Church Life
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The Hardest Part of Agape Love
Well, it’s Valentine’s Day, which means love and romance are in the air. For about a month leading up to this day, you can’t walk into Wal-Mart or Target without being knocked over by the combination of red hearts and pink banners. We are (hopefully) wise enough to realize that the type of love that is most often promoted and celebrated on Valentine’s Day is more romantic and attractional. While a wonderful type of love, it is far from being the deepest love one can express to another. That love was the one the Greeks called agape, and it is the type of love we see often in the New Testament.…
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Are You One of the Good Guys?
Recently I was listening to a friend of mine as he was talking about growing up and imagining things while playing outside. He talked about all of the imaginary bad guys he used to defeat in his backyard. It occurred to me that this was just his style. You see, in real life he grew up to be one of the good guys. He became a Christian and he learned to care about souls and he wants to make a difference in the kingdom. It made my heart glad to see that a young boy who wanted to defeat the bad guys grew up to do that very thing in…
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Will They Know?
I am typing these words on a Sunday afternoon. I wanted to type them while a conversation I had this morning is still fresh on my mind. There are two brothers where I worship who are seeing to the needs of their mother. Their mother also is one of our members. She lost her husband a year or so ago. Before his passing, he was concerned that his wife was “slipping” mentally. She continues to live alone, but there are signs that she is, indeed, not as sharp as she once was. I know that, on those occasions when I have visited with her in her home, she repeats herself quite often. Both of her…
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Who Held the Rope?
Today’s post is short and sweet but I hope it encourages you. Recently, Clarence Deloach asked the question that is the title of this article at Willow Avenue. He was referencing the events from Acts 9 where the Jews were unhappy with Saul’s newfound knowledge of, and enthusiasm for, the truth so they plotted to kill him. Fortunately for hundreds – maybe thousands – of future Christians, the plot was discovered and Saul was saved by being lowered over the city walls in a basket. But the question remains, “Who held the rope?” You see, we know about Saul (turned Paul) and his great acts of evangelism. But none of…
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3 Biblical Facts about Sex Our Society Needs to Hear
It really is difficult to imagine a time in history that was more sexually-saturated than our modern day. While there were certainly times of depravity in ancient history, the advent of technology has made sex the very core of much of our society. But with each passing day, we are also seeing much confusion about sex. People are being sexually molested and assaulted. Pornography is mainstream. Standards (if you want to call them that) are changing constantly, and people do not know what is right, wrong, or indifferent. Yet, there stands the Bible, as always, with a consistent and simple ethic that would literally end all this confusion and hurt…
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Winning by Losing
I had a very good friend who was a man of great integrity. He was most of all kind and generous. He was soft-spoken and respectable. In business, he was not only visionary, but he worked hard, always multitasked, and he treated his employees with respect and consideration. In fact, he treated them in such a way as to always tip the scales in their favor. If there was ever a need he would go the extra mile. My friend graduated from this earthly life into eternity. I will always have fond memories of his genuine compassion and sincerity as well as his kindness and friendship and support which he…
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I Think I Love You (also known as, A Post about David Cassidy)
He was a very famous person. He was a “teen idol” very shortly after he was a teenager himself. He made – and spent – millions of dollars during his lifetime. Despite tremendous success in the entertainment industry, he filed for bankruptcy in 2015. David Cassidy was one of those people whose name was easily recognizable by millions, but who seemed to have problems forming and keeping close personal relationships. There were three failed marriages. One of his children was a daughter whose mother was none of those three wives. It appears that his life ended, at least in part, because of some of the choices he had made during his sixty-seven years. The reports I…
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45 Years
Last September, I turned 40 years old. I share that because of something that happened almost five full years before I was born. Considering that this week is the 45th anniversary of the Roe v. Wade decision, I have literally never lived in a time when abortion was not part of the American landscape. I do not know any other world than what might be called a “post-Roe” world. However, just because something has been around for some time does not make it right. Also, just because something has, seemingly, been impossible to eradicate does not mean we should give up the fight. Abortion is still murder, and murder is…
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Are You Good at Grace?
I have something that is bothering me and I need to get it off my chest. I am seeing a trend in our world and it is not good. Are you tired of all the politics yet? Are you tired of constant negativity and complaining? Are you tired of people being publicly vilified and cast down as soon as they do anything out of character? Are you tired of the hunting and eventual outing of every public figure who ever desires to do anything meaningful in our world? Well, I am tired. I am tired of people shouting guilt and not grace. Don’t get me wrong. Sin is sin and…
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When Should I Bring My “A-Game?”
Many who will read these words are very familiar with Polishing the Pulpit. When I’m asked to describe it to people who are unfamiliar with it, I’ve tried to come up with something appropriate. I’ve had a difficult time doing that. It is a lectureship, but it is much more than that. It is a workshop, but it is much more than that. It is a seminar, but it is much more than that. It offers opportunities to worship, but it does much more than that. It provides opportunities to see old friends and make new ones, but it is much more than a “giant fellowship opportunity.” Polishing the Pulpit is, in fact, much more than…
