Category: Life Issues
Watching Out for the Faith of Others
Paul had waited long enough. He just had to hear from the new believers he had left in the Macedonian capital city of Thessalonica—believers who were facing affliction for their commitment to Christ. Paul longed to see these new Christians face to face, but it wasn’t...
Waiting for a Ministry
It was John Wesley who said, “Don’t seek for a ministry, but seek for the fruit of a disciplined life.” In other words, pining away for a ministry is a waste of precious time. Rather, go deeper and God will use you in ways you haven’t...
The Care and Feeding of Flies
I just received this news about a Warren, Arkansas event, which took place 84 years ago. I’m sure that I’m the very latest one to receive this intelligence. Here it is: Mar. 3, 1914: Warren, Mar 2 – Yesterday closed the fly contest that has been...
The Particular Importance of Not Being Particularly Important – Or: Just be a Nobody
If you’re interested in being somebody in your life, think again. Chances are, Jesus is not on board. Take a step back to the 1st century and imagine a ruler of the Pharisees invites you to a Shabbat dinner. This is a meal that Jews observe...
The Fellowship Factor
Living for Christ Better by Loving Him Together Christians who hold each other accountable by regularly asking each other to confess sins they have committed are restraining each other from sinning. The knowledge that someone is going to ask you to tell the truth about your...
Preparing to Be an Amazing Old Man or Woman
It’s not uncommon for God to use older people. Take Caleb who fought giants as an octogenarian. Or Moses, who led a cantankerous people up to the promised land at 120. Remember Anna, the widow, who served God with prayers at the temple in Jerusalem. God...
Sin, the Christian, and The Field-Goal Principle
For those not familiar with American football, the game is played on a 100-yard field. A team can score in two primary ways, either by carrying the ball into the other team’s end-zone and scoring a touchdown (6 points), or by kicking the ball from a...
Jesus, Forgiveness, & Hugs Galore
I got an “S minus” in the category of “plays well with others” on my second grade report card. “S” stood for “satisfactory,” so you now understand why I was in trouble with my parents—the dreaded minus symbol! Why the poor grade? I was a kickball...
Is It Really Important to Attend Church Meetings?
More evangelicals skip church meetings than attend them. That’s a fact . . . an embarrassing one. One leader claims even the FBI could not find many of them. Some churches have decided to take action to recover the inactive only to find that their church...
Loving Those Who Will Drain You
My wife accompanied me one Sunday morning to a church where I was the guest preacher. On the way home, she observed, “That church had some very sharp people up front.” She was right. The leaders, the choir members, the pianist—they all seemed so confident and...
