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- Scripture Check List - Scripture Check List: The expectations or characteristics of a Christian are scattered throughout the Bible. I don’t know if it’s helpful to be reminded what some of those characteristics are because it could cause us to feel uncomfortable in our own self-assured world. As Christians, of course, we like to think that we’re following the teachings of our Lord. I believe we would all agree with that. But, let’s just see. We believe in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and that does free us as believers. We don’t need to judge or rate ourselves on those descriptors, they are only reminders of the characteristics of one who is saved. That is not to say we don’t need to work on some of those, it’s just a reminder that… we might need to work on some of those. Continue reading
- Bread and Wine - Bread and Wine: In May of 1983, my father, who had been a minister in the United Church of Christ for nearly 60 years, wrote to Harper and Row Publishers in New York seeking permission to use a previously published poem, entitled Bread, in a book that he was compiling on practical religious philosophy. I don’t have a record of his request being granted. The book he had in mind never advanced beyond his collection of sermon notes and resources, when he passed away, five years later at age 94. It took some doing, digging deep into the Internet and the resources of Amazon, but I found the little poem and determined that the author was, in fact, unknown. Be gentle...when you touch bread. Continue reading
- Gloom, Despair, Misery - Gloom, Despair, Misery: Hee Haw was a funny/corny TV show that was fairly popular for nearly 25 years, ending in 1992. Buck Owens and Roy Clark were a couple of stars of the show and their version of “Gloom, Despair, and Agony” drew applause and laughs each time they trotted it out. Remember it? Gloom, despair, and agony on me, Deep, dark depression, excessive misery, If it weren’t for bad luck, I’d have no luck at all. Gloom, despair, and agony on me. I would’ve added another verse but I really don’t want to offend anyone. Sufficient to note that in some crazy – funny way we can relate a little to all that. Not that we haven’t some gloom, despair and misery in our lives, but we do have adversity, setbacks, and matters that just don’t go according to our plans. Sometimes those little bumps in the road get us down, and dims our usual sunny disposition. Sometimes the bump turns into a mountain and in those moments, we’re likely to cry out to “Jesus help me!” Continue reading
- Relevance? - Relevance? Oswald Chambers once said that Psalms teach us how to pray; Job teaches us how to suffer; the Song of Solomon teaches us how to love; Proverbs teaches us how to live, and Ecclesiastes teaches us how to enjoy life. Philip Yancey, on the other hand, tells us that he turns to Job, Deuteronomy, Psalms, Ecclesiastes and Prophets, not to be taught something, but out of his own doubts and struggles. He calls those books companions for his pilgrimage because in them he discovers himself. Interesting. How do you discover yourself? In the March 11 Watchword I quoted this from T. S. Eliot: “We shall not cease from searching, and the end of all our searching will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time.” What is the starting point for the search of discovery? I don’t believe its a book of the Bible, I think that’s the next point. I think the starting point often is a simple prayer: “Help me, Lord,” and the search begins in the light of His presence. Continue reading
- Have You seen the Father? - Have You seen the Father? How about you? Have you seen the Father? Have you felt His presence? Have you looked around, really looked around with eyes opened by the Holy Spirit to see if you can find Him? Perhaps you have heard the Father if you listen very carefully to what is happening all around you, perhaps you have heard Him. Maybe in the voice of a neighbor, maybe in the call of a bluebird, or maybe it came through a spontaneous and unexpected visit. Have you seen the Father? Maybe, like Philip, you ask: “Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied.” And you hear Him tell you: “Don’t you know me, even after I have been with you such a long time? Anyone who has seen all that I have created has seen the Father.” That would seem to make it clear that Jesus is the fullest possible encounter with God’s Glory, and we are privy to that day in and day out. Continue reading
- Crossing the First Threshold - Crossing the First Threshold – Lenten Week #4: The hero has finally committed to the journey, crossing from the familiar world to the unknown, from which there is no turning back. Have you ever experienced a moment when you could tell beyond any doubt that you had changed? Do you ever encounter some of your "old grave clothes" that you must shed to feel truly free in Christ? When in the past have you crossed a threshold into the unknown? Do you need to take that step now? Continue reading
- In the Wilderness - In the Wilderness: I stood there, wanting to walk away, turn my back on that situation and not get involved. It was none of my business, yet, something wasn’t right, and I knew it. Then that voice again, “walk away, walk away, this doesn’t concern you”, echoed against my resistance. But it was by business, and I waded in, and it made a difference. We may not be in the wilderness as Jesus was, and yet the temptations are all around. Satan speaks so sweetly, so enticingly, and we are torn. Admit it or not, there’s often a war going on between the devil and our better angels. Do we go one way or the other, the choice is ours. Maybe that way leads to inconvenience, a difficult decision that may cost you dearly, yet, it is the right choice. Or maybe you hear that other voice, so friendly, so assured “You’re really going to put yourself out and you have no idea how much it will cost you. Just forget it, no one will know, no one will hold it against you.” Continue reading
- Stop Judging! - Stop Judging! In 1980, Johnny Lee had a hit record in the country western scene entitled “Looking for Love in all The Wrong Places.” Forgive me, Lord, but that song popped up in my mind on the morning of February 28, as I was reading Sarah Young’s devotional “Jesus Calling”. Actually, the devotional was very good, and it addressed the way we evaluate and judge ourselves, and compare ourselves with other people. That really spoke to me and I know from experience that such behavior can produce feelings of pride or inferiority; sometimes a mixture of both, at the same time. Comparing can be destructive and while we have cautioned our children to avoid it, too often we embrace it, even though we know it’s wrong and meaningless. Continue reading
- Difficulty In Trusting - The Difficulty of Trusting: Years ago, I rode the elevator to the top floor of the Sears Tower in Chicago and looked out over the city and then down to Michigan Avenue and the Miracle Mile. I suddenly had a queasy feeling and involuntarily stepped back from the window. I had that same sensation when, as senior class sponsor, I chaperoned a group of my high school students to New York and we stood on the observation platform of the Empire State Building. While we joked about looking down, I was not comfortable. Are you adverse to heights? Do you have a kind of a weird feeling when you look down from a height, maybe a cliff while you’re hiking, or at the Grand Canyon at an Overlook? It’s not a comfortable feeling. This morning I read Our Daily Bread and was reminded about Charles Blondin, who, in 1859, became the first person to cross Niagara Falls on a tightrope! Continue reading
- Savior and Almighty God? - Savior and Almighty God? Do we limit God? Do we fail to understand the completeness of the Trinity? When we cry out “Help me Jesus”, do we realize we are calling on the Creator God of the universe? We would not hesitate to call for Jesus to be our comforter, to sympathize with us in times of difficulty, but would we hesitate to call upon Him or approach Him as Almighty God? These are not little questions. In a recent My Utmost for His Highest, Oswald Chambers makes this statement: “Have you been limiting…the ministry of Jesus to the point that he is unable to work in your life? Suppose that you have a deep well of hurt and trouble inside your heart, and Jesus comes to you and says ‘let not your heart be troubled…’ how would you respond? Would you simply shrug your shoulders and say, “but Lord the well is too deep and even you can’t draw up quietness and comfort out of it.” Continue reading
- Sing Out Loud! - Sing Out Loud! One of hard parts of this pandemic we are going through, and if you are fortunate to be able to attend worship services following all the restrictions, is that we can’t SING out loud! Familiar hymns and songs, even liturgical responses that are so much a part of our worshiping the Lord, are spoken, and seem to fall flat without music. It is one thing to limit singing because of the spread of the virus, and that probably has strong scientific facts behind it, but in the loss of such music is also to lose a morale factor. There is power in music. Singing those “old favorites” has been shown to boost mood, reduce falls for older citizens, and to lessen visits to emergency rooms, not to mention the need for sedative drugs. I have a friend who, in response to words or music heard, bursts into song, and it is hard not to join in, and in the singing, there is a feeling of peace and joy. Continue reading
- The Mentor - The Mentor - Lenten Week #3: At the turning point where the Hero desperately needs guidance, a mentor gives insight, dispels doubts, and gives them courage to begin their quest. What kind of spiritual mentor do you need for your journey? When you came to the place in your spiritual journey when you knew Jesus was "the one", how did you come to this commitment? Recall, again, the difference that decision has made in your life. How are you a role model or mentor? Continue reading
- The Book of John - John? The book of John was written by the Apostle John some 20 to 25 years after the other three Gospels were written. It is viewed as the most theological of the Gospels and was written in response to concerns being raised throughout the Christian world about the nature of Christ, and some elements of confusion that seem to have grown within the troubled church. So, you can imagine John coming to rescue the Word of God. John himself verifies this in chapter 20, with this statement: “These things are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the son of God.” If you’re looking for chronology, turn to Matthew, Mark and Luke. If, on the other hand, what you seek is a better understanding of Jesus and His teachings, and what it means to have faith in Him, than a good starting point is The book of John. Continue reading
- Sin, Sin, Sin - Sin, Sin, Sin: That scripture passage from first John should sound very familiar. For many of us, we hear that most every Sunday leading into that portion of the service that speaks to forgiveness. We repeat that promise because we, indeed, are sinners and because it is so important. This passage has power, containing two of the most significant truths of our Christian faith: the recognition that we are sinners and that God as a forgiving God and he forgives our sins. We acknowledge that we are sinners, often adding saved by grace, and that is true. But what sins have we committed? How do we define sin? And do we intentionally violate something to qualify is a sinner? Merriam Webster defines Sin as an offense against religious or moral law. Seven words to define it for the dictionary. When I change the question to “What is Sin in the eyes of the Christian church? Wow! Page after page and it looks a bit like we Christians are in competition with ancient Judaism and their 613 laws. Continue reading
- Meaning of Giving - Meaning of Giving? “I have held many things in my hands and I have lost them all. But whatever I have placed in God’s hands, that I still possess.” Martin Luther Tithing defined: “To pay or give a tenth part of especially wealth for the support of a religious establishment or organization.” Merriam Webster. Randy Alcorn, in his book The Treasure Principle speaks of the tithe as the start of Christian generosity, the beginning of giving. The tithe is not the ceiling, it’s the floor, the foundation upon which your spirit-lead heart builds. Then there are free-will offerings, bake sales, food drives, blanket drives, etc., etc., in addition to our tithe. I confess, early in my Christian walk, I struggled with tithing. Continue reading
- By Our Love - Shoes of the Fishermen: I have been reading from CS Lewis’s book, Miracles, and the thought occurred to me that when we read the Gospels, and understand the witness statements that the disciples have made, we are reading the stories that common ordinary men made after they had witnessed uncommon and extraordinary events. We all know, I’m sure, that the disciples were not selected because of their deep theological training, or their intellect and wit. These were young man, probably in their mid to late 20s or early 30s, some were individuals, some were brothers. Most of them were born and raised in small towns in Northern Galilee. Most were from families whose livelihood was based on fishing. In truth, there was nothing special about them, except that they were touched by God. Continue reading
- Peace Be With You - Peace Be With You: “Peace be with you” appears in the Bible multiple times, spoken by angels and prophets, beginning with Genesis when a servant resolves fear between Joseph and his brothers. That phrase becomes Jesus’ own watchword, spoken multiple times after He had defeated death. Now had come the time to reveal himself to his closest friends. It was Easter, and the disciples were distraught. They had seen Jesus’ arrest, and one of their number, John, had witnessed the death of their Master on the cross. They were lost in their own weakness and lack of faith. Now, in fear of the Romans, they had gathered to consider what to do next. Continue reading
- Second Thoughts - Second Thoughts - Lenten Week #2: Fears and insecurities about the risks or likelihood of failure on the Journey draw the Hero back to the safety of the Ordinary World. Have you ever begun a big project or “adventure” only to have deep second thoughts about continuing? Why did those thoughts arise? Did you continue, or stop? What makes you question whether your dreams are possible? How do you react to even mild criticism? How does it make you feel when you suspect or know that someone is being treated unfairly? How do you respond? Continue reading
- Psalm 46 - Psalm 46: Martin Luther had a great saying about Psalm 46 when he was in great distress. He said, “Let us sing the forty-sixth psalm in concert; and then let the devil do his worst.” Look at the passage, Psalm 46, broken into four pieces, and each piece has a familiar ring to it, on its own. We probably have heard homilies or sermons on each one of those parts. God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Ding a’ling, heard that before, a call for confidence and security, in the Lord. Here the poet begins with God’s provision. He looked to God for help in difficult times and found it. He will not fear, even as he faced difficulties in his life that seemed overwhelming. There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells. Now there is a verse that really preaches. Streams of living water making glad, even joyful, all those who worship the one true God. Continue reading
- Get Up! - Get Up! You say you are feeling down, a little sad. That you feel like the walls are closing in on you, and you just want to get out and take a walk or you’ll scream! Have you seen enough Netflix? Read all the books you wanted to read? Can you relate? “Cabin Fever” is a real thing. “Cabin fever” describes the psychological symptoms that a person may experience when they are confined to their home for extended periods. Sounds familiar, doesn’t it? Symptoms include feelings of restlessness, irritability, and loneliness. That’s me! That’s you? Let’s be clear. What we all are experiencing is NORMAL, considering all that we are going through. Continue reading
