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The Name on the Jersey
Since the 2024 Major League Baseball season is about to get underway, I thought that I would share a story with you that you might find interesting. As you have probably guessed already, it involves the player in the picture accompanying this post. The player’s name is Johnnie LeMaster and the picture was taken during a game when he was at bat for the San Francisco Giants. Lemaster was the shortstop for the Giants at that time and is remembered by those who know about baseball as a very good defensive shortstop. Unfortunately, this picture was taken during a time when he was not doing well. That led to the…
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Everybody Needs a Break
Have you ever had that feeling that if one more thing was added to your day you would just explode? I imagine most of us have had this happen to us. Life happens and sometimes it just seems like it piles up too high to breathe. Can you tell I’ve had that feeling lately? Now, I know that part of it is my fault because I can be a procrastinator at times, but really it just seems like one thing piles upon another until I feel like I’m drowning. So, what do you do about it? I take a break! There comes a time when you simply have to back…
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The Incompleteness of “He Gets Us”
For some time now, and most famously during the Super Bowl, an ad campaign has captured the attention of a lot of people. The ads feature people in various negative and hate-filled situations, but having their feet washed. The overarching message is that Jesus did not teach hate and then we see the famous tagline “He Gets Us.” To be fair, I have a certain level of appreciation for ads like these. They may not tell the entire story, but they do at least have some semblance of a message that points people to some aspect of the Christian faith. And, of course, there is no way that a few-seconds-long…
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The Easiest Thing for a Christian to Do (and Maybe Salve His/Her Conscience)
I would like to say that this post will be short and sweet. I do intend for it to be short, but I am afraid that some who read it will think that it is not too sweet. I wish that I could tell you the name of the person to blame for this if that, indeed, is your opinion. It might take some of the heat off of me. Unfortunately, I have no idea where I got this idea, but it has stuck with me for many years. Before I let you in on the secret, let me make some observations and/or clear up some possible misunderstandings. First, I…
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Death to Life
Christians are familiar with the concept of trying to live like Jesus. The whole purpose in calling ourselves “Christians” is to be affiliated with His person, His gospel, His hope, and His life. Often, we (or at least I) think about this through my daily decisions on things like how to reach people or the example I try to set around others. We all want to love like Jesus, give like Jesus, and have compassion like Jesus. One thing we often don’t want to do is sacrifice like Jesus. However, if we want the blessings of Jesus, we need to consider how we can do this in our daily lives. …
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Parents, Who Wins?
For almost 10 years, I was a youth minister. I have also been blessed wherever I have preached to be at congregations that wanted me to have an active part in the youth ministry. And, of course, I am a parent, so I have a vested interest in the health of young people. For all those years, there has been something that I have never understood about many Christian parents, and it has to do with their children’s attendance at worship, Bible classes, and youth activities. When their kids miss things, parents often give an excuse, but, if they would just think through what they are saying, their speech could…
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How Do You Walk?
Some who read this will know that Donna and I live in a neighborhood in which quite a few people get their exercise by walking. Some are accompanied by a dog or two. Now that the weather is becoming more and more mild, there seems to be more people walking by our house. When we are sitting in our sunroom, its windows provide a wonderful view of part of our neighborhood and of those who are walking its streets. Due to the fact that we’ve lived here for a number of years now, we now recognize those who make walking a regular part of what they do. It is interesting…
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Some Thoughts on “Restudying the Issue”
Every so often, word will spread that a congregation has made a massive change. Maybe the congregation has decided to appoint female elders or deacons. Maybe the congregation has decided to allow mechanical instruments of music in worship. These and other similar issues are often made with a big statement by the elders (or by the preacher) along with words such as “after restudying the issue…”. Very often, the leaders will speak of how they have been studying this for some time, usually about a year. Immediately, many push back on that phrase, “restudying the issue.” The reason, it seems to me, is that it is almost exclusively used at…
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The Parable of the FedEx Dropbox
A few weeks ago I needed to return something to a company and was advised to do so at a FedEx dropbox. The instructions I was given informed me about the location of the specific dropbox which was to be used. According to those instructions, the dropbox was in the parking lot of a small shopping center with which both Donna and I are very familiar. It is not at all unusual for one of us to “make a run” to a Kroger store which is in that shopping center. With all of that being true, neither Donna nor I could remember ever seeing a FedEx dropbox anywhere in that…
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A Proverb and the Bible School Program
Leah and I both have a passion for a church’s Bible school program. And our passion for it works out well, because she has such a heart for mostly children’s classes, while I greatly love thinking about teens and adults. We talk often about Bible classes and we try to think about ways to do better–both with our own teaching and in the entire program of work. As we look around congregations (both where we are and other congregations we visit), we see some similar struggles. But there is often one thing that is missing that would help the program improve, and (surprise, surprise) it comes right from the Bible.…
