A Letter of Thanks to Lads to Leaders
Dear Lads to Leaders Board and Staff, Thank you. Those words are simple, but they come straight from my heart. It is amazing to think where we were just 12+ months ago, hearing the news–expected though it was–that Lads to Leaders convention was canceled for 2020. We were heartbroken, but we also totally understood. Though sad, we were grateful you made that difficult decision because we knew you had our safety at heart. And now, here we are, on the eve of traveling to Nashville for convention. We are so thankful. Frankly, we are also amazed that you pulled this off! Though restrictions are easing in various locations, an event…
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What Can I Do To Improve Communication
I read recently that, since the 1970’s, over two thousand lives have been lost in airplane crashes due to poor communication. At times, the breakdown occurred between pilots and people in the towers. At other times, the problem was poor communication between members of the crew on the airplane. There were also problems of communication between and among two or more airplanes. Other barriers, mistakes, and weaknesses could have – and did – contribute to these tragedies. As I read that information, I thought about other tragedies caused by either a lack of communication, poor communication, or both. I thought of families that have been torn apart, churches that have split, friendships that have been…
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Moving the Goalposts
As the pandemic has worn on, there has been a lot of talk about “moving the goalposts.” That phrase has been thrown around a good deal by people who feel as if the goals we are trying to reach to get back to normal keep being moved and extended. Flatten the curve becomes wait until summer becomes maybe in the fall becomes when there is a vaccine becomes when a large number are vaccinated…and so on. Some wonder when (or if) it will end. I do not write that to take sides. I am not in a position to make those decisions, so, while I have feelings about it, I…
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It Doesn’t Rhyme, But It Makes a Point
It is amazing how what may seem to some as a “little thing” can remain in your memory for a long time. It also amazes me that some of those “little things” can make a big point. I am reminded of those things every time we sing a particular hymn when we worship. In a few months it will be a quarter of a century since my family worshiped regularly with the church of Christ in Dexter, Missouri. After all of this time, I still remember a request that one of our song leaders made every time he led a particular song. The song was Grace That is Greater Than All Our Sin. The…
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Leavin’ On a Jet Plane
It’s that time of year! Not only is spring in the air, so is spring break! Many people are taking advantage of the warmer temperatures to be outside and go “adventuring.” Some are driving to see friends and others are visiting theme parks. Many are making short trips to known destinations and others are jumping on a plane to follow the sun. This short post is to remind all of those people (and myself) that there is nowhere you can go and not still be within the realm of God’s goodness, knowledge, and presence. The Bible speaks of the earth, heaven, and “heaven of heavens” not being able to contain…
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Feeling Overwhelmed?
One of the things I was not expecting as we start to emerge from coronavirus was the feeling of going from a calendar that was quite empty to a calendar that looks like a child with a box of crayons was playing with it. Not only are there so many things going on, but all those things have to be thought through in a different way to make sure they are done safely and efficiently. It’s all a bit overwhelming to think through it all and schedule the time to prepare for everything, especially when things seemed so much slower (although, really, they weren’t–they were just different) not all that…
