Nick’s Walk

Last night I watched a video on Arthur Blessit. He is the man who carried the cross around the world in every nation and is listed in the Guinness World Records for the world’s longest walk over 41,879 miles, 67,397 kilometers, in 324 countries, islands groups & territories for 48 years. I saw him a few years ago as he passed through South Louisiana. He just walks with the cross which has a small wheel on its bottom. He smiles and chats with people. He hands out small Jesus Loves You stickers and will pray with anyone who asks. He has walked through jungles and deserts. He has moved through war zones in Muslim and other non-christian countries. He has walked in rain and snow, heat and cold.  He tells the story of stopping one night at a way station for missionaries. Just hoping to spend a few nights in an air-conditioned room. He was denied entry because the station was “just for missionaries.” A couple of days later an atheist couple asked him to stay with them and get refreshed for a couple of days. They treated him like an honored guest. The story of the Samaritan surely comes to mind.  He began […]

October is Pastor Appreciation Month. A few years ago I served as a pastor for a while and grew very appreciative of pastors. I was what is now called a “bi-vocational” pastor which meant in addition to being a pastor, I had a “real job.” That meant my congregation felt no need to compensate me for my time spent pastoring. I have come to appreciate that most folks consider pastoring not a “real” job or at best a part-time job.  Most churchgoers believe that a pastor should be compensated but not more than the worst paid worker in the congregation. After all, these guys only work on Sundays, right? I recently read that the average pastor spends 30 hours a week preparing his sermon. I don’t remember how much time I spent, but my wife teaches an hour class each week and spends that much time working up her teaching.  The gospel is really simple, but congregations expect the pastor to come up with a creative expression of it 52 times a year, never repeating. The sermon is supposed to be understandable to a child while provocative to a theologian. It’s supposed to drive a sinner to repentance, but give the saved comfortable […]

As Christians, we are supposed to be “making disciples.” What disciples are you making? It’s a disturbing question. Don’t avoid it. Pick up a pen and paper or open a writing app and start a list. It’s scary. If you are like me, the blank page will stare back at you accusingly.  It’s not fair to say I give money to the church and it’s making disciples. Maybe your church is or maybe it isn’t. Most of the money goes to overhead. Most churches are just churning up the folks they’ve always had or have borrowed from the church down the street. They may be full on Sunday, but it’s questionable whether they are full of disciples. After all, a disciple is someone who is making disciples. Kind of a cruel circle isn’t it.  The sad truth is that the person who sits next to you on Sunday would probably have the same problem you are having in making a disciple list. It’s supposed to be our first priority. Remember “Seek first, the kingdom of heaven?” It’s not supposed to be something we turn to at the end of the workday or when we finally reach retirement age.  How […]

October is my favorite month. It has much to do with the weather. The heavy heat of summer is finally pierced by cooler, drier, crisper weather. The leaves are changing and falling. The weeds have stopped taking over my yard. The weather brings football, fresh television programming, and gumbo.  Life is good. It’s harvest time. I grew up in Crowley and October brought the Rice Festival. We walked the crowded streets, enjoyed the rides at the fair, and watched or marched in parades. I remember 1959 when Jack and Jacqueline Kennedy came. I was ten.  He was running for president and she wowed the audience by speaking in French. I will never forget the line of black limos in which they blew in and out-of-town. I think Jesus will come back in October. This is not based on some careful study of the books of Daniel or Revelation. It’s just my gut feeling based on the harvest-like nature of the month. He won’t come in limos nor will he leave as quickly as he arrives. For some, it will be a time of great joy. For others, not so much. It will be harvest time when the wheat and […]

“Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good–except God alone. Mark 10:18 Ed Orgeron, the LSU Football coach, is, according to almost everyone, a good man. Someone called me “a good man” recently and, I have to say, it’s a mixed blessing. “You are a good man” is a “but” sentence. “You are a good man, but I think we should break up.” “You are a good man, but you’re fat and ugly.” “You are a good man, but a lousy coach.” See what I mean? Calling someone “good” is always conditional. Like Jesus said, “no one is good–except God alone.” So calling someone “good” is, in the purest sense, a lie.  There is more to it, however. Most folks are uncomfortable with goodness. I have been a lawyer for 35 years. I have found clients don’t want a good man to represent them, they want a good lawyer. They assume that means someone who will do whatever it takes to win, regardless of goodness. In fact, sadly, most folks think the “best” lawyers are the unscrupulous ones, that you can’t be a good man and a good lawyer.  This is part of Ed Orgeron’s […]

Something really big was supposed to happen yesterday. If it did, I missed it. Lots of the so-called “Prophesy” teachers agreed. Some said it was the “end of the world.” Most were less definitive, hinting it might be the rapture or a really big disaster. Guess they were covering their bases if nothing happened. They pointed to the recent hurricanes and earthquakes or signs in the heavens or their personal insights into the Books of Daniel or Revelations. Some made money off of all this. I’m really sick of these guys. First of all, please be clear. I do believe in the soon return of Jesus and the rapture. I was even disappointed that it didn’t happen yesterday. I also believe Jesus when He told us no man knows the date. I agree the world is getting really bad and that we haven’t seen the end of really bad things even maybe nuclear destruction. These “prophets” are telling us we should “get ready” and “tell others.” Well, shouldn’t we be doing that anyway? Shouldn’t we live lives that make us ready at any time to be giving an explanation to our Lord? I don’t know when the world will end but the […]

There’s a lot of bad stuff out there. Everywhere there seems to be exhaustion, worry, stress, anger, and hopelessness. For most, the goal has become just survival. It’s not just in the world, it seems to be the case for many in the church. Bad stuff is common. We aren’t supposed to be living that kind of life. Our lives, as Christians, should be uncommon. Aren’t we a chosen people, a royal priesthood, taking the narrow way, being the exceptions. We are called to lives of uncommon knowledge, strength, destiny, and mission. For most of us, it’s not happening. This Sunday morning at Amana Christian Fellowship, at the 9 a.m. teaching time I will be discussing the Uncommon life. Hope to see you there.

In the wee hours of this morning, I heard a discussion on the radio about a new book which apparently recommends you don’t marry your best friend. I don’t remember the name of the book and since I disagree with its basic premise I didn’t do a lot of research to find it. If you are interested, you know all about google. I didn’t marry my best friend. When I got married in 1970, I wasn’t looking for a best friend, I was looking for a hot little number and that’s what I got. It’s a blessing that she turned out to be a faithful wife, wonderful mom and grandmother and, yes, eventually a perfect best friend. If after 47 years of marriage, your spouse isn’t your best friend you are doing friendship wrong. I don’t care what any book says.  I will caution this way. Your spouse shouldn’t be your only friend. We lay way too much on our spouses, especially the good ones. There should be others that can share our emotional burdens and our whining and complaining. Most of us are too much for any one best friend to handle.  Once more chances are one of […]