Nick’s Walk

We are in day two of evacuation two. Everyone made it through the night. The report from Pelican Pointe the nursing home is that the nature of the leak has not yet been identified. We don’t know what substance is leaking or exactly the source. It is unclear how long our guests will be with us. We have plenty of help at this time. We do ask that if you are available to help that you be ready to come to Amana to help if we should need help. This would be most likely if we need to move the residents and clean up. Your continued prayer is appreciated.

5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his. 6 For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin— Romans 6:5-6 Sin by another name. Recently I addressed the myth of “Hate the sin. Love the sinner.” That should leave you with a question. What do I do about someone who is caught up in “sin?” Well, first off never forget we all sin. We are all caught up in it to some extend. Nevertheless, loving others has to include acting in their best interest. If we will remember that sin is harmful behavior, our path becomes clearer. God did not just arbitrarily decide that certain things would be allowed and others not. He knows us better than we know ourselves. He knows what is good for us and what isn’t. Sin encompasses those things that hurt us, others, or our mission. God has provided guidance for our good. Acting against that divine guidance is sin. Avoid label obsession. We should be […]

I have regrets. You have regrets. All God’s people got regrets. Some days seem to bring them out more than others. I woke up this morning to remember that some of my dearest friends are spending the weekend at Angola. I regret not being there. I have attended lots of these weekends over the last twenty plus years. The weeks of preparation are a painful blessing. The weekends are always different and always awesome. I just couldn’t do it this time, but I have regrets. Tonight I will attend the first game of the UL basketball season. I’m taking two of my grands. It will be fun. However, it will be hard not to remember the games I took my dad to. For years I would pick him up, load him and his wheelchair into my truck and sit with him in the handicap section. It will be hard not to remember the night I loaded the wheel chair into the back of  my truck, only to find it wasn’t there any more when we got to the Cajundome. I will recall the night my dad forgot his glasses and wanted to borrow mine just when the cheerleaders were […]

In the early morning hours, the Lord brought an article to my attention: Debunking the “Love the Sinner. Hate the Sin” Myth.   I know I could just say, “I noticed” or “I read” and not bring the Lord into it, but don’t you believe that God leads us? Plus I’m going to need as much divine support as possible with this post. I will be taking on one of the most beloved “sayings” of the modern church, “Hate the sin. Love the sinner.” The article I mentioned laid out three very good reasons to consider this idea a myth. I’ll add some of my own.     Did you know that “Hate the sin. Love the sinner” isn’t from Jesus or the scripture. It’s quote from Mohandas Gandhi, who may have been quoting Augustine. Justin Lathrop correctly points out that “Jesus has never been about hate. Jesus talks about love and grace and mercy, but never hate. So introducing hate into the conversation is automatically a deviation from His teaching.” Jesus didn’t shame people. Jesus didn’t condemn the woman at the well or the prostitute in the square. He loved them and gently guided them into a new life. […]

My dad was a war hero. He served in the 4th Marine Division in World War II. He landed on Iwo Jima and other islands in the south Pacific. He was at the foot of the hill when the famous picture was taken of the flag raising at Iwo Jima. He was one of many heroes of that war. When the war was over the heroes quietly returned and picked up their lives. Their lives during and after the war earned them the title Greatest Generation. Their nation responded to the heroes by establishing college benefits, assists with home loans. Special heroes were given medals and became respected leaders in their communities. I would never compare my service with my Dad’s. I served in the Navy in the Vietnam era. I was in the Navy for over eleven years. I went to Vietnam twice. However, I served safely on an aircraft carrier and I saw no real action and did not kill anyone or see anyone be killed. Many of my friends did. Our return home was very different from that of my Dad’s generation. We were spit on. When my ship returned from war, garbage was thrown down […]

“Church is archaic, domineering, impersonal, hypocritical, irrelevant, contentious, petty, boring and stale. It’s institutional instead of authentic and religious but not relational.” That’s what many believe according to Barnabas Piper, son of prominent Christian Pastor John Piper. He has written an article encouraging us to hang on.  Lots of us have given up on Church. Plenty more think about doing so regularly. Traditional church is being abandoned by many. Pastors are quitting or getting into trouble trying to measure up to what’s expected of them. I think that’s the core of the problem: expectations. Pastors are expected to be preachers, teachers, administrators, counselors, janitors, yard men, and, of course, good family men. It’s a bit much. In fact, it’s totally unreasonable. The Church Mirage. Churches are expected to be sanctuaries where every one is saved, blessed, prosperous, always filled with joy and perpetually perfect examples of what it means to be a devoted follower of Christ. Look around friend. It’s just not so.  No wonder many are disillusioned. Church is very much in need of a remake. We need to start at the top. The top, by the way, isn’t the Pastor, it’s Jesus. We need to reconsider who Jesus […]

I had a great time Wednesday night as I filled in for Pastor Jason. Pastor has been working his way through the Book of Romans. I took over at Chapter 7, Verse 1. My goal was to do no harm. I wanted Pastor to be able to take over next week where he left off. Chapter 7 of Romans reminds us that we are under the law only as long as we live. When we are born again, the old man dies. With that death, our bond to the law ends and our connection with Jesus begins. The ancient prophecy and God’s promise to write the law on our hearts is finally fulfilled. Our problem is that, like the Israelites, we want to go back to Egypt. We resist a life not governed by rules but by relationship. How would our marriages be if we followed all the “rules” of a good marriage, instead of living out our relationship from the love that is at its heart? In our life in Christ it is possible, for the first time, to really overcome sin. When we begin to experience little victories, we get the crazy idea that it’s something we […]

I recently came across an article entitled, “18 Ways to Ruin Your Reputation on Facebook.” As I read the article, I found myself repeatedly saying, “That’s right.” It then dawned on me that the way we ruin our reputation on Facebook, is pretty much the way we ruin our reputation in life. See if you agree. I have personalized these “ways” finding myself usually “guilty as charged.” First, the ugly … 1. Post something out of frustration in the heat of the moment.  Don’t say (or write or post) anything in the heat of the moment. Give it some time. You will be glad you waited. 2. Criticize people. Sometimes we think we are being subtle when we don’t mention names. But in context, folks know to whom we refer and really isn’t that what we want? 3. Embarrass yourself. Why do we say things online that we would never say in person. Trying saying out loud what you are about to post. You may hit “delete” a lot. 4. Embarrass your family. I love my family and I think the things they do are cute. Before posting consider how you would feel if what  you are about to […]