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Jonah, called by God to preach to the Ninevites; gentiles – considered ignorant and unclean. He didn’t want to. Travel was inconvenient; he would have to leave his home, family, job and friends. All this for people he disrespected, disliked and maybe even hated. He went elsewhere and made himself unavailable.

You know the story. There was a storm at sea. Others on board approached to ask who he was, where he came from, what God he served. They didn’t know why this calamity had overtaken them and hoped he could help figure it out. Was he responsible?…  ( Click for more )

Johann Gutenberg was born in the city of Mainz, Germany around 1400, right in the middle of a movement to make God personal by revealing Him to people in their own language, making Him available to any and all who could read. He greatly facilitated and energized this movement with his refinement of the printing press. (The Chinese apparently inventing moveable type some time before – but never taking it to the next level of general use.)

Before Gutenberg took that next step, all copying of printed material was done by hand or on presses that imprinted designs…  ( Click for more )

In any consideration of God’s essence, John’s definition of Him as love immediately comes to mind. (1 John 4:16) All of us finding comfort as well in Matthew 11:28 - 30 where Jesus described the task of following him as easy and light (at least when compared to the consequences of not following Him); and that if we do grow weary, we can find “rest” in him. (See also 1 John 4:9,10) His love of us prompting our redemption (John 3:16); scripture characterizing our response to him and those he places in our realm of influence as likewise grounded…  ( Click for more )

Some view statements like this as unnecessarily alarmist while others greet it with a yawn. Rabbi Prager admits that, “Such moments are extremely rare in history. And when they have occurred, they have been between two, not three, competing ideologies.” Yet he believes there are now indeed three competing ideologies striving for pre-eminence in shaping mankind’s future; Militant Islam, Western European secular/socialism and American Judeo/Christian capitalism. (And although this article was first published several years ago, the battle lines between these…  ( Click for more )

What exactly does being filled with the Spirit mean? And what evidence is there that we are? Will we have “supernatural” power, or just behave differently – even act oddly? There are any number of ideas concerning the consequences of a Spirit-filled life, my purpose here not being to answer every question raised by those sometimes conflicting ideas but to examine this topic from a very basic perspective. What does the Bible specifically say about our receipt of the Holy Spirit and the benefits of being so filled?

Paul told the Corinthian Church…  ( Click for more )

In this day of respect for diversity and tolerance of all people and beliefs, we have created fertile ground for the resurgence of paganism; defined as a faith pre-dating Christianity or something other than belief in Christ. The popularity of mediums and fortune tellers and the re-emergence of sorcery, witchcraft and animism, renewed interest in Native American practices, radical environmentalism and the New Age movement, the resurgence of interest in Greek mythology as well as the virtual worship of virility, fertility and sex in our society give ample evidence of paganism…  ( Click for more )

What an intriguing image, a statement shrouded in obscurity yet possessing a number of profound possibilities. Not an exhortation to get fired up but possibly referring, at least in part, to being passionate. It could be a promise, similar to that found in Joel 2:28, that something unique is about to happen among Christ’s followers. And in fact, Acts 2:1-4 records the literal fulfillment of that promise, the “tongues of fire” ushered in by a violent wind signifying the disciples’ receipt of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost; their understanding…  ( Click for more )

“Don’t be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition,

with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” Philippians 4:6

There are times when those in authority over us make decisions we don’t understand or agree with. At other times, usually when our needs are being met, we fully support those who represent us; but that consensus is rare these days.

Decisions have been – and will continue to be made – that aren’t going to change despite our support or lack thereof. A few examples of such…  ( Click for more )

For many, Jesus is the nicest person they can imagine. For others, he is for the most part irrelevant. The problem for both sets of people is that they don’t really know him at all. For way too many people today, he has no real substance, existing as a mere shadow of the man who roamed the hills of Galilee and walked the streets of Jerusalem. They still feel free to call on him in prayer, expecting their wants and needs to be met expeditiously but the thought of him being the Lord of their lives – with expectations of his own – is hard to conceive if not repugnant…  ( Click for more )

Defining a relationship is difficult, as it often depends on individual needs as well as a person’s ability – or willingness – to accommodate others. For our purposes here, it can broadly be said to represent the connections, understanding and expectations between people, groups of people or between God and people; which is ideally achieved through confidence and freedom. The freedom of people to respond – or not – to offers of help, advice, love and even salvation. Likewise allowing God the freedom to respond as he sees fit.

I don’t…  ( Click for more )

To be or not to be – really is a question posed by today’s concept of tolerance. In this age of political correctness and an all-embracing of anything and everything as equally good, proper and correct; defining tolerance is a must. Webster’s Dictionary defines tolerance as the ability to recognize and respect others beliefs even when we don’t share them. To be tolerant does not mean accepting anything and everything as having equal worth and value but treating those with whom we disagree with at least a modicum of respect.

Contrary to popular…  ( Click for more )

That’s a legitimate question, posed by Elijah to the many “fence-straddlers” of his day – and ours. In doing so, he reminded the Israelis of Joshua’s insistence years before that the Israelis should, “…fear the Lord and serve him with all faithfulness.” Joshua 24:14 The reason being that there was – and is – a tendency for people of faith to commit to a cause and then to almost immediately begin vacillating between staying true to it and hedging their bets; maintaining relationships and activities that are incompatible…  ( Click for more )

Lot was Abraham’s nephew. Their families lived in Chaldea, and as such they were raised among the many “gods” of its people. But Abraham was evidently a somewhat righteous man as God decided to use him and his family to change the world. His first directive was for him to “Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you.” Genesis 12:1 But who was this God? Sure, he promised to bless Abraham by turning his offspring into a great nation but at what price? Leave the familiar surroundings of home…  ( Click for more )

I enjoy watching sports and get particularly excited by a well-thrown pass in football or a well executed play in basketball. I am also inspired by the harmony and lyrics of a well-sung song or a well-turned phrase in literature; an idea masterfully conveyed by a few choice words. One such phrase jumped out at me in a song recorded by Confederate Railroad titled “Jesus and Mama (Always Loved Me).” It’s not a new song nor a particularly popular one, nor are the lyrics particularly original; yet one recent afternoon a phrase imbedded within it really set me…  ( Click for more )

Is a quarrel always wrong? “Starting a quarrel is like breaching (breaking) a dam; so drop the matter before a dispute breaks out.” Proverbs 17:14

Is it ever right to have an argument? “He who loves a quarrel loves sin.” Proverbs 17:19

Can a disagreement ever be legitimate? “Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another.” Colossians 3:13

What if someone is saying or doing something stupid – really wrong – even sinful, and I disagree with it? Do I have a right, or an…  ( Click for more )

Charges of intolerance and prejudice are being made against Christians quite frequently these days. What do they mean and, more importantly, are we? Prejudice is defined as a dislike or distrust of people solely based on their being of another race, religion, or country. An opinion formed not of fact but on rumor, innuendo or others supposed experiences. To be honest we are all probably somewhat prejudiced. There is however, a big difference between prejudices and being racist, which is defined as the practice of discrimination, segregation and separation based on doctrines…  ( Click for more )

In an excellent book titled Jesus Mean and Wild1, a number of incidents from Mark’s Gospel concerning Jesus’ behavior are noted; of particular interest for me was His virtual “expulsion” into the desert and His experience with temptation there. (Mark writing in the “common” Greek of his day, a very basic communication with little frills or flowery language; direct, straight-forward, exclamatory conversation.) Matthew and Luke, dealing with this same story, say Jesus was led – as in directed – to the desert to confront the Devil;…  ( Click for more )

The seriousness of this attempt and the effort needed to achieve it is indicated by several scriptures. “Those who belong to Jesus Christ have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires.” Galatians 5:24 “I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.” Galatians 2:20 “For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin, (not perfect but no longer ruled by uncontrolled passions and our natural inclination…  ( Click for more )

Last week we looked at a number of people who seemed to have little to recommend them for greatness who none-the-less were used by God to accomplish extraordinary things. We ended up with David, a man of great success and failure, who was repeatedly redeemed by God for a greater purpose. And while much of what he did was disappointing, his life was much like ours – full of contradictions and failure, even as we struggle to understand what God’s will for us is. Jesus characterizing us well when he said, “The spirit is willing but the body is weak.” Matthew…  ( Click for more )

Even as God demands perfection (Matthew 5:48), he recognizes our human frailty and limitations; helping us, reclaiming us, redeeming us for good as:

God uses ordinary, imperfect people to accomplish extraordinary things.

The English word redeem is a combination of French and Latin phrases literally meaning to get back, as in the reclaiming of an item by paying off a debt; with an inference of fulfilling a promise or restoration to usefulness. Scripture being full of examples of men and women who at the beginning of their stories seem very much in “debt”…  ( Click for more )

Why is that so hard – accepting a message of advice and direction? Why do we so often rebel against “help” even when we know it’s well-intended and beneficial? It may have something to do with the condition of our hearts. “He who belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God.” John 8:47 Granted, not everyone’s word carries the weight of Christ’s, but most of your advisors, particularly your parents, preacher, and teachers don’t intend to do you harm either.

…  ( Click for more )

Can there be such a thing as misdirected compassion? I believe there is, the words we use to describe how we relate to people in trouble giving us a clue as to how that might happen. Such as sympathizing with someone, sharing and understanding their feelings and ideas to the extent that we at times actually participate in their struggle and emotional ordeals. Having empathy, on the other hand, involves intellectually and emotionally identifying with others while remaining separate enough from their circumstances to offer reasonable, practical solutions. The difference most…  ( Click for more )

Have you ever considered the practical applications of your faith? Many think religion is superfluous – excessive, burdensome, un-needed; impractical to everyday living. Others see it as mystical, beyond our grasp – intriguing, even inspiring, yet it’s true meaning and purpose unattainable. The Bible’s authors, however, expended much time and effort to reveal how practical our faith in Christ can and must be for it to be effective personally and productive relationally. (See Matthew 5-6-7 and Romans 12.)

Whether we see our faith as practical…  ( Click for more )

A recent article appearing in U.S.A. Today’s Forum section declared, “This country should never sacrifice freedom of expression on the altar of religion.”1An intriguing statement that caught my attention while simultaneously setting off an inner alarm. Upon further investigation however, I began to better understand the author’s point and agree – at least in principle – with much of what he said.

In his article, Professor Turley warned that part of President Obama’s – and much of Western Europe’s – effort…  ( Click for more )