First the Bad News

I was watching 60 Minutes, a story about refugees from Syria. It was heart wrenching. Thousands of families crossing wasteland with nothing but their clothes, facing a very uncertain future. Many emotions weld up: sympathy, thanksgiving for my own life, anger at those whose greed and quest for power created these situations. There is  so much evil in the world. We see it every day. The World is full of Evil. We see evil on an international scale, but it’s also in our face nationally if we pay any attention to politics, locally, even in our personal lives. We don’t just see evil on television; we know evil people. You would think that with so much evil that the church would not be facing indictment number 3. Indictment Number 3: Ignorance of the nature of man. I am evil. I’m sorry. The “man is basically good” folks are just wrong. We can recognize that there are evil people. We just can’t admit that we are one of them. The problem is that compared with war mongers, murders, and people who post “like this” things on Facebook, we look pretty good. The problem is these obviously evil people are not […]

God, Who Are You?

I have lived in Broussard for thirty years. Last week I saw parts of the area I was not aware existed. I thought I knew Broussard. I don’t.   I realized that for thirty years I have lived in the same neighborhood, taken the same routes to the same places and missed by blocks a great variety of people and places. Indictment 2: Ignorance of God God is a lot more complex than Broussard. My knowledge of Him is based on limited study and experience. How dare I claim to know Him? How dare I discount the knowledge of others? Even if I am His child I will spend eternity exploring and coming to know the vastness of Him. I should start now. How can I know God? The challenge of knowing God can be overwhelming and can discourage us from trying. We have to start where we are. We can learn of God like we learn of anything or anyone else. Read about Him. The beginning of our problem is Indictment 1. Ignorance of Scripture. If I want to know about some person, even if I have never met him, the starting point is to devour everything written […]

The Bible – Too Much or Not Enough

“Every word of God is flawless;     he is a shield to those who take refuge in him. Prov. 30:5  All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness. 2 Tim 3:16 Indictment 1:  Ignorance of scripture. As Christians we are woefully ignorant of scripture. We talk about the Bible a lot more than we read it. We use it more to judge others than to guide our own paths. We are often fooled about what it says or doesn’t say. Last night I attended an in-depth Bible study at my church. It was great. I learned a lot. It was poorly attended. That’s sad evidence in support of this indictment. Not only do we not read or study scripture enough. We don’t really understand its proper place in our faith.   On the “Our Beliefs” page of our website, the very first paragraph reads: Holy Bible:The Holy Bible, and only the Bible, is the authoritative Word of God. It alone is the final authority for determining all doctrinal truths. In its original writing, the Bible is inspired, infallible and inerrant. I stand firm on that statement. The problems and controversy comes with issues like: “What […]

Indictment

A friend sent me a link to a powerful sermon, Ten Indictments by Paul Washer.  It’s an unusual sermon. It’s nearly two hours long. It was preached nearly 6 years ago. An indictment is a formal charge or accusation of a serious crime or a thing that serves to illustrate that a system or situation is bad and deserves to be condemned. Washer is indicting or charging the church, particularly the “evangelical” church with ten offenses. Ignorance of scripture. Ignorance of God. Ignorance of the nature of man. Ignorance of the doctrine of regeneration. Ignorant invitation. Ignorance of the nature of the church. Ignorance and a lack of loving and compassionate church discipline. Ignorance on holiness. Ignorant substitution of psychology and sociology for the scriptures. Ignorance of being undisciplined. He doesn’t always base his analysis on “ignorance” but that’s where it is. What he is really saying is that we have “forgotten” or “don’t know” what it takes to follow Jesus. He’s saying we are dying from lack of knowledge. We have substituted our way for His way. He preached his sermon 6 years ago and it received a good deal of attention. There just hasn’t been much change. He comes from […]

Sixty-five and Going Strong

I am sixty-five. I keep up and enjoy a full-time law practice without secretary, paralegal or anyone else. I am not intimidated by younger attorneys and suspect the opposite may be true. I post on my blog nearly every day. I have just agreed to write two articles a month for a Christian magazine. I do my yard work and am a not-very-good DIY guy. I don’t expect to slow up on any of this any time soon. I love it when I come across material which contradicts some of the myths about age. This article is a great example: Why Everything You Think About Aging May Be Wrong.  Here are some of the myths followed by the truth: Myth No. 1: Depression Is More Prevalent in Old Age “Contrary to the popular view that youth is the best time of life, the peak of emotional life may not occur until well into the seventh decade.” Myth No. 2: Cognitive Decline Is Inevitable Not so. Keeping the mind active prevents decline and scientists also believe older adults can make wiser decisions.  That sounds almost biblical. I challenge anyone to a Sudoku race in ink, no pencils allowed. Myth No. 3: […]

Following

Jesus said, “Follow me.” He called those who did, “disciples” which means followers. Consider the impact of focusing on being a “follower.” Quit following others. To follow Jesus, you have to stop following anyone or anything else. We sometimes refer to this as “repentance” or “turning away from sin.” The bottom line is you can only follow one at a time. It’s about change in direction. Eyes on Jesus. If you are going to follow Jesus, you better keep an eye on Him or you will soon find yourself  wandering off or following something else. Move.  Following implies movement. It’s not a one time decision. It’s not checking off a box on a to-do list. Following is constant, continuous, eternal movement. Not theology. Christians find themselves deeply divided. We divide on what we believe or how we worship or when we gather or even what we wear. Following isn’t custom, or tradition, or study or stimulating discussion. It’s walking. We may come from different starting points and, therefore,  may seem to be on different paths, but our eyes should be on the same Savior and our walk is in the same direction. Power walking. We don’t walk on our […]

Christian? Yea or Nay?

Am I a Christian? I know seems an awfully heavy subject for a holiday weekend. I woke up with that question on my mind and I can’t shake it. I would like to just think about today’s football games or go outside and work in the glorious weather, but I know I need to deal with this first. Can we know?  Lots of folks teach that it’s a foolish question because we won’t know until we die. That’s just wrong. It has to be. We can know. John, the disciple whom Jesus loved said, “I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.” 1 John 5:13. Those of you who insist we can’t know I am going to just feel sorry for you and wonder how you can live life like a cosmic guessing game. Regretfully, you are a big group. A recent “survey” showed that 50 percent of all born-again Christians aren’t sure. Maybe I’m not. Obviously one group who rightfully doesn’t know if they are a Christian or not, are those who are not. Surely you are not a Christian just […]