Author: Nick

I know I sound like a madman, but I have served him far more! I have worked harder, been put in prison more often, been whipped times without number, and faced death again and again. 24 Five different times the Jewish leaders gave me thirty-nine lashes. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked. Once I spent a whole night and a day adrift at sea. 26 I have traveled on many long journeys. I have faced danger from rivers and from robbers. I have faced danger from my own people, the Jews, as well as from the Gentiles. I have faced danger in the cities, in the deserts, and on the seas. And I have faced danger from men who claim to be believers but are not. 27 I have worked hard and long, enduring many sleepless nights. I have been hungry and thirsty and have often gone without food. I have shivered in the cold, without enough clothing to keep me warm. 28 Then, besides all this, I have the daily burden of my concern for all the churches. 2 Corinthians 11 Sometimes I wonder if I’m any kind of follower of Christ. Saturday night I fell ill. I […]

I think I’m learning something about sharing the gospel from the current presidential campaign. I know that sharing the gospel is more than recounting what you say you believe and why. It takes more than doing a good job explaining theology. It takes more than talk. It takes passion and a consistent life. Talk – Let’s compare. Some give really great speeches. Some give really good sermons. I want to hear something that makes sense. I want to be touched in areas of my life that are of real concern. I want relevance.  Through speeches and sermons,  a listener might be motivated to make a change; whether it be in political direction or spiritually. I’m not sure these talks alone are enough, however. Passion – I want more than good ideas or even powerful argument. I want to feel something. I want to see some passion in the words. I want to know the speaker cares about not only what he is saying, but about those who are listening. I want to walk away with a wish to be involved. I don’t want to just agree. I want to want to join in. I don’t just want to agree […]

I am concerned that too many of us are getting our theology from Facebook. It’s not the same as going to the original words of Scripture. For example, I am told that God will never give me more than I can handle. That’s just so wrong. God sends me lots of stuff I can’t handle. It’s not, I’m sure, that I’m a bad guy or that God doesn’t love me. God allows bad stuff to afflict all those He loves. The goal is not that we be independent, but that we be God dependent. We were not created to handle stuff. We were created to rely on God. I am convinced that’s why it’s so tough for rich guys to make it. It’s why Donald Trump has never seen the need to seek forgiveness. He thinks he has enough money to handle anything. If, God forbid, he becomes president it might be fun to watch him try to handle a country buried in debt. I face things every day that I can’t handle on my own. I marvel at those who think they are “handling” things on their own. If you are in doubt spend some time in the […]

I love Dr. Ravi Zaharias. He is one of the finest apologists for the Christian faith. He can be a bit difficult to follow because of his accent and because he’s just so darn smart. When his teachings are broken down they are powerful. For example. he teaches that for meaning in life, We need: Wonder Truth Love Security The wisdom of this teaching is obvious when we consider what happens if focus is on less than all four of these aspects. Wonder – It’s truly sad to see someone who no longer wonders at God’s creation. Having grand kids and great grands, helps us to appreciate the wonder of creation. Not only are these young creatures wonderful, but it’s inspiring to see them discover and appreciate the wonder of our world. The can spend what seems like hours amazed by their toes or a simple object. Consider, however, the danger of being blessed with only a sense of wonder. Such  folks seem happy but wander around in wonder, accomplishing nothing. Their wonder is not grounded in the truth of who created it, the love that made it possible, and the security that makes it eternal. Truth – These […]

I am sitting in front of my television mourning the passing of Judge Scalia. I didn’t know him of course, but know he was a strong advocate of strict construction of the constitution and matched many of my views on political matters. I also mourn knowing that his death almost certainly will lead to a left shift of our Supreme Court. I think that would be bad. I know some think this is great and are partying over his death. That sure doesn’t seem right. (See what I did there? Right and right?) I am, however, not in a state of panic nor do I plan to lose much sleep over this. I have no control over the makeup of the Supreme Court. It’s because I have over who is President of the United States. I watch the campaign with great interest but I can’t afford to waste much time or energy on it. Presidential elections decided on electoral votes state-by-state. I live in Louisiana. My state is not going to vote to choose a Hillary Clinton or a Bernie Sanders. I’m happy about that but my vote isn’t going to make any difference. There are plenty of states that […]

I saw a fascinating video today. The scene is a dark street. A couple passes by and shortly after a lone figure appears in apparent pursuit. The figure is struck by lightning and falls to the ground. He stays down for a few moments and then gets up and starts after the couple. He is struck again by lightning and this time says down. There is a note on the video that at the hospital the lightning “victim” admitted that he intended to rob the couple he was following.  I have seen some posts which assert that the video is fake. It still got me thinking. How often does God send “lightning” into our lives, often more than once, to deter us from a self-destructive path? He obviously doesn’t intervene in every case. In fact, His interventions are rare. In a world, He created with free will, how significant is it when He intervenes to stop us from making, or continuing to make, mistakes. I believe He does this most often for those whose life mission is critical. He has called us to special work, yet we become distracted and drift. We often need a lightning bolt to set […]

Mardi Gras caught me by surprise again this year. I realized it was upon us  when  the UL Basketball game was rescheduled to avoid conflict with Mardi Gras. Heaven forbid we have Mardi Gras conflicts. I don’t do Mardi Gras. The reasons are many. I don’t drink. My wife suffered through an alcoholic father and to honor her and to avoid bringing up painful memories, I don’t drink for Mardi Gras or anything else. I don’t find it fun anyway. From what I can see of Mardi Gras, drinking is a key part. I wonder if people would dress up like they do or act like they do during carnival if they were sober or if they could see what they look like to sober people. I don’t dance. I never have. Seems dancing is an important part of the whole thing. Of course, many of those I see “dancing” can’t dance either, but don’t seem sober enough to realize it or care. I’m not a Catholic. In case you don’t know, Mardi Gras is supposed to be an opportunity to let it all hang out before the austere days of lent. Funny thing is I see a lot more […]

Consider how our view of life is formulated by how we view God. Is he a formidable bearded old man seated high upon a throne? Is He sitting there with a note pad making plus and minus marks for every moment of our lives? It is difficult for mortal men to form an accurate image of our creator. It’s one of the reasons that God became a man. When we consider God we need to visualize Jesus. It was important to God that our image of Him be something we could relate to. After all, we were created to be in relationship with the creator. That’s tough if we can’t envision Him. One day we will see God as we are changed at the end of days. We will be in a form capable of comprehending and loving His incredibleness. For now, we need to understand Him as loving enough to become man and to die. We need to see Him and understand Him as what we need now,  as healer, and savior and lover. Satan and a world that doesn’t love God continues to try to distort our vision of Him. They want to make Him distant, formidable, […]