Church Life
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How Do You Measure Success?
I’m a teacher and it is spring. That means that thoughts are continually turning toward those “end of the year assessments” that states require in order to see if students have made adequate progress. Of course, this year we are all interested to see what happens after an abbreviated school year in 2019-2020 and such unusual teaching conditions in 2020-2021. Some students are just now going back to in-classroom learning while others have been there all year. Some teachers have perfected the art of “remote teaching” while others are trying to survive while teaching both remote students and those in the classroom with them. Testing is not a foreign concept…
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The Worst Kind of Distancing
When I first heard the term “social distancing,” I really didn’t understand what was meant. Now, after a year or so, I understand what is meant. I also understand the reason for suggesting (or mandating) its practice. The fact that I understand the term and the practice does not mean, however, that I like it. I like to interact with people in person. I like handshakes, hugs, and even an occasional pat on the back. I like it when I can actually communicate when I can see facial expressions, “body language,” etc. I honestly believe that God intended for us to be social creatures. I understand that the observation that “…It is not good…
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Making Choices In Life
Have you ever made a choice in life that you wish you hadn’t made? I’m sure all of us could answer yes to this question. Choices are a part of everyday life. We choose to get up at a certain time. We choose what we will do with the time we have in that day. We choose what we will wear, what we will eat, where we will go, and on and on the list goes. I well remember a choice I made when I was newly married and first teaching school. I went into a well-known clothing store to look at the clothes. I saw a beautiful black pantsuit with a red…
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How Many Warnings Will We Need?
In a small town in Illinois, there is an historic bridge, built in 1906. The covered bridge is a bit of a landmark in the town, but it also recently made headlines because someone ran into it…again. The bridge was closed for repairs for some time and reopened last August. Since then–just over 5 months ago, the bridge has been run into no less than fourteen times. The clearance on the bridge is unusually low–just 8 feet, six inches–so taller trucks and busses have run into it continually. However, there are signs on top of the bridge. There are signs just before a driver would get to the bridge. There…
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What About The Other Wheels?
It is one of those “old sayings” that most of us have heard many, many times. We may have even used it ourselves from time to time. The squeaky wheel gets the grease. That statement can be interpreted in a variety of ways. It seems to me that the most common interpretation has to do with a person or group who is constantly complaining and/or demanding. Attention that could be given and effort that could be utilized somewhere else is directed toward appeasing what may only be a perceived oversight, mistreatment, etc. The issue may not have anything to do with complaining or demanding. It may just very well be that some circumstances may…
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What Would It Take?
The question, “what would it take,” is a profoundly interesting one to me. It can be used about many different things: A young couple is often asked about their financial planning with the concept of what would it take [now] to be financially secure in their retirement? Many people, with an important event approaching ask, “What would it take for me to fit into that outfit I want to wear?” On a much more important scale, I often wonder, “What would it take for __ to become a Christian?” Or to return to the Lord. Or to live a more dedicated life? In essence, this idea is being discussed in…
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You Have To Look To Evaluate
A woman in Minnesota recently got a big surprise, but not a very pleasant one. She and her daughter were watching a TV show that talked about marriage when her daughter said that she had never seen her mother’s wedding dress. She had seen pictures; but not the actual dress. So, the mother decided to go get the box in which the dress was preserved down and show it, realizing that she herself had never actually looked at it, either. It had just been in the preservation box since her wedding, 14 years earlier. When she opened the box, though, she got a not-so-happy revelation: the dress that she had…
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Will They Stand Under the Basket?
It didn’t take long for me to figure out that I probably didn’t have a future as a basketball player. There is not much of a demand for short, overweight guys who can barely touch the bottom of the net and who can’t shoot well. These “minor” issues have not kept me from enjoying watching the game. While I’m not particularly interested in professional basketball, I do enjoy the sport at the college level. As is the case with any sport, the rules have changed somewhat over the years. While it may surprise some, I am not old enough to remember when there was a jump ball after each made basket. That was my dad’s…
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The Proper First Question in Bible Study
I am really excited that one of the things we are about to restart at Central is Teens in the Word. Though our numbers have been smaller with this during the pandemic (along with everything else), it is a joy to see these young people diving a little more deeply into the Bible. One of the things we try to emphasize with them constantly is to look at a passage and ask the “right first question.” I’ll get to what it is in a moment, but the fact is that a lot of adults need to be reminded of this, as well. Before we get there, though, the main thing…
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Giving Satan A Day Off
[Editor’s note: this post, as you will see, is a bit dated, but the message is timeless, so we shared it anyway. –Adam] I am typing these words just a few days after our most recent national election. As I type them, I have absolutely no idea who the occupant of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, D.C. will be after January 20th of next year. The race for the highest office in our land and other contests are still undecided. By the time you read this, the decision(s) may already be made. However, also by the time you read this, there may still be some repercussions from all of this. Some of…
