Health departments are serious about people washing their hands. It is not uncommon for Sharon and I to be away from home speaking at churches and sharing with Missouri Baptists. Every place we go, the facilities are marked with signs that encourage washing hands. Washing our hands is good hygiene. As followers of Christ, we also need to experience the washing of our hearts. Life is filled with plenty of moral distractions and intellectual traps that lure us away from a pure heart. Even … [Read more...]
Homosexuality: A gospel issue
It is a gospel issue. We must understand in no uncertain terms that to capitulate on the issue of same-sex marriage or “Gay Rights” legislation as has been proposed in Springfield is to abandon the gospel. This is not a civil rights issue. This is not discrimination. This is not bigotry or religious fanaticism. The acceptance of homosexuality as a legitimate alternative lifestyle is a rejection of the gospel. The Bible teaches very clearly that God created everyone and everything that … [Read more...]
Bible’s Christmas accounts ‘complementary’
NASHVILLE (BP) – A historian named Julius Africanus was among the first Christians to wonder why the stories of Jesus' birth in Matthew and Luke differ slightly. Around the year 200, Julius apparently sought Jesus' living relatives to ask them why the genealogies of Christ in the two Gospels aren't exactly the same. Was one of the accounts in error? Jesus' ancient relatives explained, according to the third-century church historian Eusebius, that the lineage of Joseph, Jesus' adoptive … [Read more...]
It’s no wonder there’s no wonder
In line. Again. Sometimes I wonder if I’m spending my entire Christmas season in line. Ready…set…WAIT. People do say it’s the season of wonder. I was in an express line at a department store the other day doing some intense wondering. First, I was wondering why they call it “express.” How express is the line if I’m in it for over half an hour? Second, I was wondering why there was mistletoe hanging at every checkout. What, they want to give me a smooch? Don’t take this the wrong way, but … [Read more...]
Six things to know about finishing well
Who wants to come to the end of something and say, “Oops!” Or, “I really messed up!” Or, “If only I had . . .” Whether you are talking about closing out an event, a career, a year, a life or a chapter in your life, you want to glance back over your shoulder and see that you finished well. Years ago, an author/speaker challenged me to consider my birthdate and the reality of my end date. Then he said, “What are you going to do with the middle?” He went on to say that no matter how you … [Read more...]
Kicking off the season – don’t pillage the village
We’re hardly past Halloween and it’s already started: the holiday shopping craze. Earlier every year, isn’t it? Now let me quickly point out that I can tolerate a lot of shopping. I actually have an extremely high threshold for that kind of thing. But I noticed a few weeks into last season’s Christmas shopping mania that my stamina had started to wane. I think a lot of it was because instead of “Christmas spirit,” a lot of the people I ran into had more of a “bliss-less spirit.” No … [Read more...]
New rifle and scope, but missing the mark
A buddy and I headed to the gun range the other day so I could show off my new rifle. I’d spent quite enough money on the rifle and scope, so I decided to save a few bucks by mounting the scope while sitting at the kitchen table instead of paying a professional to do the work. We warmed up with my buddy’s rifle, a tried-and-true beauty built from a 77-year-old German Mauser. He’s a far better marksman than I am, but I was hitting the target within 2 inches of my point-of-aim at 100 yards, … [Read more...]
Grateful Beyond Measure
“Your PET scan is clear.” When you’re facing the prospect of melanoma cancer cells exploding within your body, that is amazing news to hear. That is exactly what my Sugarbabyluv, my Sharon, was told this week. We are so grateful for the host of friends in Missouri and across the nation who took hold of the altar of God and pleaded for her healing. Thank you for being intercessors on our behalf. Using surgery, radiation, dietary changes and faith to address the tumor and rogue cells, we … [Read more...]
Live in fear or in faith, Yeats tells ministry wives
OSAGE BEACH – Strawberry salads with crumbled feta cheese were placed on tables to greet the women as they entered the Crystal Ballroom at Tan-Tar-A Resort. Candlelight flickered as part of the centerpiece and a framed keepsake message served as a reminder of what Christ calls His followers to do: “In the same way, let your light shine before men, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven” (Matt 5:16). The 2014 Ministry Wives Luncheon was held on Oct. 28 … [Read more...]
Making peace with the dishwasher door
Forget all those personality tests. Never mind the character studies. If you want insights into your own psyche, try the dishwasher. It’s a handy-dandy machine that can reveal what you’re really made of. All you have to do is follow these simple operating instructions: 1) Leave dishwasher door open. 2) Unwittingly apply shin forcefully to side of the open door. 3) Repeat as needed. There’s your temperament analysis. A few years ago there was a week or two when our dishwasher door wouldn’t … [Read more...]
Patiently Hanging on Every Word
If hanging onto reality is anything like hanging pictures, mine probably needs to go a little higher and to the right. I know, I know. There are all kinds of tools and methods to make picture-hanging easier. But I think I only feel I’ve put in the right amount of energy when I’m left with four or five holes for every one nail. Tap in a nail. Hang the picture. Eyeball it. Take down the picture. Pull out the nail. Put the nail closer to the right spot. Tap it in. Hang the picture. Eyeball … [Read more...]
Bible & generational curses
Many Christians struggling with addictive behaviors, bad relationships, or dire circumstances wonder if they are victims of generational curses. In other words, they worry that God is punishing them for the sins of their ancestors. Prosperity preachers like Joel Osteen lend credence to this notion. “The things you struggle with – they didn’t just happen to show up,” he says in a video message. “Somebody in your family line opened the door… . It will continue until somebody rises up and … [Read more...]
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