Voices

There is a small diner I frequent often in our town for lunch.  From the moment you walk in you feel as if the calendar has moved back 40 or so years.  I love this place.  It is filled with conversation, laughter, the sizzling of meat on the grill, everything you think of when you think of a diner.  Everything, including the cheesy signs and the bar with stools.  But the thing I love the most is that no matter who you are, you are welcome.  I watch the employees as they joke, sing, even pat the old timers on the back in a way that says, "I value you."  So I keep coming back.  There is comfort here; comfort food, comfort in conversation, a place where the worries of life are dropped on the doorstep. There is a noticeable difference between being welcoming and feeling welcomed.   This makes me think about our churches.  Why are places in the world more comfortable to people than the bastion of hope that the church is supposed to be?  Is our church a place

    Revival is not a one time thing.  This is, I believe, the key to understanding true revival.  True revival happens when a disciple of Jesus Christ is filled with the Holy Spirit.  Ephesians 5:18 states, "And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit." Continuing on, Paul tells what a Spirit-filled person acts like.  Now you can get all wrapped up in the first phrase of the verse and never make it to the second part, but I am not interested in having a conversation that focuses on picking apart Scripture and never living it out in life.     Being filled with the Spirit simply means being under control of the Holy Spirit thereby impelled and empowered to do His will.  It is not indwelling of the Spirit, nor is it baptism of the Spirit, nor is it getting more of the Spirit.  I like how the commentators of the Liberty Annotated Study Bible put it, "Those who are saved do not need to get more of the Holy Spirit, but the filling

There you are, minding your own business and then it shows up...If you love Jesus or want a blessing, type Amen or like or share.  I really despise those things.  The reason I do not like them is very simple:  That is not how it works!  God is not your genie, the man upstairs, the guy in the sky or your spiritual broker.  God is not there to make deals, bargain with or try to manipulate. These are all lies about a god who does not exist.  Clicking on an image of some guy in a robe who has one hand held up in the air will not proclaim your love for Jesus, get you any type of blessing nor does it share Jesus with anyone.  If you want to show the world around you, be it the cyber world or the physical world, then there is only one way to do it. Sharing Jesus is not about clicking, it is requires talking. 1. You must use words Spoken or written, sharing Jesus requires words.  Now you may say, "I share Jesus with my life and when people are ready they will see something differe

When God speaks, He always expects a response.   I was taught this as a child.  I was taught this in Bible college.  I was taught this in seminary.  I read it again last week.  I believe this is true.  I would venture to say that many who attend evangelical churches would even give an "Amen" to the statement. However... If we believe, truly believe the statement is true, then what has happened in our churches? Maybe, just maybe, the statement itself is not understood in light of biblical truth.  I am going to make an assumption for the sake of this article, you believe the Bible is the inerrant, fully sufficient, word of God.  Now, let me be clear, whether you believe it or not does not change the fact that it is.  The only change will be your response to it. Scripture is God's primary mode of communication in our world today.  Since it is God communicating through His holy word, when His word is taught, read, studied and preached, God expects us to respond in

Comfort, prestige, home and health.  These and many more creature comforts have overtaken the mindset of Western Christianity.  One day, Jesus is shared and the unthinkable happens...you are laughed at or someone disagrees with you.  We call it persecution, and by definition, it may be.  You do not like it.  How can you make sure that never happens again?  This is not what you signed up for when you became a Christian.  So here is a helpful guide to quit the horrible persecution you have endured. Ways to NOT be persecuted: 1. Refuse to share Jesus with others This is simple.  Keep your faith hidden.  Live in total disobedience to the command of Jesus and you will not have to be concerned with other people. 2. Do not pray that people will respond to the gospel Prayer is a weapon.  Do not fight for the souls of those who are headed to a Christless eternity.  Fall deeper and deeper into carnality and persecution will not be yours. 3. Live a "normal" life, similar to

Every high school sport that I have been a part of or attended over the years always has the same thing happen.  It is known as Seniors' night.     The night that all graduating seniors are recognized and honored for what? When you break it down, each senior is being honored for being himself. Whether they have contributed to the team over the years or this is their first, each one gets honored.   What would happen if we honored others for just being...them?  Could it be that community, unity, cooperation and gratitude may just make a comeback? Simple ideas for honoring others. 1. Send a personal thank you note There are few things more uplifting than checking the mail and finding a hand written note of thanks.  Choose a ink color other than black or blue.  I like using green.  It shows that you have taken the time to show your appreciation. 2. Spend your time We live in a day where we "do" lunch.  What if we went back to "eating" lunch and using tha

Most insects have what are known as compound eyes.  According to biology online, "As the name suggests, compound eyes are composed of many similar, closely-packed facets (called ommatidia) which are the structural and functional units of vision.   The number of ommatidia varies considerably from species to species:   some worker ants have fewer than six while some dragonflies may have more than 25,000." The internet is humanity's compound eye.  One story can be seen by millions, and even billions, across the globe.  In a day of fake news stories (which is a nice way of saying lies) you must be vigilant to make sure that what you put online is beneficial.  Here are some tips to remember when you are online. Three Simple Tips to remember as you live online 1. Once you post it, you can't take it back Like the words that we speak, our posts on the internet are out there for good.  You may be able to delete what you see, but with instant back up, quick copies, and

I was newly married and on the phone with someone I had never met in my life.  Near the end of our conversation I heard these words, "I love you."  To this day I still do not believe it.  This person did not know me and I did not know them.  Sure, we knew about each other, but really did not know one another. We all want love.  We all want to be in a place where there is safety to open our lives up with someone who will accept us, warts and all, for who we are.  We want people to care enough for us to challenge us to excel.  Yes, we all want love. But do we value love enough to give it to others, constantly, faithfully and fully.  I think this is where some of the breakdown in our culture lies.  What we want does not translate into what we value.  We do not value love.  We want it all for ourselves, and we expect others to provide it, yet we do not reciprocate let alone take the initiative to show love to others.  One note for clarity, loving others does not mean "

I was walking down the stairs one Sunday morning into the baptistery after giving the final instructions to the baptismal candidates.  As I stepped down I was reminded of one more thing.  I turned and look back to tell them the step were really slippery so be careful as they came down....and there I went, down.  My foot had slipped on the stairs.  I knew better than to turn, talk, and try to step down into the water at the same time, but I was dumb and I paid the price for it. We are headed into spring and many of us will be picking up sticks, maybe doing some digging and as the year goes on leaf pick up then shoveling snow.  Let me give you a few tips on how to save your back, knees and hip joints.  Simply put, you need to turn your toes. 1. Look where you want to go. Turn your head first.  Make sure that where you want to turn is free from anything you could twist your ankle on or damage your knee with a misstep. 2. Turn on the heel while lifting the ball of the foot. This

Let's take a moment today and think about what you are not saying. A lot of times we are told or think about what to say, how to say it, and/or how what we say comes across to other people. Scriptures is clear about watching what we say and thinking about our speech patterns. Ephesians 4:29-32 teaches that our actions and directly related to our speech. In other words, you walk what you talk. That being said, I believe that much of what is not said should be talked about more. Now, let me be clear, I am not meaning to have our speech include filthy things and words that tear down others. I am simply putting out the idea that our speech patterns need more of Ephesians 4:32, "And be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving others even in the same way that God forgave you in Christ." I would dare say that too many of us (yes, us...me included) do not have the kind of speech represented here consistently in our lives. Is my speech patter, are my words, my go-t