Nick’s Walk

Men and women are different. I know that’s politically incorrect which I guess is why I feel so good saying it. They are different in obvious ways, but they are also different in subtle ways. These differences make it difficult sometimes for the sexes to communicate. Women, listen up. Here are some hints in communicating with a man. I would give some hints about communicating with a woman but, as noted above, we are different and after 64 years of trying I haven’t really learned anything on that score. Men really say what we mean. Women tend to speak in code and men, often to their detriment, just say what they mean. Don’t try to read too much into what we say. We tend to speak simply because we are simple. Related to the above, we don’t really like to give details. It makes us angry when you pump for details. Listen some time to groups of men and groups of women talking. Men talk in sentences… sometimes one word sentences. They use a lot of eye rolls and facial expressions, not to emphasize what they are saying, but in place of having to say something. Women talk in […]

But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins. Matthew 6:15 I don’t know about you but I have a problem with forgiveness. It’s especially tough to forgive folks close to you because you see them so often. It seems sometimes that they are around just to rub salt in your wounds making forgiveness tough.  Forgiveness is terribly important. That may be why Satan works so hard to make it difficult for us. For me the problem is I think I’ve forgiven someone and moved on and I will see them or hear about them and the hurt returns.  I have heard many teachings on forgiveness and some of them are helpful. For example, it’s helpful to realize that the person you hold in unforgiveness is likely unaffected by you. He or she has probably moved on or maybe doesn’t even know that you were offended.  It’s helpful to consider that we focus way too much on rights. Forgiveness is giving up a “right” that we never really had. We have no right to  hold a grudge or to hold another in unforgiveness.  Unforgiveness holds us back. It takes lots of our […]

Bring me joy, bring me peace Bring the chance to be free Bring me anything that brings You glory And I know there’ll be days When this life brings me pain But if that’s what it takes to praise You Jesus, bring the rain  Lyrics from Mercy Me I went to church Sunday in a downpour. (See what a great Christian I am?) I had to break into laughter as I passed a neighbor’s home with a lone sprinkler at work in the front yard. I don’t remember ever seeing this sprinkler at work. It has been very wet lately and, like I said, it was pouring down raining. I don’t know why the sprinkler was on, but I bet there’s a good story there. It was enlightening to watch that sprinkler making its puny effort to water the lawn in comparison to God’s answer. Don’t we all do that? Don’t we try to bring into our lives those good things that can only come from God? Don’t we complain about the rain when it does come? It seems to interfere with our plans. It seems, sometimes, to be something we don’t think we need in our lives. Sometimes […]

8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. 9 “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.” 10 Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! 11 Then the devil left him,

Therefore God exalted him that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,11 and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,

For a few years when I was young I was poor. My family had no car and we lived in the “projects.” We didn’t have food stamps in those days, but I remember getting “surplus commodities.” Things like cheese and butter. It was helpful to have government provided shelter and food. But what our family really needed was a good job for my dad. My dad went through a period where he couldn’t get a decent job, but he never gave up. Eventually he got a job offshore as a galley hand. He worked hard and worked his way up and eventually became a clerk, a very good paying job. Years later, he was hurt on the job and the last few years of his working life, he “drew disability.”  It’s good that our government provides a “safety net” for the poor. Supplying basic food, and housing and some income for those who can’t work is a good thing. I don’t believe most folks, liberal or conservative have a problem with that. But being generous with someone else’s money isn’t a Christian virtue and isn’t what makes us a Christian nation. Mr. Carter had some good qualities. He was […]

America! America! God shed his grace on thee. Grace is God’s unmerited favor. It’s something we don’t deserve. Maybe I”m just getting old, but it seems to me America is deserving grace less and less. I know that as God’s child I benefit from His love and grace even when He isn’t particularly proud of me. When I stumble and fall He still loves me. I am still His. But there are consequences to my sin. Even when there is forgiveness, there is often harm and hurt that must be dealt with. I know that His mercy endures forever, but I also know that each step taken outside of His will draws me further away from His plan for me.  God has blessed this country for a very long time. His grace has been so abundant that we have come to expect it and, even to believe that we deserve it. We certainly don’t. It’s not like we ever deserved it. But the way we have drifted, I can’t believe He will pour out  His grace on America forever. The countries of Europe where Christianity bloomed have long ago turned away from Him and the effects of the withdrawal […]

Yesterday for lunch Rose and I walked into a restaurant with few patrons. We tend to eat lunch late so we are used to nearly empty places. Sitting near us were two young men. One of them was on the phone. It soon became clear that they were youth pastors and were talking to someone at a destination they were intending to visit with their youth group. They were discussing many aspects of the upcoming trip.  I was amazed by the detail that went into the conversation, which lasted the entire time Rose and I studied the unfamiliar menu, placed our order and ate our meal. At one point I thought how happy I would be to have one of my grand kids in the youth group led by these two. Their concern, attention to detail and sense of responsibility was obvious in the phone call. I think sometimes we don’t consider all that goes into being in full time ministry. Most of us see our Pastors and their staff on Sunday and maybe one other time during the week. I think in the back of our minds we think, “What a great job. They just work one day […]