Ecclesiastes 12:10

    Manliness isn’t what it used to be. I’m not talking about man buns or fancy jeans but rather how it seems that the pendulum of what is considered manly has been swinging rather wildly.   At times, the worst traits (promiscuity, vulgarness, violence) are the ones that are promoted. Then society overcorrects and makes all masculinity toxic.   But what does the Bible teach?   In 1 Corinthians 16:13-14 we read, “ Be on the alert, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love ”. Notice the traits that are emphasized in this passage for those who are attempting to “ act like men ”; Protection, Consistency, Faithfulness, Strength, and Love. A man is one who is there. Who watches out for others. That is a Godly man with Godly traits.    Don’t think if you can skin a buck run a trotline and hit a homer that you are a man. Real men are there when needed, ready to do the things that need to be done, ...

    How would you like to go to the amusement park and not be allowed to ride the latest and greatest ride? How would you feel if you went to the Louvre and they told you that you can’t go in a see the Mona Lisa? What if you went to the theater to see the new blockbuster and they said you won’t be allowed in? Not that the ride was under repair or the section was closed but YOU personally couldn’t go in.   That seems unfair. You would probably demand to know why?   What did I do?   As we think about that scenario, let’s read Hebrews 12:14: “ Pursue peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no one will see the Lord .”   Here two aspects are commanded to follow, peace with men and sanctification. One might say peace and purity. But notice the important addition, without which no one will see the Lord.   Now let go back to our setup. If the answer was, “ Well you said you were going to try to damage the painting ”, or “ You violated the ...

    Robert Todd Lincoln was at the White House when he heard what had happened to his father at Ford Theater. He immediately rushed to be by his side and stayed there till his death. After the death of his father, he would go on to be a very successful lawyer and an important figure in Republican politics. Yet He eventually refused to have to do with the presidency.    He felt it was too dangerous.   It wasn’t just at his father’s deathbed he saw what an assassin’s bullet could do. He was standing right next to James Garfield when a gunman fired the bullet that would eventually kill him. Then as he was waiting outside for William McKinley when he was shot. From then on he refused to go anywhere near a president.   He said "No, I'm not going, and they'd better not ask me, because there is a certain fatality about presidential functions when I am present.   It was just a coincidence but the tragedy still weighed on Robert Lincoln. He isn’t the on...

  It might seem Paul contradicts himself in just a few verses. In Galatians 6:3 He tells us to “ Bear ye one another's burdens ”, then just three verses later he tells us to “ every man shall bear his own burden ”   What gives?   Well, a bit of understanding of the original text is in order. The burden in verse 2 is a word that describes an overload, one that would drop you to your knees, a heavy load. The word in verse 5 is a responsibility, the load any person would be expected to carry in their travels. One is a carry-on bag, the other is a fully loaded down steamer trunk.   There is the difference. Christians are to help when we see those overburdened by life. We are to grab one end and help lift up the load faced by those struggling with the effort. But that doesn’t mean we are to be responsible for taking away ever weight from a person. Some folks would love to offload all their responsibilities for someone else to handle. That’s not a good ...

     Ever pull into a parking space right as the person beside you starts to back out, and for a moment your perception is off and you think you are still moving?  You slam on the brake thinking you’re about to drive into the building yet you’re not moving the person beside you is just backing away from you.   A false sense of motion.  I wonder if that isn’t what many churches are experiencing today. You see with so many in the world today backing up very quickly from the direction of a God, those who are sitting still might seem like they are going forward when in fact they are not moving at all.   In reality, we are in park, not growing, not advancing, just stuck where we are.   I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus . Philippians 3:14   We certainly don’t want to go backward but we shouldn’t want to stay put either. God’s call is an upward one. We have to be about our F...

  On occasion you will hear on a big issue someone exclaim "Doing nothing is not an option". But it is.  Doing nothing is an option. The proper way to express the idea might be “doing nothing is not an acceptable option” or doing nothing is not a proper option.  But is that true? Could doing nothing be not only an option but perhaps the best option?   Consider the parable of the prodigal son. And He said, "A man had two sons.  "The younger of them said to his father, 'Father, give me the share of the estate that falls to me.' So he divided his wealth between them.  "And not many days later, the younger son gathered everything together and went on a journey into a distant country, and there he squandered his estate with loose living . Luke 15:11-13    Here the father has a choice. He could refuse the request. He could punish the ingrate son. He could lock him in his room. It's not as if the father couldn’t see wh...

  I am amazed by how oblivious people can be. It might have always been this way and I never noticed [i] but lately, it seems to be everywhere. Maybe people are more self-absorbed. Maybe we are just too focused on our phone. Whatever the cause people don’t seem to have any awareness of what is going on around them.  And that can be a very dangerous thing.   I’m not talking about walking into traffic because you are not looking, though I see that happen. It is the spiritual obliviousness. Not seeing that your circumstances are consequences of your actions (Gal. 6:7). Not seen yourselves for how you truly are (James 1:23-25). Looking at the speck and not seeing the planks (Matthew 7:3-5). Missing the spiritual opportunities right in front of you (John 4:35). Open my eyes, that I may behold Wonderful things from Your law Psalms 119:18    We need to look around. We need to look up. The answers we are struggling for are there if we just use ou...

  A four letter word meaning “one of the U.S.,” read the clue. The answer? “Utah.” Five letters: “Red Indian on the Missouri.” That one is “Omaha.” Normal enough crossword clues, that is unless the clues are in the Daily Telegraph, a British paper, in May of 1944. This is just months before the super-secret invasion of Normandy, where troops are set to land on beaches code-named Utah and Omaha.   A panic sets in for military officials. Could a spy be leaking information via the crossword in the paper? The investigation seems to be leading that way. Two years prior, the same author named Leonard Dawe, had been interrogated when one of his clues predicted what was the name of a port that the allies were about to unsuccessfully raid. It seemed the German had been forewarned.  The more they looked more suspect clues they saw. A review of earlier crossword puzzles showed that Dawe had used the code words for the three other beaches — Gold, Juno, and Sword....

  When we use the word talent, we tend to think of a skill or ability. Perhaps an inborn aptitude, that allows us to succeed in an endeavor. That modern usage is one that has a biblical root.  In Matthew 25 Jesus tells a parable of a man that gave to his servant’s talents. The talents here were measures of money. A talent was ancient weight measurement that varied over time and cultures. It was generally thought to have originated as an approximation to about the weight of a person. So a talent of any precious metal would have been worth quite a bit.  Our modern take come from the fact the master gives to each servant according to his ability. However, I think this take misses an important point. The ability isn’t the focus, the usage is. Even the one talent man was given a hefty amount.    Too many folks dismiss their function in the kingdom thinking they are lacking in a ‘talent’ but each of us, no matter our abilities, have been given by grea...

  Meeting :   ˈ<mēdiNG>   noun   The bane of the office workers, a time waste of enormous portions from the Latin Meddle,  a torture device   Ok, that isn’t the real definition, even though it does sometimes seem close. Meetings in the workplace are often a time sink that never accomplishes anything more than having a meeting.  Disorder, complaints, confusion, meandering. They drive people mad!  Rather than encourage efficiency they seem to destroy it.   So why do we do it? Well, sometimes they work.   Consider the lunch meeting a few animators had with their boss. It was to come up with ideas to follow-up their soon to be released movie about toys that came to life. As they set in the Hidden City Café, several movie pitches were bandied about.  They turned out pretty good.  A Bug's Life, Finding Nemo, Monsters, Inc., and WALL-E all came from that single lunch meeting of  Pixar employees in 1994. ...

   After the State of the Union address earlier this year, I ran across this photo that showed the difference of President Obama from his 1 st address to his last.  I guess it really is the toughest job in the world.  It isn’t just this president however. Look at the last one.  Or one from 150  years ago.     It seems the massive responsibility of being the commander in Chief takes a very physical toil.  No matter your party affiliation or your view on the person, we all must recognize the demand leadership takes on those in charge.  That amount of stress and responsibility comes with a weight, a burden that can wear down a man.   That weight and burden is just reserved for those that carry the weight of the free world on their shoulders, but is also felt by those men that carry the responsible of the souls of the flock, the elders.  Being an elder is one of the weightiest position...

  All my life, I have heard that a sin is a sin is a sin.  That basically all sin is the same.  Now technical speaking that isn’t quite accurate. All sin bears the same punishment (Romans 6:23). We can’t afford to pay for any sin.  It doesn’t matter what sin we commit, when we break one law of God we stand condemned. For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all. James 2:10     That doesn’t mean however that all sin is the same.  Sins vary by consequences, scope and judgement.  Jesus himself said that there are greater sins (John 19:11). While any sin will bring you into judgment there are some sins that are weightier than others.   Considering this, what would you think is a worse sin? Murder? Homosexuality? Sexual Immorality? Unbelief? All these sins we see are condemned to a high degree in Scripture but I want you to consider one passage of scripture where we are told a sin co...

In Ephesians 4:29 we read; “Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear.”   Now think about what that verse is telling us. Before you speak, you need to consider what you will say. Don’t just let it flow. Think. Is it appropriate? Is it worthwhile? Will it build up the person hearing it? Is it timely? Will what’s said be helpful?   That’s a lot to think about before you talk. It might mean he have to slow down before we respond (James 1:19). Now while this verse is referring to what we say from our mouths, I don’t think it is a stretch to also apply it to what we what we post online. In times past, it took longer to write down and send a message, enough time that our brains could catch up and remind us of the power of words. But in today’s word of instant messages, we can type out mistakes just as fast as we can say them. Those w...

Crazy hypothetical: Swallowing the Blarney stone* What if you had the power to convince anyone to do anything with the power of your words?  Whatever you tell someone they will blindly follow without any of their own thinking.  So anything you said will greatly affect the people around you.  Any fact you tell them they will accept as truth, any command you give will be followed.  You then will then be held responsible for anything that comes from what you tell people.  How would this change how you speak? *Crazy Hypothetical is a mental game that gives you a conditional choice that gets you thinking about a subject. I used these for several years as discussion starters in Bible class. This is a good way to think about the power of the tongue

Crazy hypothetical: Monkeying Around* You are offered an interesting job.  You will work a normal 40 hour week being paid at above what you could typically earn in your normal line of work with great benefits and vacation time.  For this job, every day at the start of work you would be transformed into an animal. You would look like you but all your actions would be on pure instinct and you would have no conscience control over what you did from 9 till 5 but when the horn sounds you would go back to normal.  You would be observed (like in a zoo) and be placed in a protective environment so there would be no greater risk of injury than most typical jobs.  When you went home you would have a complete memory of your actions for the day but no way to control what you do during the day. You would take this job? *Crazy Hypothetical is a mental game that gives you a conditional choice that gets you thinking about a subject. I used these for several years as di...

    Let’s face it we are living in a politically correct world.  Political correctness is seeping into every vein of our lives.  Words meanings are now not as important as their perceived meanings.  We must soften our language.  Make sure our words don’t have edges, and above all don’t offend.     So we change how we say things.  We mask our words.  Use polite phrasing, even when it changes what we should be saying.     For instance, think about evangelism.  Who should we be teaching?  What people need to hear about Jesus?  Now, what do we call them?   Unchurched.  Our communities.  Those without a church home.  Seekers.     But what about lost?     The word lost isn't that politically correct.  It comes off harsh.  It gives a negative connotation.  It is however the word Jesus used to describe tho...

Many companies hire a spokesman to sell their product. Some will be celebrities the companies hire hoping their fame will rub off on the product. Others will be characters or mascots used to brand and create a positive image to the customers they seek. Whoever is chosen, the job is the same. Tell people good things, so they will buy the product .      In the book of Micah, the prophet found what he thought would be a perfect spokesman for the people of his day. In Micah 2:11-12, he writes “ If a man walking after wind and falsehood had told lies and said, 'I will speak out to you concerning wine and liquor,' He would be spokesman to this people .” Your see the people of his day turned against the prophets that warned of the destruction that was coming because of their disobedience. They didn't want to hear about that . They wanted to hear about drinking and good times.   It isn’t that different today. Our world doesn’t want to hear about the negative consequences o...

A preacher was once asked by a group preparing for a potential disaster, “How many people could the church sleep?” He responded, “About half of them on a typical Sunday morning.”    Jesus would have understood the sentiment in that joke. You see, Peter, James and John had a bad habit of falling asleep during important events. Often times Jesus would take them to special events ( Matthew 17:1, Mark 5:37 ) and more than once they fell asleep ( Luke 9:32, Matthew 26:40 ). After the second time he woke them up in Gethsemane scripture says “And again He came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were very heavy; and they did not know what to answer Him. - Mark 14:40 .” They couldn’t respond because their sleep had made them to miss out on the distress that Jesus was praying about in the garden. You can miss a lot when you are asleep. Some people sleep through life. They are there but not conscience of what is going on. When they do wake up, they respond like the apostles. They...

  The human body has an amazing ability to survive. Even if the stomach, spleen, 75% of the liver, 80% of the intestines, one kidney, one lung and virtually every organ form the pelvic area were removed, the body could still survive. It would not be whole and would not function very well but it still would function.    The body of Christ is similar. For it to work properly everyone must be performing their function. If some part fails in it duty, the body might survive, but it would not thrive. As Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 12:20-27,  “ But now there are many members, but one body. And the eye cannot say to the hand, "I have no need of you"; or again the head to the feet, "I have no need of you." On the contrary, it is much truer that the members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary; and those members of the body which we deem less honorable, on these we bestow more abundant honor, and our less presentable members become much more presentable, whereas...

It seems anymore that when I take the young people to any outing, the business will require me get signed waivers. This use to be common with more “extreme” activities but it seems anything now requires one. It doesn’t seem to keep anyone from going, (It fact one young person commented, “ If you have to sign waiver you know its going to be good ”), but it becomes quite a hassle. The reason for them is simple: lawsuits. Companies are terrified of being sued over any injury or accident so they make you sign away any liability even when the only way you could get hurt is if you were being totally foolish.  They know that your foolishness won’t keep them from getting sued, and sometime even losing.  It worries me because it seems we have slowly taken away any sense of personal reasonability from our lives. No matter what happens, it is someone's fault, but not ours. Some even hold that attitude towards God. Romans 2:6-9 warns us that we will all be judged not for what others do, b...