By the end of the week, millions of Valentine cards will be bought and sold to express our love and care for people in our sphere of relationships, especially our spouses. For married couples, there is something that has better impact on intimacy than a Valentine card or a pre-paid Master Card. We learn this activity from the Lord Jesus. When Jesus interacts with people, what does He do to peel back the veneer and get to the heart of an issue or the depth of personal persona? He asks … [Read more...]
Don’t let envy be our poison ivy
I love yard work. I never lack amazement at the grandeur of God’s creation – even in my rocky backyard. But amidst the beauty of it all, I do not understand it all. For example, I have yet to discover any value in poison ivy. Once I get a little, it quickly turns into a lot – of misery. The spreading blisters and itching can last for weeks. I’m itching now, just thinking about it. It is the same way with poison envy. I say poison because envy is just that to our lives. Once it gets on us … [Read more...]
Reputation affects relationships
“A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches, Loving favor rather than silver and gold. – Proverbs 22:1 (NKJV) We seldom think about children having a reputation, but they certainly do! I clearly remember teachers talking about children during the years I taught in public school. “I heard you got ____ this year! Good luck! He is really hard to handle!” “________was always late for class! Those parents always complained about the teacher. They didn’t seem to do much to … [Read more...]
The SECURE Act may impact your retirement
My father recently gave me a picture of my grandfather with a golf iron in his hand hitting a loaf of Weber’s Bread. It was 1975, and he was retiring after 26 years of employment with Weber Bread in Southern California and prior with Colonial Bread in Arkansas. Papa lived another 28 years on a modest retirement income until he passed away at the age of 91. He was able to live comfortably, care for himself, enjoy his two sons and his six grandchildren, and regularly enjoyed prime seats … [Read more...]
Where life is given hope for tomorrow
Christians throughout the United States observe January as Sanctity of Human Life Month. This is an opportunity for churches to remember the millions of lives lost to abortion since 1973. It is important for us to not only remember the lives lost, but to pray and provide the resources needed by young mothers so they will not see abortion as an answer to their situations. The LIGHT House is on the front lines, working with young women and their families in sharing the truth about the … [Read more...]
From cover to cover
“You’re going to cover that, right?” Standard microwave-operating question. It’s actually more command than question. And I don’t think the answer should ever be “no.” Especially if it’s a lasagna reheat. Heating uncovered lasagna in the microwave leaves a tiny-little murder scene. Still, through the years—more than once, even—I’ve heard one of my family members answer something like, “It’s fine. I’m only heating it for a few seconds.” I picture myself stringing tiny crime scene tape. So … [Read more...]
Kneel for the Lost
In recent days, Sharon and I went to a prayer meeting at the Jerusalem Prayer Center in Israel. The place was a large house on Embassy Row that was formerly the consulate for a European country. Now, it has been converted into a beautiful location for prayer. The staff was very grateful for the Missouri Baptists that volunteered and assisted with the construction of a garden at the facility. Those who supervised the place reminded our group that we needed to be quiet because some people … [Read more...]
Expanded gambling threatens Missouri families
From the first day The Pathway began publishing, God has impressed upon us to use it to warn His Church of impending danger. The moral issues facing American society have grown exponentially in recent decades, posing challenges to a biblical worldview.The Pathway strives to provide Missouri Southern Baptists with biblical answers to society’s problems. The Pathway staff sees ourselves as watchmen in the watchtower, as described in Ezekiel 33. We feel called to warn the Church of sin and … [Read more...]
IMB missionary: ‘I’ll continue to pray’
CENTRAL ASIA – Praying in the local language is one of the hardest things I’ve done on the mission field. My face has flushed hot with embarrassment as I trip over grammar and falter over each word. I can’t count how many times I’ve wondered if any of the spiritual words I’m stringing together in prayer make sense. But I’m convinced praying in the local language is one of the most important things I’ve done. I recently visited my neighbor who had just celebrated her 98th birthday. She … [Read more...]
Five ways to cultivate a culture of discipleship
American churches are in crisis. Nearly 4,000 churches close every year in North America. Ed Stetzer estimates that 70 percent to 80 percent of all evangelical churches in the U.S. have either stopped growing or are in decline! We are in a crisis of discipleship. I believe with all my heart, a return to transformational leadership and biblical disciple-making will enact a 21st- century Reformation. If disciple-making is our focus, then it ought to be one of our highest priories in every … [Read more...]
Checking our mind-settings
Is putting my vitamins in baggies and keeping them in my computer bag a healthy use of my devices? I figure if I’m constantly reaching for a phone or a computer and those vitamins are in there, I’ll remember to take them, right? But is there a vitamin I can put in that bag—an essential oil somewhere, maybe?—that will help me remember to actually swallow those vitamins? Or even better, how about a pill to prevent me from searching for my phone while I’m holding it? Not that I ever do that. … [Read more...]
A heritage is like a relay team
As I read the following quote from Eugene Peterson in a Paula Hemphill post, I was captivated by its simple truth: “Without a cultivated memory, we live from hand to mouth on fad and novelty. But Christians don’t sprint out of the starting blocks in each generation in a race for heaven. We are on a relay team. We have a heritage, a richly composted family history.”* She went on to say that the quote resonated deeply in her heart. And her mission is focused on passing on a love for God’s … [Read more...]
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