Church Life
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Live Every Day As If It Were Your Last
Wow, do we ever get caught up in this world in which we live. Days rush by and we seem to stay so busy that we feel as though we are caught up in a whirlwind. Even at my age (which is much older than many of our readers), I sometimes have to just stop and catch my breath. Retirement isn’t all it’s cracked up to be!! However, I was reminded recently that each day we live is a gift from God, and no one knows when it will be your last day here on earth. The son-in-law of some of our dear friends passed from this life suddenly while…
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It’s the Word
“Our church isn’t growing. We need a new preacher.” “The kids aren’t interested. We need to have more fun.” “That church draws all the people. We need to do what they do.” “My life is in shambles. I need to find a podcast to help.” Or… you need to remember that the power of God is in the Word. If your preacher is preaching the truth from the Word of God, you don’t need a new preacher. You need to appreciate that he is sharing the truth. If some kids aren’t interested, you need to remind the children and their families that fun won’t get them to heaven–following the Word…
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Hands and Hearts
While Donna and I were away from home not long ago we worshiped with another congregation composed of people of “like precious faith” (2 Peter 1:1). In accordance with the teaching of the New Testament, a part of our worship included the Lord’s Supper. The man who led us in prayer that particular Sunday used an expression I don’t ever remember hearing before. As he prayed, first before passing the trays that contained the bread and then later the ones that contained the fruit of the vine, he included the thought that went something like this: As we pass these trays from hand to hand, let us also pass them…
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The “Big Beautiful Bill” and the Bible
I have thoughts on the massive bill, known either as the “One Big Beautiful Bill” or more simply as the “Big Beautiful Bill” that has been winding its way through the legislative process in Washington, DC. But I won’t share any of those thoughts with you here or on my social media feeds. Why? Am I a coward? No, it’s actually for a much more fundamental reason, and it’s a reason that has to do with how we consume Scripture as well. We live in an age where information is basically endless. Through traditional media, digital media, and social media, you could read, listen to, or watch information continually and…
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A Tale of Two Weddings
I was recently given the opportunity to perform the marriage ceremony for two of my friends here in Virginia. They are a phenomenal Christian couple and genuinely perfect for each other, so that was an easy yes. The location was beautiful, the ceremony went off without a hitch, and the reception was both very sweet for the families involved and a lot of fun for all who were present. It was everything that you would want in a wedding (except for maybe the officiant I heard he did OK), and based on my conversations with each of them, they have found everything they could want in a partner. A couple…
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But Jesus Did
While preparing for a lesson I presented recently, I revisited the account recorded in John 4 about a conversation that Jesus had with a woman. We do not know her name. She is often referred to only as “the woman at the well” and/or “the Samaritan woman.” You may want to do what I did and revisit that account (at least mentally) before you read the rest of this. The “audience” I have in mind for this post is composed of Christians (as defined/described in the New Testament) who are interested in helping others to also become Christians. Of course, that should be true of every Christian and, hopefully, it is. I…
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Blessings of Freedom in Christ
Tomorrow our country will celebrate the 4th of July – Independence Day. There will be parades, picnics, fireworks, family gatherings, and any number of other events. It happens every year on this same date, and if you were to ask many people what exactly are you celebrating, they would have difficulty coming up with an answer. They might say, “We’re celebrating independence.” Independence from what? They have forgotten the American History they had to study in High School. So tomorrow, whether you remember why we celebrate this day, have fun with family, picnic and play games, shoot off some fireworks… But also remember the true freedom a child of God…
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It’s Hot! Be Thankful.
I’ve been doing a lot of thinking recently about gratitude. Scripture commands Christians to be thankful in all circumstances (1 Thessalonians 5:18). We have a very brief, but important command to “be thankful” (Colossians 3:15). As is often said, we are not commanded to be thankful for every circumstance, but in every circumstance. What has me thinking about this a lot lately has been the very hot weather that enveloped so much of the country, including where I live. Even though it is summertime, this was quite a little heat wave and it was profoundly uncomfortable for several days (especially those days when we had to work outside). There were…
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For Good
There are a few verses in Scripture that seem to stand out in the collective consciousness of modern American Christianity. One of those is certainly Romans 8:28 – “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose.” Many of us know this verse by heart and have drawn great encouragement from it in times when the purposes of God seem hidden from us. Many of us have also probably seen this verse used out of context and either had to explain or have been very tempted to explain the fact that no, that doesn’t mean…
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Does It Matter in the Long Run?
A recent conversation about the results from an LSAT exam made me consider some things. The student made a good score – an above average score even – but not as high as he wanted. His dad was trying to tell him that now the pressure is off, and he can take it again just to see if he can improve it. I told him that was how I approached my ACT exam in high school – got a good score and took it again with no pressure and it improved. He said he got an okay score … both times and I replied that, at this point in life,…
