What do the statements of a small town newspaper man and an aging Jazz/Pop star have to do with my faith. How do these two extremely distinct persons converge to ad any meaning to my faith and how I conduct myself as a Christian? They both give substance to the fact that humankind is flawed and falls short of inspiring trust.
In the gently rolling hills of Palestine there is a happy young man. He is preparing for his marriage to a fine young woman. Then comes the disturbing news that she is pregnant and the baby, he knows is not his. Now Joseph loves Mary but he is disturbed by her report that the Lord has given her this child and that he is destined to great things. After some thought Joseph decides to keep all of this quiet and to take Mary to himself, believing the story she told him of the promise and the...
Philippians 1:12-14 I want you to know, brethren, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel, 13 so that it has become known throughout the whole praetorian guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ; 14 and most of the brethren have been made confident in the Lord because of my imprisonment, and are much more bold to speak the word of God without fear.
It wasn’t too long ago that my kids were watching the Rugrats Cartoon with...
A couple of men stand out in my childhood, as persons I looked up to and admired. One was Reverend Glasner of the Lutheran Church and the other was Reverend George Reed of the Hillside Ave. Church of God. Both men were pastors of large churches and yet both were interested in me, a boy from a troubled family. Both men were multi talented and had accomplished a lot in their lives. But the thing that distinguished them both, was that they were servants in their attitudes and in their hearts. Any...
Christmas is all about God's love. God had initiated a huge plan and it was finalized as a great act of love. This is a love that is unmistakable - the message is sound and clear. The people of earth long for this kind of love, even though, for many of us, it has never been expressed perfectly. For this Second week of Advent, I find that the love of God in Christ was foreshadowed for us in a scene from the life of king David; an ancestor in the line of Christ.
David had a long drawn out...
Human beings are not very good at waiting. We want everything good to happen right this moment. God has promised, however, that if we wait on Him some great things will happen. Advent is the 4 week period leading up to our Christmas celebration of the birth of Jesus the Christ. The first Sunday is the Sunday of Prophecy and Promise. God had promised the blessing of Christ many years ago. As we think about Christ's birth on the First Sunday of Advent we think of the Promise God made and the way...
Maybe you are familiar with the recent rash of dumb stunts created by people who are interested in having a Reality Television show? The Heene family created a hoax in which they suggested that, perhaps, their young son was trapped in a helium balloon which was drifting across the desert. And, most recently, the young couple who managed to crash the White House State Dinner. These two groups of people have the sincere desire to have their own Reality shows. In each case, what was a dream of...
I have met a great lady who is an effective leader in our local hospital volunteer association. In fact, she is a paid employee of the hospital, but don't let that throw you off, she has built an army of volunteers, a well oiled machine. Sue is always building people up and giving them boosts to their self esteem. As a result she has been very effective in the building and training of an army of volunteers.
This reminds me of a story my grandfather told me. When he was a boy he was asked by his...