RUMINATIONS OF A REVEREND

March madness begins this week and, if it starts out like previous tournaments, there will be a few blowouts in the first round. Whenever you watch such a game, you can almost pinpoint the time in the game where the losing team gives up hope of winning and accepts defeat. In high school games you’ll often notice the coach start pulling his starters and giving his backup players an opportunity for game experience. The coach and team have accepted the fact that they will lose and simply want to get it over with. However, on rare occasions, a team will still play as if they have a chance to win when in reality they don’t. I remember a basketball game where the losing team was down by about ten points with under ten seconds to play and they were still trying to pull off the win. They kept fouling and essentially making the deficit greater to overcome. But they did not want to accept that they were going to lose the game until the final buzzer sounded. I wonder if that’s how Satan ...

Exodus 2:23-25 If you’re anything like me and a lot of other believers I know, you have probably had that thought cross your mind before. Maybe you haven’t verbalized it in that way, but a similar thought went through your mind. I experienced a trying time in ministry back in the early 2000’s where I wondered where God was. The church I was serving was shrinking quickly, I had two young sons that I felt I was failing as a father, financially we were struggling to make it, and I had no idea what God’s plan for my future was. Did God truly know what I was going through? Intellectually, I understood the theological ramifications of omniscience (hey, I got A’s on my theology exams after all). I cognitively understood that an all-knowing God would know what I’m going through. But in that valley time of life you kind of wonder if God truly understands the heartache and pain you’re experiencing. The Israelites were struggling with that same question in Exodus 2. A new pharaoh h...

          This year my wife and I will celebrate our 25 th Anniversary. It’s not until December, but I’m trying to get a head start on planning (thoughtful husband that I am and all). On our wedding day the pastor preached from Colossians 3:1-3 (the scripture we selected for our wedding theme). Here is what Paul writes there: “ If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. 3 For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory .” (ESV)             Now I honestly don’t remember much from the sermon the pastor gave, but this passage has grabbed my attention afresh lately. I routinely wrestle with questions of discipleship and what the core principles and prac...

If you're a believer, don't call me a Christian. Now that I have your attention, let me elaborate on that statement. I'm currently reading through a Bible Reading Plan called "For the Love of God" and one of my scheduled readings today was in Acts 11. At the end of Acts 11:26 we read, " And in Antioch the disciples were first called  Christians ." (ESV) Now I've read that verse numerous times, but have you ever wondered why we don't see the label "Christian" used more often in the New Testament? In our world today, we hear that term used all the time, but we find it used only three times in the New Testament: here in Acts 11:26, in Acts 26:28, and finally in I Peter 4:16. In each of those places it is a term used by unbelievers to label disciples of Jesus. In Antioch, the disciples were labeled as Christians by the unbelievers in that area. In Acts 26:28, King Agrippa (an unbeliever) asked Paul if he was trying to persuade him to b...

One of my fears about borrowing an item from someone is that I'm going to break it. I've borrowed tillers, tools and even vehicles, and I worry about breaking something and having to tell the owner what happened. Even if the item is older and might break no matter who uses it, I just don't want to have it happen to me. My father taught me to try and return any item you borrow in better condition than what you received it. For the most part, I've tried to live by that principle, and that's probably why I fear breaking something that I borrow. In Luke 19:11-27, Jesus told a parable about a noble man who gave ten of his servants one mina each and ordered them to use this money he loaned them to earn more money. Essentially, they were to return the item back to the owner in better condition than what they received it. When you read the parable, you discover that Jesus is challenging His disciples to be good stewards of the gospel and invest the gospel in the lives of...

" For if I preach the gospel, that gives me no ground for boasting. For necessity is laid upon me. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel !" I Corinthians 9:16 The apostle Paul penned those words almost 2000 years ago in the infancy of the church amidst great persecution and opposition to the gospel. Preaching the gospel was not an easy and acceptable practice in his day. Many of the Jews and Jewish leaders opposed this teaching about Christ and actively sought to destroy it. Some of the Greeks just thought it was foolishness and many of the Roman leaders began seeing it as a threat. Yet, Paul continued to share the message of Jesus Christ the Son of God who became a man, died for the sins of humanity and rose on the third day. And despite the opposition and persecution he endured, he never saw this as doing something "above and beyond" his calling that deserved special recognition. Preaching the gospel wasn't perceived as something that he should boast about...

Some of my ideas or leadings seem to come at the last minute. I might be working on a sermon and get this idea to have someone share their testimony, which would perfectly illustrate my point. Unfortunately, it's Saturday afternoon that I think of this and very few are willing to share on that short of notice. My latest idea is no exception to the rule. As a church we usually try to do something to minister to people in our community around Thanksgiving. We have had Thanksgiving dinners at the church for those who had no place to go and we have even delivered prepared Thanksgiving meals to some who receive meals on wheels. This year, Lloyd and I were going to be out of town on Thanksgiving so preparing a meal for the community wasn't a great option. So I got the idea of giving out Thanksgiving Baskets to some people in our community and seeing if any of our LIFE groups would be interested taking up the cause. Of course this was last Wednesday, just a week before Thanksgiving....