EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the sixth column in a year-long series leading up to the 500th anniversary of the 16th-century Reformation on Oct. 31, 2017. When Martin Luther proclaimed the truth that God justifies sinners by faith alone, he declared also that Christians must follow Jesus amid the joys and storms of day-to-day life in the world. There was no place, any longer, for secluding oneself to seek a holy life in a cloister. Whereas medieval religion placed monastic solitude and celibacy … [Read more...]
Five reasons sermons fail
To preach is to occasionally lay an egg. Every preacher has felt it, and every preacher hopes to never feel it again. What did I do wrong? Why did the sermon flop? How do I avoid this ever happening again? These questions, and many more, hound the conscience of the preacher who’s delivered a still-born sermon. Unfortunately, I’ve not only been on the receiving end of a sermon flop, I’ve been on the delivering end also. From observation and experience, here are five reasons why sermons … [Read more...]
Greitens seeks church help in state prisons
Gov. Eric Greitens is calling on churches and other faith organizations to help reduce the recidivism rate among the state’s prison inmates and to help minister to the state’s first responders and troubled communities they serve. The governor’s invitation on both issues signaled a new day on both issues and at a time when the state’s recidivism rate is climbing and with law enforcement, in particular, facing unprecedented challenges. While details are yet to come, Greitens made his views … [Read more...]
Off the shelf, by the book
My favorite part of dusting the bookshelves in my office is the part where I never really do it. At all. And actually, it’s my personal belief that if there’s dust on a bookshelf, that means there aren’t enough books on it. Incidentally, I’m always on the lookout for more books. And for more reasons to buy more books. Okay yes, I may have a bit of a book problem. Some may think me “shelf-ish” (I know, I can’t believe I said it either). I think I’d rather call it a dust problem, but … [Read more...]
Deal with disappointment
“And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” – Romans 8:28 Following the last election, I saw a picture in a report on TV of a young lady who clearly had genuine fear in her eyes. She was afraid because her chosen candidate had not won. I felt sorry for her because she clearly did not know how to deal with her disappointment in not having her candidate win the election. Are we raising children who … [Read more...]
What will be said when this life is over?
What will be said about you when this life is over? Great question and worthy of evaluation. After all, for believers, we are really citizens of heaven just passing through on our way to an audience with the King of kings. What lingers behind us is the aroma of our testimony through our character and the influence we’ve had on others. The other day an editor friend of mine, Gary Ledbetter, wrote a short column about what people talk about at a person’s funeral (Southern Baptist Texan, … [Read more...]
Fake news and false prophets
News flash: Ireland is now accepting Trump refugees from the U.S. From our Washington bureau: Hillary Clinton sold weapons to ISIS while secretary of state. And in sports: The Chicago Cubs win the World Series. Fake news is everywhere. (Okay, that last story might be true.) And one of the biggest breaking stories of 2016 was the widespread impact of verifiably false news hosted on bogus websites and amplified through social media. “Yellow journalism” has long been with us – the use of … [Read more...]
A Bible worth reading in 2017
ESV Reader’s Bible, Six-Volume Set. Wheaton: Crossway, 2016. 3,364 pp. $199.99. A new year is a fitting time to take stock of your life, to think through where you are, where you want to go, and how you can get there. This is why January is the time of new gym memberships, diets, budgets, and other lifestyle changes. Spiritually, this is why January is also the time of Bible-reading plans, as believers seek to deepen their relationship with God by spending time in his Word. Like other … [Read more...]
Talking circles around knowledge
I’ve tried some of those idiot-proof tech products and you know what I’ve found? I’ve found that sometimes they grossly underestimate the power of a true tech-idiot. You have to be near genius level to even read the instructions on your average electronic device these days. And I’m talking about the instructions for the on/off switch. For a calculator. I’m pretty sure I heard somewhere that genius in all areas is 99% perspiration and 62% wishing you had listened in math class. And I would … [Read more...]
Luther’s declaration of Christian liberty
EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the fifth column in a year-long series leading up to the 500th anniversary of the 16th-century Reformation on Oct. 31, 2017. * * * In 1505, the young man Martin Luther, cowering before a thunderbolt, vowed to become a monk and a devout servant of the Catholic church under the headship of the Roman pontiff. Fifteen years later, in the summer of 1520, Pope Leo X launched his own thunderbolt at Luther in the form of an edict that denounced Luther as a … [Read more...]
Is baptism for the dead biblical?
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints teaches that baptism is essential to salvation. Since many people have died without being baptized, or because they were baptized outside the LDS Church, they cannot obtain exaltation, or godhood. However, “Because God is merciful, He has prepared a way for all people to receive the blessings of baptism,” according to the church’s official website. “By performing proxy baptisms in behalf of those who have died, Church members offer these … [Read more...]
Leaders candidly affirm power of prayer
There has been little that former Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon and I have agreed on when it comes to politics. He has led a party that continues to support abortion on demand, booed God at their national convention and undermined the will of the voters in 30-plus states – including Missouri – as the Democrats supported same-sex “marriage” by judicial fiat. However, we agree on one important issue: the power prayer. It was a blessing to be among the more than 600 people attending Nixon’s final … [Read more...]
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