Author: Nick

Yesterday I spent time with ten inmates on death row at Angola. I have known these men for nearly two years. I met them at the first-ever Kairos weekend retreat on death row in February 2018. The men have met every Monday since to conduct prayer and share. The men do most of the praying and sharing. A couple of Kairos volunteers, a couple of inmate chaplains and a full-time chaplain are in attendance but the meetings really belong to the death row inmates. Yesterday I sat in awed silence as these men discussed how blessed they are compared with many in the world. My Christmas this year will be better because of yesterday’s meetings and the two years of meetings that have gone before. I am thankful that my sins are not a matter of public record but are mostly between me and my God. He has promised to forgive and forget. The State and its citizens rarely do either. I am amazed at the grace of God and it’s power to radically change lives. I am thankful for the nearly unlimited opportunities I have to minister and am embarrassed by my failure to take full advantage of […]

Yesterday I wrote about Happiness. It wasn’t the first time I addressed that topic. In the summer of 2011, I wrote this: But as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.” —1 Peter 1:15–16 Americans are understandably proud of our right to pursue happiness. Our problem is that we have lost the path. One sure way to unhappiness is to spend your life pursuing it. Happiness is not a goal; it’s a by-product. Now hold your breath, it’s a by-product of the pursuit of holiness. I know that sounds radical. Conventional wisdom is that seeking holiness is an alternative to seeking happiness. We sometimes believe we have a choice of happiness now, or happiness later in the great by-and-by.  But that’s not true. God wants us to be holy because He is holy and because we were designed to be holy. We will only be happy if we achieve that for which we were designed: holiness. Now I know it’s fashionable to think that happiness is not an appropriate Christian state. We distinguish “joy” from “happiness.” Joy is spiritual; but happiness is worldly. […]

As 2019, winds down, Americans find happiness elusive. According to a World Happiness Report for the United Nations, the United States is only the 19th happiest country in the world. The good news is that is 19 out of 156 countries. I am glad we are happier than the folks in South Sudan (#156). It’s disturbing that we aren’t as happy as Canadians (#9), Brits (#15)or even Germans (#17).  I’m a bit suspicious that the “happiest” countries tend to be Scandinavian: 1. Finland  2. Denmark  3. Norway  4. Iceland 5. Netherlands 6. Switzerland  7. Sweden 8. New Zealand. Those countries are mostly cold and snowy. That doesn’t seem right. They don’t have real football, holidays like Thanksgiving or hot dogs.  Even more disturbing is that these “happy” places tend to be non-christian and even non-spiritual.  The World Happiness Report is more than mere statistics. There are some articles setting forth reasons for the listing. There are some interesting findings:   The politically active are happier. Happier people are more likely to engage in politics and vote.  The generous are happier. There is a robust association between donating time and well-being and evidence suggests that using money to benefit others […]

It’s ten days until Christmas. There is still time to make it perfect or to construct a Christmas disaster. We are off to a better than average start this year. We spent a week up in Branson, Missouri. We went to a wonderful Christmas show, saw lots of Christmas lights and did some early Christmas shopping. Early shopping is not the norm for me. I am a Christmas eve shopper normally. For the first time in years, we have outdoor decorations. We have a lit family of deer, a charming street light, a bright toy soldier guarding our door, which we got for 1/2 price because he is wounded. We have a lit wreath on the front door. We have set aside the evenings of our grandkids’ Christmas programs on our calendar. I am scheduled to go to visit my death row friends at Angola on the Monday before Christmas. I’m looking for some gold, frankincense, and myrrh to bring. Rosemary has the menu for our Christmas brunch all planned out. We have pulled names and exchanged wish lists. We have this Christmas much more under control than is usual. Deep down, however, I know that Christmas is not […]

It’s Thanksgiving. It’s a day to be thankful. Thankfulness is good in itself. Isn’t it also an antidote to fear and worry, the twin major pitfalls of life? Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. Philippians 4:6 25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Can anyone of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? 28 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? 31 So do […]

We really are awsome at complicating things. We make Christianity into a complex set of theological maxims. Like the ancient Jews, we cling to the law and complicate it. We multiply the ten commandments into thousands of meaningless rules. Our founding pastor at Amana Christian Fellowship, Pastor Terrell Reed, has been delivering the simple message that it’s really all about the presence of Jesus. What separates the follower, the believer, the “Christian” from those who struggle is the knowledge and recognition of the presence of Jesus. I was reminded of that Sunday listening to Pastor Terrell and was reminded again yesterday when an old song favorite of mine played on my iPod during my daily swim.  Harvest is the name of the Christian band formed in 1977 and disbanded in 1995.     Harvest released a total of 14 albums and 2 music videos during their tenure.  Two of Harvest’s albums were compilations:  “The Best of Harvest” and “The Early Works“.  Harvest’s two music videos were:  “A Call to Action” and “Let’s Fight (For a Generation)“.  There exists a video a live concert performed by Harvest in Dallas, Texas. In 1982, the group released an Album, It’s Alright Now.   Most […]

I can’t watch the so-called impeachment hearings. The political discourse has gotten too course. Even our recent local and statewide elections were frankly, disgusting. So what’s there to be thankful for at least in the public arena. We all have, Thank God, personal things that bless us and make life worth living and justify an attitude of Thanksgiving. The national scene, on the other hand, not so much. Before we abandon thought of national thanksgiving, we might do well to recall the original Proclamation of Thanksgiving issued by President Lincoln. Things weren’t so civil when he issued that proclamation. In fact, in 1863, America was in the midst of a Civil War. We were not just calling each other names in Congressional hearings, we were killing each other. We weren’t fighting over our “right” to kill our unborn; but we disagreed on our right to enslave others. It was not a great time. Yet Lincoln found reason to ask a bitterly divided nation to be thankful.  If you can’t make out the words of the Proclamation. I’ll reprint them here: Washington, D.C. October 3, 1863 By the President of the United States of America. A Proclamation. The year that […]

I attend three different men’s groups, some more often than others. The one I meet on Tuesday mornings is one of my favorites because the men are so open and honest. Maybe for the same reason, it is the one I attend the least. (That will preach at a different time and place.) This week the discussion was about relationships and, of course, marriage came up. The pastor began asking how long some of us have been married. A cold chill ran through me. One look around and I knew I had at least 20 years on anyone else. Next May I will have been married for fifty years and, yes, to the same woman. I knew where this discussion was headed. He that has been married the longest would eventually be asked, “How do you do it?” I scanned my memory banks for clever responses; separate bedrooms, lots of wine, separate vacations, hearing aids with off switches. When the question eventually came, as I knew it would, I heard myself say, “You have to love her more than you love yourself.” The response in the room and even my own response at my own words, confirmed that they […]