Looking for an earlier Watchword?
- Preamble to a Miracle - Preamble to a Miracle: Doctor visits and multiple tests followed, the diagnosis undefined, then more tests. Cancer? Liver? This was all dragging my friend down, what could be worse? His sick days were used up, his sole source of income. Then the second shoe dropped; his application for disability was denied! How about you, have you or a loved one been on a downward spiral, where the bad seemed to get worse, and the solution was elusive? Friday’s Watchword, entitled “Wisdom”, had this passage: If you don't know what you're doing, pray to the father. He loves to help. You'll get His help (James 1:5). Is that our standard go to when things are looking bleak and our health, or finances, or our relationships are all somewhere deep in the plumbing that you don't know the way out? Do we rely on the Lord, do we lean back and say “Heavenly Father, I really don't know what to do. I need your help”? Then a miracle happens! Continue reading
- Wisdom? - Wisdom? Sometimes when we read the Message version of the Bible we hardly recognize the…well, message. Sometimes, however, it speaks to us more clearly than, say, King James, even though it is James! In King James, the subject of these verses is right up there in the first sentence. In the Message, the subject is implied. The truth is, it doesn’t matter which version we prefer, it is His Word we are to meditate on each moment of our lives. So, the subject of the passage is wisdom with its related cousin, common sense, implied. Wisdom is spirit-given. Common sense is our choice as we apply wisdom. Continue reading
- Knowing God Better - Knowing God Better: Knowing God better? What does that mean? And how do you do that? Have you ever asked yourself that? Maybe in the course of a morning time with the Lord, reading of scripture or simply praying and thinking about the role of God in your life, did you ever come to that question of how do I know you better, lord? Knowing and serving the Lord is not easy. Each step of the way was fraught with violence. Wycliffe was the first to translate the Bible into a language that common people could read. His hand-written text was finished in the 1370s. Then he was burned alive at the stake. In 1536 Tyndale was executed by strangulation and then burned at the stake for translating the Bible into English. There's got to be balance between our spiritual life, which includes time we spend in prayer, in devotional readings and our earthly responsibilities. Continue reading
- A Miracle? Eh, it’s Science! - A Miracle? Eh, it’s Science!: In the span of our lives we've had opportunities to marvel at, even celebrate circumstances that favored us. Maybe we're really sick and we found medication that cured us that very next day. And we say, Thank you medicine. There are times when you want to dig deeply into a circumstance and find out why it happened. Maybe you Google something online and get an explanation from a scientific viewpoint. Ask yourself, why do I do that? Why are we sometimes hesitant to give God credit? Our Lord does not want burnt offerings, and great sacrifices, he only wants change from our evil ways and attitude of gratitude in the form of repentance. Continue reading
- Who Can Be Against Us? - Who Can Be Against Us? Chapter 8 of the book of Romans is one of several sections of the Bible that I would consider among my favorites, probably do in large part to this section, the last nine verses. In my reading and thinking about this I am reassured, any anxiety I might be having is quelled when I think about that question, Who can be against me if God is for me? And I believe that God is not only for us but he loves us. In those nine verses, Paul asks five questions to draw out the amazing power and privilege of belonging to Jesus Christ. In each one, the answer is clear. Continue reading
- The Rest of the Story - The Rest of the Story: I'm sure some of you will remember Paul Harvey and his radio program entitled The Rest of the Story. hink about this, there are innumerable stories in the Bible where we would dearly love to know the rest of the story. We do not have to dig too deep into the Bible, without encountering a story of a person who encountered Jesus. What happened to Lazarus after he was raised from the dead? Repentance should be accompanied by something, action, behavior, an indication of a true change. John the Baptist said, “Bear fruit that will show your repentance”. Jesus said, “A tree is known by the fruit it produces.” To accept Jesus as Lord and savior is to take on a new life. Continue reading
- Reprise: Happiness Is a Bird - Happiness Is a Bird: Happiness? What happened to your happiness when the pandemic was in full force, and isolation and quarantine began? Did you leave it out there in the parking lot? Perhaps you stood at your window looking out, longing for the return of that orphan, your happiness, that you knew was just out there, shivering in the rain, all alone. That was then, now is now. Maybe happiness is a bird. Flitting around, dancing on your deck, singing you songs and making you smile. Maybe happiness is a bird, pretty to look at, pretty to imagine, that right there within your grasp, adding a shine to your day. Maybe happiness is a bird in the present, not in the past. Happiness in the past is just a memory, it’s not happiness. Happiness is the present, a Praise the Lord moment. Continue reading
- But as for Me… - But as for Me: Tell me, have you ever sat in judgment of another? As you read Joshua’s words, keep in mind that he has led the Israelites across the Jordan River. They had stumbled through the wilderness experience, by divine grace. Recognize that we have stumbled through our own wilderness, and maybe we aren't sure how we got through some of the difficult patches, the crises that have hit us and yet we emerged on the other side. By our own efforts? Luck? Medical science? And, oh yeah, maybe some help from God, do you suppose? God is in ALL OF IT! The good – thank you, Lord. The bad – Help me, Lord. An average day – gratitude expressed. Continue reading
- Artificial Worship? - Artificial Worship: Psalm 50 passage was long, but necessary to capture the whole of God's message. God's people, that would be you and me, going through the motions of worshipping the Lord. With all of our pomp and circumstance, long impassioned sermons, special music; yet falling short of a sacrifice of our thankfulness. When we read Micah and the question he asks: "What does the Lord require of me?" The answer is not to sacrifice livestock, but thankfulness and love. And what does the Lord require? To do just, To love mercy, And to walk humbly with your God? That humble-thing is always hard! Then the new question becomes, do we take God's word seriously or do we read the words and and go our own way without any change in behavior or thought and no sacrifice to the Lord. Continue reading
- Whatever Is Unjust - Whatever Is Unjust: Whatever is untrue, whatever is unholy, whatever is unjust, whatever is ugly, what if is of ill repute, whatever is vicious, whatever is cowardly, whatever is unfair -- speak of these things, think of these things. I know that sounds harsh and unbending but it seems that these are the watchwords or the stocks in trade of the media, of our political landscape, of the lack of compassion and understanding between peoples. We're seeing violence pop up in the midst of peaceful demonstrations. We hear leaders in government going off the rails and advocating unchristian sentiments. And you wonder how can this be a foundation for a better world? Continue reading
- Salt and Light - Salt and Light: In Jesus day, salt was a valuable commodity. Roman soldiers were sometimes paid with salt, giving rise to the phrase “Worth his salt”. Jesus didn't stop there, he went on to combine salt and light, comparing that image to the good deeds that have a contagious effect, reflecting the love of Christ. When Jesus tells us that we are the light of the world, He gives us a great compliment but assigns great responsibility. Jesus didn't stop there, he went on to combine salt and light, comparing that image to the good deeds that have a contagious effect, reflecting the love of Christ. When Jesus tells us that we are the light of the world, He gives us a great compliment but assigns great responsibility. Continue reading
- Proclamation - Proclaim Jesus is Lord?: In a recent sermon Allen Jackson spoke on the need for us, as Christians following Jesus, to do those things that please him and follow his word. When we accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and savior that wasn't just a nod of the head, there was a commitment that we would follow Jesus and do good works which God prepared us to do. The John 17 passage is part of a prayer that Jesus offered to the Almighty God about us and our commitment. In his sermon, pastor Jackson challenged those listening to put their life where their words were and proclaim them, a bold clear statement that I am a follower of Jesus. Continue reading
- Forgiveness? - Forgiveness? Here's a challenging question to consider: If someone wrote a one sentence summary of your life, what would it say? When we look at this issue of forgiveness we must look deep within our own experience. There have been times, events, words said in anger or impulsively, which keep coming back as moments of unforgiveness. It causes me to wonder if I can forgive someone and still remember what brought me to that need to forgive. There is power in forgiveness. It is called love. It is an acting out of Christ’s command to “love others as I have loved you.” We forgive others because we have been forgiven by our God for our great and repeated sins. Continue reading
- Do We Fear Death? - Do we fear death? With some frequency, you may hear of people who, due to incurable illness, age, pain or loss of faculties, say they are “Ready to go.” They wish to leave this vale of tears. They may say they “long to be with Jesus”, or perhaps the loved one that passed before them. This Christian faith of ours, lays before us God's promise in vivid and varied colors, yet founded upon the Resurrection. My heart, my prayers, my thoughts do go out to those who do not have the Resurrection and the promise in their lives, and my faith tells me to keep planting seeds. Amen. Continue reading
- Power of the Past - Power of the Past: One beautiful afternoon I sat on my front porch marveling at the graces that God has given me, and, I would guess, the same could apply to you. At this stage in our lives the better question may be, what is God doing through us, through what we do day by day, with family, our friends and an endless parade of graces that come to us through the simple act of living according to what God has provided. Each a gift of their presence and then they moved on with their lives. Like the wake of a passing boat, the memory of their presence remains. Each an amazing display of God's graces and the certainty that God is a creator God, and not a critic God. For that we are grateful and give Him praise and honor. Continue reading
- A Little Corner of Hell? - A Little Corner of Hell? Matthew chapters 5-6 and chapter 7 encompass a series of sermons by Jesus, called the sermon on the mount, the extensive beginning of training his disciples. These were hard lessons, some logical, some common sense, some difficult to fully grasp at the moment, but each one requiring a process of change, of putting us into a right relationship with God and with others. Have you ever been attacked by a sharp little voice with in? Guilt in many of its favorite forms. Those little moments when the little needle of guilt causes your discomfort. When the Holy Spirit speaks and you choose to ignore it, something happens to your heart. f left unattended, you begin to build that little corner of hell. Continue reading
- God Bless America! - God Bless America! What does the Cross of Christ have to do with God bless America? Everything! We’re talking about the cost of our freedom, of our discipleship. Who wrote about the cost of discipleship? Oh, yes, Dietrich Bonhoeffer. What does he have to say about this cost, which is part and partial of the cross we are to bear and this blessed nation we are privileged to live in? “The life of discipleship can only be maintained as long as nothing is allowed to come between Christ and ourselves–neither the law, nor personal piety, nor even the world. Continue reading
- Christ-Centered Person - Christ-Centered Person: Today I quoted a beautiful and blessed piece of poetry by Gertrude Roberts Rays. As you read that, prayer-like, you can almost get caught up in the presence of God. For me the phrase “He taught me how to be a Friend”, brought tears of wonder. And “…he walked the earth with kindly might in quiet, gentleness that makes men great” should cause the poet in each of us to pause and ponder that truth. In the interest of honesty, I found that prose as the dedication in a little book entitled What He Lived By, honoring Edward Increase Bosworth, Dean of The Oberlin Graduate School of Theology, clearly a Christ-centered man. Dean Bosworth was my dad’s favorite professor in Seminary in the 1920s. Dad honored me by giving me the good Dean’s name. Continue reading
- Act Your Age! - Act Your Age! I had a telephone conversation with my sister who had spent a week in the hospital. She told me that for every day she spent in the hospital she felt a little bit older, and she did not like that feeling. Her vivacious personality took a beating, as did her energy level. She made the astute observation that she was beginning to feel her age and, darn it, did not like that one bit. As a child we may have heard our parents say to us, act your age! As a parent we may have said act your age! to our children. But there comes a time when acting our age is not constructive to the quality of life that we aspire. Continue reading
- I Lost It! - I Lost It! Have you ever “blown your stack”, you know, lost your cool. Said something you regret. Perhaps you acted in haste, made some assumptions that proved to be completely off base, and now what do you do? At this point in your faith journey, you know that what happened was not part of God's plan, not his hope for you or me. If you're paying close attention, then you know that the spirit within has already prompted you to step forward, to confess, to admit your sin, to repent. Know that his is the day the Lord has made for you, and for me. Continue reading
