Is there ever a good reason to despise someone? Maybe so. There seemed to be a good reason that the Jews despised Roman soldiers. The law said that a Roman soldier could require a Jewish citizen to carry the heavy military backpack for one mile. Many Jewish citizens had markers located one mile from their…
Yesterday was Mother’s Day. Even though my mother re-located to heaven seventeen years ago, she fits the description of Able of Old Testament days, “he being dead still speaks” (Hebrews 11:4). Although she had many memorable lines, her most remembered statement, reflecting her always-positive attitude, even in the midst of difficult circumstances, was “It will…
I had experienced what I determined to be a call from God to the ministry and was offered an opportunity to preach at the Star of Hope Mission in downtown Houston. Since I was still a teen-ager, my grandfather was strongly opposed to me doing so. I did what he may have thought disrespectful; I…
Most of the time, I succeed at what I plan. However, my preparation occasionally exceeds my performance. Has that ever happened to you? It happened to Jehoshaphat, when he was king of Judah. On one occasion, he tried to live up to the reputation of Solomon, who, as king of Israel, built ships and sent…
Have you noticed that in death, nearly everyone is spoken of in positive terms? Seems we are hesitant to say anything negative about one who is deceased. It reminds me of the rugged cowboy who attended the funeral of a scoundrel friend, one who had broken at least three-fourths of the laws in the Old…
Everyone grieves – some of us at the loss of a loved one to death, some at the loss of a job, some at a medical report, some at the betrayal or even attitude of a friend, some at the circumstances around them, and a multitude of other reasons. Grief is rather normal. It goes…
“Sending prayers your way.” I’m noticing this comment more and more, especially on Facebook and other social media. I know what the sender intends to say. At least, I sincerely hope they are not actually sending the prayers toward the person in need. If so, they should not expect an answer to their prayer. Only…
When someone shares too much information, they are often met with the initials, TMI. What happens when one shares too much vision? It’s an old, but still good, story. Might even be a true story. In the midst of his sermon, a preacher exclaimed, “If this church wants to be great, it needs to walk…
Beginning in pre-school (Kindergarten), and for many years following, my mother said the same thing to me very morning as I left the house. “Do the best you can, with what you have, where you are, for Jesus sake today.” Only recently, did I discover that she was paraphrasing a quote from Theodore Roosevelt. I’m…
I’ve always been suspicious of the “Prosperity Gospel,”- the belief that God wants every believer to prosper and all a believer has to do to prosper is trust God properly. There are two initial problems with that thinking: (1) It’s extremely difficult to consistently trust God properly and (2) if God’s blessings are delivered solely…