RUMINATIONS OF A REVEREND

     Do you ever have seasons in your life when a certain song just seems to dig deep inside of you and minister to your spirit? You wake up in the morning singing the song in your head, and as you’re driving somewhere you turn on the radio and “Boom!” that song is playing. For me, right now, that song is “Run to the Father” by Cody Carnes. You’ve likely heard it and probably even sung it at your church some time. Here is a link if you haven’t heard it or simply want to hear it again: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HcpeLDp0Foo      The chorus goes like this: I run to the Father, I fall into grace. I'm done with the hiding No reason to wait. My heart needs a surgeon, My soul needs a friend, So I'll run to the Father again and again and again and again . OK, you can stop singing now. Well, maybe you can’t, but try and quiet the mental music enough to finish my blog : )      As a father myself, I remember the joy of coming home and having...

             I was visiting with an older lady who shared about her brother-in-law’s experience in World War 2. He was among the brave men that invaded Normandy to bring Hitler’s oppressive regime to an end. Along with other allied soldiers he marched from town to town liberating civilians and searching homes for axis troops. In one home, a Nazi soldier leapt from a loft bringing a knife down toward this man. The knife ripped through his shirt but never penetrated the skin. That was his only incident all the way to Berlin.             In his eighties, he developed health issues and visited the doctor. After the examination, the doctor asked about his physical activity and discovered the man was rather sedentary. As a result, the doctor said, “If you want to improve your health, you are going to need to get out and walk more.”             Th...

  Let your reasonableness  be known to everyone . Philippians 4:5             Paul writes those words in the context of pursuing peace: peace in the church and peace with those outside the church. One ingredient necessary for a tasty peaceful pie is reasonableness according to Paul. Some translations translate this Greek term with the word “gentleness.” The KJV translates it “moderation.” The ESV translates it “reasonableness.” Ralph Martin, in his commentary on Philippians, quotes L.H. Marshall to help define this term. The term is described as “fairmindedness, the attitude of a man who is charitable towards men’s faults and merciful in his judgment of their failings because he takes their whole situation into his reckoning.”             Did you catch that? Read it again and notice some key terms: charitable , merciful , their whole situation . Now couple that with another commen...

             We live in unusual times that have called for unusual measures to deal with the spread of COVID-19. The spread of the virus and the number of lives being lost has precipitated such measures. The unknown factors about the virus and the small window of time to implement mitigation have also pressured leaders to act quickly and implement radical measures like social distancing. The goal of such measures is a noble one that everyone agrees with– we must save lives.             I have no problem with our immediate desire to slow the spread of this deadly virus and minimize the fatalities. That certainly is understandable. But I do have a serious concern about the potential long term effects our current mitigation efforts may have if embraced as normative after the pandemic is over. After a vaccine is in use and the pandemic has ended, will people relate to each other again with a handsh...

Why aren't we crying out to the LORD for deliverance?      Don't misunderstand me. I'm not saying that no one is crying out to God during this COVID–19 pandemic. I know there are those who are. However, as I browse the internet and observe social media, I feel as if there is little calling to God to END this pandemic. I know Pope Francis recently made such a petition and others likely have as well, but most of what I see in Christian circles are resources on how to adjust our ministry during this pandemic. Calls to pray involve prayer for the sick, families, medical staff dealing with the situation, and wisdom for leaders. Those prayers are certainly important and needed, but there seems to be this resignation that the pandemic exists, will spread, and we have to trust our human efforts to deal with it. I don’t see the urgent cry among the church for God to intervene and end it immediately as only He can.      Certainly, God may be using this pandemic...

            Depending on who’s asking that question, the reply sprouts from a multitude of possibilities. If a parent is asking a young child, the child’s reply may simply be, “Help me tie my shoe.” If a store clerk is talking to a customer, the reply might be, “I want help picking out some items.” But what if the person asking that question was the Lord of the Universe, the King of kings, the One who holds all power in the palm of His hand? What would your reply be then?             This is the scenario we find twice in Mark 10. The first episode involves two young disciples, James and John. Some feel they were teenagers at this time, which there is some good arguments to support that idea. They come to Jesus (though Matthew 20 reveals they actually sent their mom) and ask Jesus to do whatever they ask Him. This may seem bold, yet on other occasions in the gospels Jesus encourages his disciples t...

“ One thing have I asked of the LORD, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to inquire in his temple .”              Psalm 27:4 My wife and I recently took in the sights, sounds, and smells of fall at Itasca State Park. I’ve grown to look forward to this fall activity, though there are years it doesn’t come to pass for various reasons. The trees filling the park explode with color in the fall: red, orange, pink, yellow, etc. It’s a smorgasbord for the eyes. I love it! When you behold something beautiful you sometimes get entranced by it. Have you ever witnessed a sunset that captured your attention or looked upon a mountain scene and just been in awe? Even manmade beauty can captivate us, whether it be a painting or a beautiful home or a finely crafted vehicle. Now think about David’s words in Psalm 27:...