Trust God
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Only One
As I type these words, there are still news reports about a group of people in Cincinnati who participated in what was described as a “beatdown.” One headline that I saw was: 5 charged in horrifying viral Cincinnati brawl that left woman knocked out cold One interesting (and disturbing) report I saw indicated that there were about one hundred people who were at least in that area when this happened and that one of them called 9-1-1. My immediate thought when I heard this was – only one? That news story reminded me of something that was still somewhere in the cobwebs of my mind. I was almost certain that a…
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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,…
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A Book of Remembrance
The Book of Malachi has been reduced to a footnote in many of the Old Testament surveys I have seen, heard, and read. It’s the last book of the Old Testament, both chronologically and canonically; it falls in step with the same themes common to the other Minor Prophets; it mentions the coming of “Elijah” (aka John the Baptist) before the arrival of the day of the Lord. Very few overviews go much deeper than this, and it’s hard to blame them. In a sense this last word from God before 400 years of silence is difficult to understand, especially given its unique place within the scope of Scripture. At…
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Devoted to Good Works
This week’s article will be shorter than most, because it is quite the week for me and for our family. My mom’s birthday, my sister’s high school graduation, and my high school best friend’s wedding are all taking place within 4 days of each other, and I’m here in Tennessee to celebrate all three. Two thoughts have dominated my mind in preparation for this week: the thought of how blessed I am, and the thought of how busy I’m about to be. Recently, I came across this statement from Jesus in my personal study: “Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required, and from him to…
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Peace, Perfect Peace
If you’re like me, sometimes peace is hard to find. You would think that as a retired woman I would have plenty of time, fewer worries, less deadlines to meet, and be able to just do what I want to do resulting in peace in my life. You couldn’t be more wrong. I still have a lot of activities in my life. Along with the usual daily chores – doing laundry, cleaning house, buying groceries, cooking meals, organizing closets, etc. – I seem to be busy with lots of other things like writing, studying, praying, teaching Bible classes, mentoring young women, hosting guests in our home, counseling those who are…
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Churches, Learn From–but Stop Blaming–Covid
It’s been five years. Five years ago from the publication date of this post, the world was still basically shut down. Though a few things in a few places were starting to try to open up again, the world was a very different place. Churches were not immune to those changes. Every congregation was navigating waters that were very odd. (So, please, do not read the rest of this article as if I am saying that covid wasn’t real or that leaders didn’t do the best they could!) But read that first line again: it’s been five years. Are there lessons that congregations should have learned during 2020? Of course.…
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Do You Know My Jesus?
The mood must have been tense that Sunday afternoon. Very few people had fully grappled with what had happened just days before, and it didn’t help that more rumors about more strange events that morning were starting to spread. Everyone was emotionally exhausted, everyone was physically exhausted, and nobody knew if there would be more innocents targeted by the mob’s fury, or who would be next if there were. It’s no wonder Cleopas and his friend decided to get out of dodge. After all, things hadn’t always been this bad. Just a week ago there was rejoicing in the streets over this great Prophet of the people. For years, His…
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Property Poor Church Members
I recently came across an article in a religious periodical published in 1918. The title of that article was the same as the title for this post. The article mentions a man who served as an elder in a local congregation who owned a great deal of property. According to a statement he made, the value of his property was $160,000. His weekly contribution to the local congregation of which he was a member was seventy-five cents! When this man was encouraged to increase his contribution, he said that he could not do that because he was “property poor.” He even claimed that his financial “stress” made it necessary for…
