While listening to a recent lesson, we were examining the well-known passage in Ephesians 6 concerning our Christian armor. It was pointed out that the concept of “standing,” “withstanding,” and “standing firm” are all clustered together in verses 10-18. A skeptic might wonder if Paul just had a limited vocabulary. A Greek scholar might expound on the wealth of meaning in the Greek phrase translated this way. (Look it up at blueletterbible.org – it’s pretty interesting!) However, I looked at this passage and noticed a couple of things that I think are being emphasized. First is the idea of making preparation. Verses 10-13 seem to me to be focused on…

If all goes to plan, later this very week the vaccine that so many have worked for, hoped for, and even prayed for will be approved and the process of vaccination will begin. It is a marvel to think about how quickly this has been done, and it is remarkable to consider how quickly millions–and even tens-of-millions–of doses will be distributed. With that hopeful news making the rounds, a good number of leaders are having to share a new type of message to their states, communities, and other groups of people. The first person I heard state it was the governor of Kentucky, Andy Beshear. In what I felt like…

2020 has been a challenging year in so many ways. To say the least, it is an understatement to suggest that all of us have been affected in one way or another.   Elders and other church leaders have struggled with ideas, policies, equipment, strategies, facilities, and a host of other things this year. The goal has always been to find the best ways to meet the spiritual needs of the congregations they serve without ignoring or minimizing challenges to the health and well being of members.  One of the options used by many during this challenging year has been that members and others can worship online. Modern technology has made it possible for…

Local authorities often put up temporary flashing signs by the road for traffic information. Maybe it is to let drivers know that an exit is closed for a short time, or that there is a parade on a certain date so traffic might be slower than normal. But a town in Alberta, Canada currently has a message on those signs that I can honestly say I have never seen before: “Do Not Let Moose Lick Your Car” When I came across this story, I thought maybe it was some local joke or some “code” that was meant to draw attention to the drivers. Instead, it is very real, and it…

I don’t know if anybody who reads this will recognize the name Pauline Kael, but a quote attributed to her is fairly famous in political circles. I emphasized the words “attributed to her” because a little research I did resulted in my learning that she never actually said exactly what people claim she said. Supposedly, Ms. Kael was incredulous about the fact that Richard Nixon had won the presidency in 1972. The quote attributed to her is, “I can’t believe Nixon won. I don’t know anybody who voted for him.” According to the information I discovered her actual words were, “I live in a rather special world. I only know one person who…

Over the last couple of weeks, news has been encouraging about a potential vaccine for coronavirus. While, certainly, there are still many hoops that pharmaceutical companies will have to jump through to finish it out and get it distributed, it is the first hopeful news about this virus that we have gotten–consistently–in a long time. So, let’s play along with the hope. After all, we need some encouraging news, don’t we! Let’s just say that the companies are able to get it going, as they claim, by the end of this year, and then the distribution numbers grow in early 2021, on into March and April. Let’s just say that,…

I am typing these words in the middle of a hotly contested and very contentious “election season.” Before too much longer millions of people will go to the polls all over our nation and make a choice about their preferences for the people they would like to serve in a variety of national, state, and local political offices.     The greatest amount of national interest seems to be on who will win the election for the highest office in our land. That fact does not, in any way, diminish the importance of every election for every office. Some who read this may know that my major in college was government. My understanding…