Category: The Spiritual

10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare. 11 Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives 12 as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. 13 But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells. 14 So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him. 15 Bear in mind that our Lord’s patience means salvation,  2 Peter 3 In times like these I can’t help but pray for the return of Jesus. I don’t know if these are the darkest times in history. I haven’t lived through all of history. In my sixty-seven years there have been dark times, wars and famine, disasters natural and man-made. Somehow these days seem the darkest of all. If the measure […]

I came across a phrase recently that sounded strange to me: “Thanksgiving Discipline.” These words seem inconsistent. For me, thanksgiving is occasional and related to emotion. Sometimes I feel thankful; other times not so much. The occasions of thankfulness are tied to infrequent flashes of unexpected good fortune or the sudden recognition of continual blessing.  Discipline implies effort and focus. In fact, discipline is kind of a socially unacceptable concept. It involves something we do and not happenstance. Yet, our attitude of thanksgiving should be constant. It provides the foundation for the encouragement of others which allows for the making of disciples. That’s our mission and thanksgiving, gratitude, and encouragement are the path. Love of God and neighbor require a focus on God and neighbor. Focus on ourselves robs us of gratitude and promotes fear and insecurity. If we look to God and what He’s up to we can’t help but be thankful. Looking in the mirror promotes fear, insecurity, and ingratitude. How can we practice Thanksgiving Discipline? Maybe there are clues in the way we celebrate Thanksgiving Day? On Thanksgiving we focus on God and his blessings. There’s no reason that should be limited to an annual event. […]

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 any one 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 not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father […]

This morning I took my grand son to school. He has to be there for 6:20. That’s ridiculous, but another story. We stopped for breakfast at Waffle House. The cook was busy cleaning the grill. He had worked all night and was about to get off before he went to his second job that began at 8 a.m. Lord, I repent of every consideration of my life as hard or any trial as significant. I had no trouble believing that Jesus really loves that guy. Richard Rohr is a controversial catholic priest. I agree with him about 80% of the time. About 10 percent of what he says is great. About 20 percent, he’s just “out there.” I guess he would have to be labelled “left-wing.” Here’s one of his “great” quotes: Only converted people, who are in union both with the pain of the world and the love of God, are prepared to read the Bible with the right pair of eyes and the appropriate bias, which is from the side of powerlessness and suffering instead of the side of power and control. Jesus clearly identified with the poor and the outcast. He seemed most concerned about widows […]

Easter weekend has come and gone. It was one of the most blessed Easters my wife and I can remember. We attended church and watched our grand-daughter take part in a sharing of testimonies. The pastor gave a brief sermon pointing out that the pen is in our hand to write the story of the rest of our lives. I needed to hear that. We had the whole family at the house for a great lunch and a lazy afternoon. I was motivated to restart my swim regime on Friday. I had gotten out of the habit. In fact, I have been in a funk for some time. I really needed a strong Easter this year. I am talking about more than a crawfish boil and a cold beer. I mean more than wearing my birthday gift new shirt to Easter service. Although I was quite stunning. It’s a deeper spiritual need than that. It’s even more than the annual reminder that Jesus rose from the dead some 2000 years ago. It’s even more than the realization that He is alive today. It’s more personal than that. I needed a personal Easter, an individual resurrection from being pretty near […]

Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. “Couldn’t you men keep watch with me for one hour?” he asked Peter. Matthew 26:40 The enormity of the Passion of Christ is beyond our understanding. We have no experience of the physical pain and the weight of the sins of the entire world. Before the pain and crushing weight of all our sins, came the aloneness of Thursday night. In the garden, Jesus felt the horrible aloneness of separation from the Father and the nonsupport of his disciples. This aloneness is one aspect of the passion that we have some experience with. Even in a world with exploding population, we experience the sense of aloneness. We are victims of Satan’s strategy of separating us from the flock. He has the cunning ability to make us feel that it’s “just me.” We believe that our sins and struggles are unique and that we are alone in them. The God that we follow doesn’t always “feel” present so we can conclude that we are alone. We are created for relationship and grafted into the Body of our Lord. Jesus ministered with his disciples. When He sent them out to minister, […]

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 […]