Nick’s Walk

I guess I shouldn’t be surprised, but I am, at just what a bunch of hypocrites we are. This world is really messed up. Let me give you some examples. A well-known football player for the New England Patriots is charged with murder and is alleged to have committed an execution style killing of a potential witness to a double killing that occurred last summer. His jerseys are going for over $200 on the internet. Apparently some folks think it would be cool to wear the football jersey of an alleged murderer. A sixty something year old woman who was born in Georgia and grew up in the south admits to having used the “n word” in the past. Everyone that knows her swears she is a loving and kind person who has helped many of all races. Yet her products are taken off the shelves of stores and she is the biggest news story of the summer thus far. Now folks are making special efforts to buy her products just to show support. We have to come up with more summer activities for folks. By the way, if you are really bored you can now find the actual […]

Not everyone is your friend, nor should they be. If we will learn this lesson we will avoid much pain in this life.  Don’t get me wrong. It’s great to have friends. We all need friends. But we also need a lot more. The folks you follow or who follow you on Facebook or Twitter are not your friends. Many of them don’t even know you. Many do and don’t like you and many certainly don’t have your best interests at heart. I know you might share intimate details of your life with these people. That doesn’t make them your friends. It makes you stupid. Your kids are not your friends. They don’t need a friend. They need a parent. Parent/child is a unique, special relationship. It isn’t equal. One party has more responsibility than the other. It’s a relationship which should change over the years, but it’s always much more than friendship. Your spouse is not your friend. I know we seem to think that it’s the highest compliment to say that our spouse is our “best friend.” My spouse is so much more than that. The committed relationship between a man and a woman is uniquely created […]

I hear a lot of complaints that we don’t hear much about sin anymore. If true, that’s too bad because sin is something we all have in common. I don’t want to be part of that problem, so today I would like to talk about sin. The Supreme Court, Congress, the President, gays and straights, Christians, the saved and the unsaved, the churched and the unchurched, murderers, rapists, liars, slanderers, Muslims, blacks and whites, Democrats and Republicans, conservative and liberal Christians, TV preachers, porn addicts, sex addicts, drug addicts, the cool kids at school, soccer moms, Tiger fans…. The all have some things in common: 1. They don’t determine what is sin. God does that. 2. They all sin. Only God doesn’t do that. It doesn’t help to try to “reclassify” some things as “not sin.” It doesn’t matter what we call it. Sin is sin. The good news is that God has provided a solution to sin. Those who repent, (that doesn’t mean they stop sinning. It means they turn away from it.)  recognize they are sinners and that they can’t do anything about it themselves, who turn to Christ and acknowledge that He defines sin and let […]

It’s a mystery why God choses to act through His people, but He clearly does. When a situation, problem or needs comes to our attention, it could be God calling us to play a part in His great plan. But it could be our human nature, the devil, or the bad shrimp we had for supper the night before. How can we know? It’s tough but there are ways. 1. Pray. Before taking any action or saying any word in response to a perceived need, we need to pray. I am talking about serious prayer. I mean prayer that is 1 percent us talking and 99 percent us listening. Because the bottom line is God will tell us what we need to do and what we need to stay away from. Hearing for His voice to determine His will is something we learn. It’s why He starts us out with small things then moves us on to bigger challenges. 2. Investigate. If we see a situation that seems to need some correction or intervention, we need to look closer. For example, if we think something is wrong in our children’s program at church we need to get involved. We […]

The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the year of the Lord‘s favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn; to grant to those who mourn in Zion— to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit; that they may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he may be glorified. They shall build up the ancient ruins; they shall raise up the former devastations; they shall repair the ruined cities, the devastations of many generations. Isaiah 61:1-11 Football season starts in less than sixty days. For fans, that means the excitement is starting to build. For players and coaches, that means that the time of hardest work is upon them. I remember the year that my son went out for football. He spend the hottest days of summer in grueling practices. He would come home […]

Imagine with me the following scenario: You arrive at church next Sunday and instead of the usual order of service the Pastor takes the microphone and announces that the Lord has been dealing with him and that he believes that your church should become a true New Testament Church. He advises that some significant changes are going to take place: 1. The building is going to be put up for sale. In the future the church will meet at homes. He asks for suggestions for next weeks meeting place. He is meet with silence. 2. He and the entire staff are resigning. In the future there will be no paid staff or clergy/lay distinctions. Everyone is staying around but will be seeking employment outside the church. This will obviously require more participation from everyone. The congregation seems quite uncomfortable and folks begin shifting in their seats. 3. There will be no more clergy given sermons or worship leading. Everyone is asked to pray during the week and in the future come prepared to share a word, a testimony or a song. He, the former Pastor, is excited about learning as much about Jesus from everyone else as He has […]

Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you” – (Matthew 28:19-20).  I actually think there can come a point in your Christian life where you don’t need to go hear more Bible studies (now, don’t take that out of context). What I mean is, there can come a point when you are sitting down and having a meal, and it is time to push away from the table, digest your food, and let it be turned into energy to do something productive. Greg Laurie Yesterday was an encouraging day. We had a great time at church service with inspiring worship and a good message on the Power of God. But the real encouragement came at 4 p.m., when the church was again full of folks applying the morning’s message and volunteering for VBS. Everyone there was ready to serve in any way necessary. There was no fighting for the “best parts” or grumbling about anything. The whole meeting took less than an hour and I came away encouraged and excited […]

Ron Edmondson recently posted the 7 most frustrating and the 7 most exciting things a pastor sees. He has great insight into what’s good and bad in church.  His thoughts can give us some ideas about what should and shouldn’t happen “in church.” He is frustrated by people who abuse power or position,  hypocrisy, rumor spreading, selfishness, tradition, time wasters,  and half-heartedness. In these feelings, he seems a lot like Jesus. Jesus’ harshest words were for those in power. He called them hypocrites. As to rumor spreading, He said, “There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight; what is said whispered in your ear, proclaim from the roofs” (Matt 10:26-27). He focused on putting others above ourselves. His ministry was certainly not about tradition. He wasted no time and did nothing and encouraged nothing that was half-hearted.  Edmondson is encouraged by note takers, sacrificial givers, visitors and the people who invite them, servant hearts, new people joining the church and when the church is the church. Here it seems that Edmondson is just like most of us. He wants folks […]