Looking for an earlier Watchword?
- A Basic Lesson - A Basic Lesson: How to pray was a lesson that Jesus taught his disciples, but I’m not sure how well we have learned it. Let’s say we are in a class taught by Jesus and He spent a lot of time instructing us on how we should pray. He talks about praying in secret and the fact that our Heavenly Father knows all of our secrets. He cautions us on repeating prayers over and over again, and challenges us to pray from the heart. Then he hands out a sheet and tells you it’s a quiz. The first question is: I told you to pray along these lines. What are those lines? It is in the privacy of our inner relationship with God that our prayers strengthen and heal. We should have no motivation other than to know our Father in Heaven. In truth it is impossible to carry out our life as followers of Christ, as his disciples, without times of secret prayer. So be it. Continue reading
- Time to Clarify - Time to Clarify: The Bible isn't interested in making people happy. Instead, the Bible focuses on joy. Happiness is something we feel because of our situation or circumstances. We are happy because something made us happy, but we are joyful because of something right and true within us. Somehow, happiness never seems to cross our minds when adversity knocks on our door, and yet, there are times when our spiritual joy and our trust in our Lord, carries us through those times. You know that silly saying, ‘I feel your pain’? Well, once through adversity, you can honestly say you have been there. You are that friend that jumps into the pit with you because he knows the way out. That’s empathy, My Child. Continue reading
- Be His - Be His: A month ago, a Watchword was about an ancient clay lamp that my uncle Harold had uncovered and brought back from an archaeological dig in the holy land. Prior to that experience he and his wife had been missionaries in China for more than 10 years. I wonder what kind of a person deliberately gives up the life they have known in order to follow their faith in Christ. We sometime refer to ourselves as “disciples of Christ”, but I wonder. Our Lord makes His disciple His very own possession. Jesus says “You shall be witnesses to me.” The entire commitment of the disciple is to seek to be a delight to Him. Could we say that? Continue reading
- God’s Perspective - God’s Perspective: Have you ever gone through a confessional? You know how it works, you slip into this phone-booth-size room, sit on a bench in front of a screen which obscures the Priest who is hearing you confessing your grievous sins. Then he, and most assuredly it will be a he, will tell you what you must do to earn forgiveness for your sins. Forgive me, Lord, but, “earn forgiveness”? Really? I do believe that was one of the stumbling blocks for Martin Luther. Let me check his 95 Theses. Yep, there it is, Christ died for my sins, paying for them in full…or words to that effect. Continue reading
- There I Am in the Midst… - There I Am in the Midst: As I write this, one of our brothers in our Bible study group is in the hospital with a serious medical problem. It occurs to me that while our friends are not with us, and we do miss their contribution to our discussions, the fact is every person sitting around our weekly table is an integral part of our group and clearly illustrates what Jesus has told us, about different gifts contributing to the whole. We miss our friends, and their contributions to our discussion. But mostly we all marvel at the truth in Christ’s Word that “Where two or more are gathered in My name, there I will be as well. Continue reading
- Go The Extra Mile - Go The Extra Mile: In Jesus time, it was common practice, and Roman law, that if a soldier told someone to carry his pack, the Jew would have to drop everything he was doing and go out of his way to obey. Jesus used this fact of daily life as a parable to teach the principal of charity and generosity. Jesus says, “Not only do I want you to carry it one mile, I want you to carry it an extra mile.” If you think about it, the principle applies to every area of our lives today—in our relationships, within our community, at home, in our work and church-life, but also in our giving of material goods and our wealth. Christ calls us to go the extra mile, going above and beyond what is asked of us. Something for us to think about. When have we gone the extra mile? Continue reading
- Modeling God in Our Image - Modeling God in Our Image: Wyoming prairie, just outside of Hulett. It is 10:30 at night, not a light in sight. I lean back in a camp chair and stare at an amazing firmament, an array of stars so bright and so full, that it forces thoughts of gratitude and praise to the creator God. A show so perfect that the intrusion of an airplane, in the far distance, seems an offense.We are just beginning to grasp the vastness of the universe. The universe is so huge that it defies our limited language. And to think that this was all created by God, defies even more the point where we have a hard time imagining. And then, imagine further, here we are, a speck of dust. No, a freckle on the speck. No, a half of a freckle on a speck of dust of the universe. That’s us. Hard to imagine, right? Continue reading
- Christian Character - Christian Character: Over the years, I have attend two Lutheran churches, both follow the same liturgy, the same lectionary, sing some of the same hymns, and, of course, pray to the one and only God. However, in one, we have had women pastors, while in the other, there was no way that that would happen! I believe that every Society must have its rules. Christ himself founded a church, and there was a certain focus and structure. But that is the beginning of an evolving problem. If a given church communicates to the outsider that God works almost exclusively through the machinery/structure they have erected, and then rejects all other machinery which does not bear their label, we can’t be surprised if such exclusiveness results in losing membership in the pews. Continue reading
- God-In-A-Box - God-In-A-Box: When your seven-year-old granddaughter tells you that “God is dead” and that is what she learned in her church, how would you respond? You probably would have been taken-aback, as I was. But what are we learning in our churches today? What are we teaching? What are the “rules” governing baptism, communion, kneeling or not kneeling, the “proper” costume, who can preach and who cannot, etc. Are we defining “Christians” as those who follow all the rules? What? With all those rules, do we need Christ to die on that cross? Rules, structure, organization, denominations, churchiness…I wonder if we have packaged God by our own designs, to the point where we obscure the Almighty? Continue reading
- Spite and Malice - Spite and Malice: My son taught me a card game that was fun to play and, at times, required strategy. It is called Spite and Malice, an intimidating title if there ever was one. But that title is not a recommended character description for a follower of Christ. Spite is the desire to hurt, annoy, or offend someone. Not a good mind-set. Malice, on the other hand, may be worse, if you are into difference shades of darkness. Malice is a mind-set to intentionally do evil. If you look on the other side, the positive side on those two ideas, you get a picture of the good attitude and actions of a person who loves the neighbor as themselves. Continue reading
- Living Water - Living Water: There are many references to “living water’, in both the Old Testament and the New Testament. In the Zechariah 14 prophesy, we have “On that day…”, meaning on the Day the Lord comes. Then we have the inclusiveness of Gentile and Jew, in the reference of the Dead Sea and the Mediterranean Sea, meaning all who believe, in all seasons, at all times, encompassed in the prophesy of the Holy Spirit. The idea of The Word being living water is further expanded in the conversation between Jesus and the Samaritan woman. What are we to make of this living water? As we believe in Jesus as Lord, and seek to live our lives according Christ’s teaching, how are we applying the living water that flows from the Spirit, within each of us? Continue reading
- Seeds - Seeds: I love the story of William Beal, posted in a recent Our Daily Bread devotional by Kenneth Petersen. The short version is this -- in 1879, Beal, a professor of botany, filled 20 jars with various seeds, then buried them deep in the soil. The professor was conducting a seed viability experiment that would span centuries. While we don’t know the shape or the content of the seeds we may be planting, never underestimate the truth of the statement to tell the world about our relationship with Christ and, when you must, use words. The lesson that the disciples were learning, was that their role, and ours as well, is to plant the seed, the word of the Lord, in the good soil that’s available, and trust God to work with that. We never know that the word we shared will take root, or when that may happen. Continue reading
- Psalm 151 - Psalm 151: In a recent conversation with a nephew, I tried to explain that the Psalm following the last Psalm in the book, was our own personal Psalm. I was making the point that the track our faith takes is our personal Psalm, and that journey is one of praise and gratitude for the graces God has gifted to us. We all have a personal Psalm, reflecting out faith journey, one that is being written even as you read this. It is up to you to put into words what God has created in your life. How would you fashion your Psalm? Continue reading
- Theology - Theology: The study of the nature of God and religious belief. Chances are, your pastor, or one of those on television, have a masters degree or a PhD in theology. It sounds very scholarly, maybe just a bit stodgy. It is a discipline and, as such, a study which can aid in the understanding of Biblical truths. If I would ask you, what is your theology? How would you answer? Maybe you would say, ‘Christian’. And I would say, ‘That’s just a label’. Tell me in eight words or less what your theology is, in practice. Continue reading
- The Resurrection - The Resurrection: What do you believe about the Resurrection? Is it important to you? Where does it “stack-up” with you and your relationship with God? How about this: Is the Resurrection just one of many elements of your belief in Jesus? Do you hold each element like a treasure in your heart. Each of equal value? There is no conflict between Jesus’ early command to tell no one until… and the joy of truly knowing Jesus. We know we have arrived at the “until” when what we believe in Christ dominates our lives, our thinking and our communications with others. Continue reading
- Marching Orders? - Marching Orders? Chuck Swindoll, in a sermon given seven or eight years ago, said: “You may not have thought about it before, but Christians have a lot more in common with soldiers than we might think. In what way? For starters, soldiers don’t serve to protect themselves but to guard the interests of their homeland. There is simply no room for ego or grandstanding among soldiers during the heat of battle. What matters is obeying the leader’s commands.” The character of a Christian is clearly outlined by the prophet Isaiah, telling us to Learn to do good, to be fair, and to help the poor, the fatherless, and widows, and echoed in Psalms with rescue the poor and helpless from the grasp of evil. Micah inquired of the Lord what were the orders, and the answer came back -- do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with God. These are our marching orders from our Lord. Continue reading
- Demons? - Demons? In November, 1981, in Brookfield, Connecticut, at the manslaughter trail of Arne Cheyenne Johnson, the defense sought to prove innocence based on Johnson’s claim of demonic possession. The judge in the matter argued that no such defense could ever exist in a court of law due to lack of physical evidence. Think about the track of your own life, and the occasional pull of temptation, moods that suddenly appear to disrupt relationships, arguments erupting, etc. What causes these changes? You probably don’t need an exorcism, but we, most assuredly, should be on guard and call upon Jesus, our Lord and Savior, to help us be prepared. Continue reading
- Obedience Delayed? - Obedience Delayed? In Haggai 1:7-9 the prophet has given King Darius the Word. You have trouble in your fields, they have not produced. You have trouble in your vineyards for the wine has been bitter. You have looked after your own, built your own houses, gathered your own abundance, while the House of the Lord is in ruins. The prophet is saying to the people, consider what direction your lives are headed in. Your fields yield very little, your vineyards produce what is hardly drinkable, what you received from your herds is not enough. Life was hard and getting harder. Does that sound familiar? Who is Haggai talking to, the Hebrews or us, or both? This isn’t brain surgery, but it is heart surgery. Continue reading
- The Priority List – No. 2 - The Priority List - No. 2: Recently I heard a preacher raising the question whether God was an ‘add-on’ in our lives. An add on!? How dare him! God is the top priority in my life, the most important part of my life. “It’s raining. Let’s stay home.” “It’s the final round of the British Open and I am not missing it.” “I was out late last night. Think I’ll pass on church.” I confess that I get lost in my writing, and while I know that the lord has inspired so much of it, he has also laid before me opportunities to pause in my writing to reach out to my friends, my neighbors, and I have begged off. We have different kinds of excuses to avoid doing something we would prefer not to do, or we don’t like the idea of leaving our comfort zone. And Jesus wept! Continue reading
- Knowing Jesus - Knowing Jesus: It was a gathering of a group of men in what was referred to as the “Fourth Day”, a prayer and support group that grew out of a weekend with Jesus. Our newest member had just returned from the three days of Cursillo, and we joyfully listened to his excited description of what that weekend had meant to him. As we listened we knew exactly what he had experienced because each of us had a similar experience. Yet, we didn’t know, really. What I mean by that is, we can relate to kind of the “external experience”, but what was planted in the heart was personal, it is unique to each of us. Knowing God is a down-deep, personal thing, an intimate oneness with Jesus that nothing can shake. Continue reading
