Church Life
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Three Sobering Words
Three words from a song that is sometimes sung during worship services seemed to jump off the page recently as I read them and sang them. Those three words are: friendless – forsaken – betrayed Here are those words in their immediate context: Jesus is standing in Pilate’s hall — Friendless, forsaken, betrayed by all If you are familiar with the hymn, you already know that the overall message is a very penetrating question. The question really has three components: We are challenged to ask ourselves if the Lord would have been friendless, forsaken, and betrayed if I had been there.We are also challenged to ask ourselves what we will…
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Why Do You Seek Me?
In a recent Bible trivia game, one of the questions asked about the historical significance of the words found in Luke 2:49a. Depending on the version you read, here is what that says: “And he said unto them, ‘How is it that ye sought me?’” (KJV) “And He said to them, “Why did you seek Me?” (NKJV) “’Why were you searching for me?’ he asked.” (NIV) The answer the game was seeking is that these are the first recorded spoken words of Jesus in the flesh. What a concept! Even the simple words He spoke to His parents as they sought Him after they left Him behind in Jerusalem can give us…
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3 Steps to Achieve Your New Year’s Resolutions
Well, you made it all the way to January 2. So how are those resolutions going? In all seriousness, it is estimated that nearly 4 out of 5 New Year’s resolutions each year go unfulfilled. Some of that, I think, is because some people make resolutions just site because they feel like they have to, and never actually intend to do them. For others, though, it is simply not knowing how to attack those resolutions. So, if you made some goals for 2019 and want to help yourself in working through them, here are a few practical steps. Make Mini Goals If you make one massive goal for the year,…
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3 Things You Can Do to Make This Next Year Better
Everybody comes to resolution time on January 1, and according to polls recently taken, the same basic resolutions remain the most popular: exercise, eat better, lose weight, quit smoking, get a new job, be happier – et cetera. I guess this goes to show that we struggle in certain areas on a regular basis. But I came across a passage in the Old Testament that I believe can supply an alternative to the typical resolutions we all make. In Leviticus 25 you can read about the “Sabbath year” and the year of Jubilee. The Sabbath year was the 7th year in which the Israelites were to allow the field to…
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What To Do with C.E.O.s
They are called CEOs, but it doesn’t stand for Chief Executive Officers. Instead, among religious people CEOs are “Christmas and Easter Only.” In other words, these are the people who come to worship only on or around those two holidays (and maybe Mother’s Day). The nickname may be slightly humorous, but our attitude needs to be extremely serious in reaching out to these people. After all, if we are not doing what we can to teach and encourage, these folks are lost eternally. While this issue is not going to be solved in one blog post, may I give just a handful of practical ideas that might help encourage those…
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Taking Assessment of Your Life
I’m sentimental and nostalgic by nature. I think about the meaning of life on a regular basis and I tend to look back on everything I have experienced up to this point almost daily. Life is an incredible gift from God and we need to keep that fact at the forefront of our minds. But I suppose that a greater portion of the world’s people come to the end of the year and they celebrate Christmas and New Year’s and quickly just go on to the next thing. After all, this is what we have been programmed to do in this fever-pitched, fast-paced 21st-century world. But I want you to…
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A Different Difference
I woke up early recently thinking about the people with whom I worship. I do that a lot more often than many people might imagine. One reason for that has to do with the gratitude I feel for them for being a real family to us when none of our physical family lived near us. These good people have been with us through many good times and times that were not so good. I also have these people on my mind a great deal of the time because I try to serve as one of our elders. The responsibility that goes with that means that I don’t always get the…
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A Life Lesson from the Man Called “Bear”
These days, it seems that we read and hear more than we would like to read or hear about the misbehavior of athletes and coaches. Some of that goes way beyond misbehavior. It is absolutely immoral and, all too often, illegal. Howell Bigham recently posted the following material on Facebook. I had heard some of this before, but I am reproducing it here in order to “get the story right” and to remind us of a positive life lesson. I am not, in any way, suggesting that all of today’s athletes and coaches are bad people. Neither am I suggesting that all of those who filled these roles years ago (including the one referenced…
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He Was the Patriarch
He had a father. Yet his father was not known as the patriarch. While we don’t know much about Terah, Joshua 24:2 specifically includes him as one of those who “dwelt on the other side of the River in old times; and … served other gods.” On the other hand, Abram, his son, is called “the friend of God” because he “believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness” (James 2:23). Throughout the book of Genesis, we read of the faith of Abraham. Not that he was a perfect man, as God lets us see some of his fears (Gen. 12:12) and his mistakes (Gen. 16). However, there is…
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True Leaders are True Servants
It was the night that should have defined his life. In fact, in the eyes of the watching world, it likely did, but even those who were watching may not have realized why. He was already a powerful and influential man, as he served as Vice-President of the United States. But this was–if things went the right way–to be his night. He had campaigned for President and was a favorite to win that highest office. Election returns started coming in that evening and things really were looking his way. Quite early in the evening, it was obvious he was going to be the President-elect and, early the next year, be sworn…
