Family
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Jesus vs. Family
One of the teachings of Jesus that is often just quickly passed over has to do with family. In Matthew 10:34-37, Jesus stated: Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. And a person’s enemies will be those of his own household. Whoever loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. Often, when we…
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ReConnect 2023
A few years ago, Josh and Amanda Ketchum met up with Leah and me with an idea. They noticed that there was nothing that they knew of for preachers and their wives specifically to help build up their marriages. So, out of that meeting (at Chick-fil-A of course), ReConnect was born. The idea behind ReConnect is simple: it is a two-day retreat that is meant to give encouragement to preachers and their wives. Through lessons, discussion groups, and fellowship, these couples are given an opportunity to step out of the grind of ministry and, well, reconnect. This year, we are glad to have this event again, and we are grateful…
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Three Important Words
If my father happened to still be alive, he might wonder if I ever listened to anything he said. I am now a grandfather (and have been by the time you read this) for twenty-two years. At this point in my life, I wish I had listened more closely to my dad. I know that I’m not the only person to say something like this, but it seems that my father has certainly gotten a lot smarter the older I get. As shocking as it might seem to him, I have really tried to heed one piece of advice he gave me. Dad would probably be really shocked if he knew…
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A Case for the Paper Bible
First things first: I am not anti-electronic Bible. In fact, I know people who basically must use one if they are going to be able to read the text. A lot of older people with failing eyesight have been blessed by being able to blow up the font size on a tablet to very large sizes so they can continue to read God’s wonderful Word. I use an electronic Bible from time-to-time in special situations. So this is not an article meant to say “don’t ever use one of those techy things.” However… I do want to encourage the vast majority of us–especially parents–to use old-fashioned paper Bibles far more…
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No Respect
I was taught respect at an early age – respect for parents, respect for property, respect for other people and their belongings, and respect for God and His word. I can’t tell you how many spankings I got if I did not show the proper respect for others. I was spared one time from the spanking because my brother was the one who had not spoken to an older person when they had spoken to him. My little mother gave him a “talking to” and a spanking about showing respect for your elders. I learned the lesson! As I view the world today, and the lack of respect for so…
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A Christian Response to Transgenderism [Video]
A couple of weeks ago, I preached a sermon dealing with the difficult subject of transgenderism. The topic had been requested by several people of various ages, so I decided to tackle it. Today, for my “article,” I’m simply sharing the video of the sermon. You can watch it below, or click here to watch it on YouTube. If the “timer” is not working, the sermon begins at the 21:20 mark of the video.
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The Present of Presence
What could a big, tough football player and a cute little girl have in common? As you read on, you may find out. I don’t know if the name “Donna Kelce” means anything to you or not. It didn’t to me until I recently saw a video in which she was featured. From what I’ve understood since seeing the video, Donna Kelce made history in this year’s Super Bowl. According to what I’ve found out, she is the first woman to have two sons playing in the same Super Bowl. On top of that, the two sons played for different teams. One played for the winning Kansas City Chiefs and the…
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When The Going Gets Tough…
I’m sure most people read the title of this brief article and finished with “the tough get going.” That’s what we as Americans do, right? We “pick ourselves up by our own bootstraps.” We forge new frontiers and rely on our own strength. Thankfully, I’m not considering this through eyes exclusive to Americans. (Sidenote: I love being an American but that is not the focus of this post.) I want to end the titular quote with some other suggestions: When the going gets tough … pray. Ephesians 3:14-16 reads, “For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named,…
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A Short But (at Least to Me) Soul-Searching Post
Let me begin this by stating that what will follow is not an original idea with me. I honestly cannot remember where I got the idea. What I know is that, once I heard or read it, it has not left my mind. Maybe it will have the same impact on you. The suggestion was made to substitute my name for the words “love” and “it” in a portion of 1 Corinthians 13. Specifically, the portion of that chapter are verses four through the first part of verse eight. Most of us recognize this section as one which describes “love” or “charity.” The exercise that was suggested made it personal. It challenged me…
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Blessings on My Birthday
On my sixteenth birthday, it snowed 5 inches. I was all set to take my driver’s test and get my license. I was prepared because in those days you had to take a full semester of driver’s education – half of it was learning the rules of the road and half of it was driving around town with an instructor. To say I was disappointed that my father wouldn’t let me take the test that day is an understatement. It was nearly a week before I was able to take the test and get my license. As far as I can remember, it has not snowed on my birthday again…
