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You may have noticed from some of my reference notes that I like to read, the information gathered then passed on to others who may not have the time or inclination to do so. I particularly enjoy reading books pertaining to history, not so much to gain knowledge of facts and figures, but to gain an understanding of what may have shaped people into the individuals and then the nations they have become.

I try to avoid stereotypical explanations of people, but can’t help but notice that some aspects of such descriptions are legitimate in noting certain nuances…  ( Click for more )

What does it mean to be thankful, to be full of thanksgiving? Expressing appreciation and gratitude – which in part implies an acknowledgement and acceptance of something having been done for us. And yet it is more than merely saying “Thanks”. It should be an attitude we develop, not merely an emotion we exhibit; one that is quick to acknowledge a blessing, slow to realize a slight, along with a willingness to actively look for the good in all things. (James 1:19) This can then become the basis for an intentional expression of worship through all things. “…since…  ( Click for more )

Throughout our lives we all face many questions and are presented with many opportunities, our responses impacting our very existence up to and including eternity. What should I wear, who should I date, which school would be best for me to attend, what job offer should I accept? Am I going to drink or smoke, get married or settle for casual sex with a willing partner, how many kids should we have if we do get married, how long must I work before retiring? And then there are those concerning eternity; between belief and unbelief, reconciliation with or enmity towards God, repentance…  ( Click for more )

Casting Crowns recently released a song based on an old Sunday School chorus that is engaging and definitely applicable to all ages. In its present form it is titled, “Slow Fade”, and while not citing scripture specifically, it is absolutely scriptural in its spirit and intent. (Pertinent scripture worth looking up being 1 Corinthians 10:12,13; James 1:13-15; Proverbs 4:20-27; Is. 59:1,2; Romans 12:1-3; 1 John 2:3-6 & 15-17 and Psalm 1:1-6) Although many of you have probably already heard it, I am offering it here as a unique example of the melding…  ( Click for more )

Should Christians be involved in the celebration of Halloween? A good first indicator might be to consider the images it conveys. Ghosts, witches, monsters, demons, blood and gore, the devil, graves and black magic - symbols of evil or good, wholesomeness or unwholesomeness? So what’s to celebrate? Even the cry, “Trick or Treat!” is bribery if not a threat. Treat me and I won’t play a trick on you. Don’t and you’re in for it. For some, it is nothing more than an excuse for bad behavior, you’re gonna get it either way!

Halloween…  ( Click for more )

Is the title of a book by Doug Bandow in the Turning Point Christian Worldview Series that I believe is extremely pertinent for the present political season in the U.S. and beyond. As ideas, ideologies and insults are traded between opposing candidates, we as “the people” to be governed must give our consent to one political party or the other. The secondary title of this book stressing the base from which all Christians should make their decisions – A Biblical View of Politics. Mr. Bandow consistently notes the pluses and minuses of both parties platforms…  ( Click for more )

Last week we considered a radical and revolutionary concept of total self-abandonment in the cause of Christ. Our response to his invitation of, “Come, follow me,…” Matthew 4:19 & 16:24; culminating in our sharing in the things he deems important; becoming “fishers of men.” Oddly enough, our desire to make it on our own – providing for ourselves and our families – often gets in the way of a life dedicated to Christian service quicker than anything else. (See Deuteronomy 6:10-14) The idea of prosperity often enticing us to…  ( Click for more )

E.C. Beisner’s “Prosperity and Poverty” really made me sit up and take notice. It’s one of a series of books addressing various issues in society that are pertinent to Christians and non-Christians alike.1The secondary title explains its overall purpose as it examines, “The Compassionate use of Resources in a World of Scarcity.” The statement, “Jesus made self-denial the heart of Christian maturity.”, delivering – for me – a significant challenge.

In and of itself, this comment expresses nothing new yet…  ( Click for more )

The political divide separating many American’s today has been starkly evident in this years political campaign, as has been the clashing cultural values espoused by various leaders on both sides. This nowhere more obvious than in the verbal sparring between proponents of gay and lesbian “rights” and those who believe in the “traditional” role of men and women in sex and marriage.

Many adherents of the pro-choice movements applauded George Takei of Star Trek fame as he married his long-time male lover in California recently. Lindsay…  ( Click for more )

Christians should automatically have a different perspective on politics than their secular counterparts, having submitted their entire lives to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. As such, encouraging society’s spiritual transformation remains our foremost duty, and that is accomplished through the spiritual reordering of each individual’s life – not political ideologies of the right or left. At its core, the legitimate function of government is to promote justice, preserving law and order while protecting its citizens from domestic violence and foreign aggression.…  ( Click for more )

Does anyone have a right to tell you what you can or can’t do? After all, it’s your body – your life. Shouldn’t you be able to decide what you do with it and when?

The idea of personal choice and freedom runs strong throughout our society and that’s fine as long as everyone is willing to accept the personal responsibility that is an inseparable part of freedom of choice. Many of you are at an age where you have more freedom to choose and less guidance and supervision of those choices than ever before, to your great delight and your parents’…  ( Click for more )

The morning after a house party on Johnson St., Jenna Foellmi and several other twenty-something friends lay sprawled about on couches and beds. When one of them reached out to wake Foellmi, she was unresponsive and cold to the touch. Her friends’ screams woke everyone else in the house.

Jenna Foellmi was a bio-chemistry major at Winona State University, who on Dec. 14 of last year – one day after finishing her semester exams – died of alcohol poisoning. Her death was tragic, but all too typical of the results brought on by risky behavior on college…  ( Click for more )

Does our Christian witness depend on how popular we are? Some believe so, offering a get-what-you-want gospel of self-fulfillment and ease of life; replacing the glory of God with man’s edification and the abandonment of our lives for his purposes with the demand that He grant all our wishes. Our submission to his will exchanged for his submission to ours.

“…if the message is too confrontational, or too judgmental, or too exclusive, scary, unbelievable, hard to understand, or too much of anything for your taste, churches everywhere are eager…  ( Click for more )

This whole exercise is meant to help me – and you – begin to understand the difference between our calling and our disposition. We are called to be fishers of men (Mark 1:17), followers of the way (John 14:6), the righteousness of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:21) as well as blameless. (Philippians 2:15) Does that mean at the moment of salvation we become perfect? That certainly was not the case for me. Will we become more so with the passing of time? I’d like to think so. Will we ever be absolutely perfect though? I don’t think we can be, at least…  ( Click for more )

This study is meant to help us all become more fully who we already are. Sound confusing? Aren’t I what I appear to be? Not always. I usually try to be as genuine as I can, but there are times when I catch myself role-playing, trying to be someone I’m not in an attempt to fit in and meet others’ expectations. That’s not only confusing to me and contradictory to those who know me well, but unrealistic and unfair to those just meeting me.

So who are we – really? In trying to understand who I really am/or should be, I look to God’s…  ( Click for more )

A revolution is defined as a radical transformation caused by irresistible forces that overturn established orders. It’s safe to say most unchurched people and many professing Christians have “established orders” in their lives that need overturning; Jesus and his Word offering the only genuine radical force that works irresistibly in our lives to change hearts, minds and actions. This revolution accomplishing two things – magnifying our love and zeal for the Lord and increasing our love for others, which according to Christ are the two most important…  ( Click for more )

Last week we looked at scripture that seems to promise persecution as a result of our faith. Now let’s look at a number of individuals whose lives have stood the test of time as examples of faithfulness in the face of both the good (Proverbs 27:21) and bad they experienced.

Joseph’s life (Genesis 37-48) expressed an enduring belief in God’s goodness and provision regardless of the circumstances of the moment and an unswerving dedication to live as God would have him to, despite the consequences; surprised by the unforeseen good accomplished in the…  ( Click for more )

Is there a scriptural “promise” of persecution? Read on, “…you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.” Mat. 24:9-14Some interpret this passage as dealing primarily with end-times prophecy, but it also speaks to the…  ( Click for more )

What does it mean to be humble? Soft-spoken, considerate, understanding – or having no personal will, lacking ambition, and therefore weak and easily ignored? Contrary to popular opinion, being humble encompasses a strong sense of one’s own capabilities as well as understanding how best to use them; promoting modesty, and an unpretentious attitude. It has nothing to do with lack of knowledge or an inability to express ourselves and everything to do with clearly understanding who we are and how to combine our abilities with those of others to most effectively impact…  ( Click for more )

I often read newspaper editorials expressing viewpoints I don’t particularly agree with, trying to stay informed of what’s happening around me and aware of what others think. However, nationally published editorialist Kathleen Parker recently wrote an article I heartily agree with titled, It’s the Culture That’s Illegitimate! This week’s website article is based on her investigative reporting, some material repeated almost verbatim.

What a story! Teen girls make pregnancy pact! It captured our imaginations so readily not because it was…  ( Click for more )

In continuing our study of what appears to be contradictory instructions concerning our private and public relationships, let’s look to scripture for understanding.

“Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the father is not in him.” 1 John 2:15 For, “…don’t you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.” James 4:4

And yet, “God so loved the world that he gave his one…  ( Click for more )

Maintaining successful relationships can be difficult, the Bible being the place to learn how to develop them to the highest degree. But there is scripture that seems contrary in it’s depiction of our relationship to God in comparison to the love we have for our families, friends, and the world in general. It actually seems to encourage us to be antagonistic with many and to disregard those we love. Taken individually that might be the case but as in any serious study of scripture, when all the related references are taken into consideration, we get a deeper, more balanced…  ( Click for more )

I was recently challenged by an individual who felt my article on the need for repentance and a life lived well in appreciation of God’s mercy was too works-oriented. (And I must admit that my challenger was reacting to a two-part lesson without the benefit of the first part that set the stage for what followed; part I having been lost somewhere in cyberspace during transmission to this website. It has since been reposted, appearing June 6th.) Throughout, I noted the common themes of repentance and salvation running throughout both Testaments, virtually every promise of…  ( Click for more )

Scripture says, “…godliness with contentment is great gain.” 1 Timothy 6:6 But what does it mean to be content? Is it self-satisfaction? A lack of want or need? The absence of interruption and trouble? To a degree, I suppose being content embraces all the above, but scripture leads us to a realization of contentment in the midst of all these as well. Jesus cautioning us to, “…not let (our) hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”; promising “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you.” But not as the world gives it. (John 14:27)…  ( Click for more )