Being Christian Without Losing Your Mind
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We love because God first loved us. — 1 John 4:19 Churches should have an identity/mission statement. It should be something that reminds members of who they are as a congregation and what they should be focusing on. Here’s one: “Love Christ deeply, worship Christ passionately, serve Christ boldly.” But perhaps, for individual Christians, the simpler the better. Like …
This day belongs to the Lord! Let’s celebrate and be glad today. — Psalm 118:24 One of the biggest blessings from being a pastor is being privileged to have known–and learned from–some amazing people. One of those blessings was a saint I called “Grandma Tillie.” That’s her in the above picture and, as you can tell by my red-not-gray …
You are the one who created my innermost parts; you knit me together while I was still in my mother’s womb. — Psalm 139:13 To fear the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; she is created with the faithful in the womb. — Sirach 1:14 Awe and humility are the only proper response to nature shows. I’m absolutely …
I was watching a Netflix series called Department Q [WARNING: Spoiler alert]. I was enjoying its quirkiness…until the dramatic finish. The bad guy breaks into a room with a double-barreled shotgun. He’s no more than ten feet away from our hero. He fires and, amazingly, only hits the detective’s shoulder. A scuffle ensues and the …
When they came up out of the water, the Lord’s Spirit suddenly took Philip away. The eunuch never saw him again but went on his way rejoicing. Philip found himself in Azotus. — Acts 8:39-40 A side effect of getting older is losing control–of your body, your mind, your plans, your finances, your driving…well, you get the …
“Rather, you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” — Acts 1:18 Note what Jesus could have said when he was leaving them at the beginning of the Book of Acts. “…And you will …
NOTE: Last Wednesday I sent out a blog, If They Had Met in Prison, but due to a glitch only about half of our subscribers received it. If you were one of those who didn’t, you can read it HERE. *** Those who dwell on the far edges stand in awe of your acts. You make the …
In a bin of used books, a copy of Adolf Hitler’s infamous Mein Kampf caught my eye. Curious, I thumbed through the pages and read this: “No more than Nature desires the mating of weaker with stronger individuals, even less does she desire the blending of a higher with a lower race…Historical experience offers countless …
And whenever Jehudi read three or four columns of the scroll, the king would cut them off with a scribe’s knife and throw them into the firepot until the whole scroll was burned up. — Jeremiah 36:23 Here’s a little-known biblical incident. King Jehoiakim was annoyed by Jeremiah, because the prophet proclaimed judgment on the …
Gale-force winds arose, and waves crashed against the boat so that the boat was swamped. But Jesus was in the rear of the boat, sleeping on a pillow. — Mark 4:37-38 For most people, childhood was a golden, care-free time. And for many people, years after they leave home, they ask: What happened? Additional responsibilities burden the …