Recent studies have shown that as high as 70% of young Protestant adults between the ages of 18 and 22 have stopped attending church regularly. How could this happen? We tried so hard to reach them – with slick slogans, casual worship clothing, shorter sermons accompanied with power point pictures and video clips, upbeat music…
My son is with Homeland Security and just completed four months of advanced training. At his recent graduation, the speaker said, “Hope is not a survival strategy.” We Christians talk much of hope. To hear it spoken in a negative context got my attention. So I thought through it again. Paul wrote, “Hope that is…
“Why didn’t God answer my prayer?” That was the question posed by the new Christian, although the question is not unique to new Christians. First of all, there is no such thing as unanswered prayer, in spite of the old hymn text by B.B. McKinney. Sometimes, God says “No” or “Wait” but those are answers….
A parenthesis is an explanatory word or clause inserted in a sentence for clarity, focus, direction, limitation. However, parentheses are not limited to grammar. Sometimes life gives you a parenthesis. Don’t resist the parentheses of life. If Moses had rebelled at a forty-year dessert parenthesis, we might not have the Ten Commandments. If Paul had…
I was at my seat in time for the National Anthem and a baseball game featuring a fireworks display following. National Anthem singers do have to audition but some slip through the cracks, or in this case, the music staff. It most definitely was the situation on that night. I’m sure the singer’s resume was…
My golf ball looks exactly like the one the pros use. It’s round and white and has dimples. It is even a Titleist ProV1. However, while the ball is similar, the similarities between my golf game and that of the professional ends there. There is a major difference. It is called “lie” but does not…
What fuels your day-to-day Christian life? Theological understanding? Trendy spirituality? Hyper-active servanthood? One of the most interesting Bible studies is to pose this question to what is written about the day-to-day Jesus. Especially during the early days of His public ministry, the record is punctuated with multiple references to Jesus leaving His disciples and finding…
My web site, which includes this Blog, was compromised again this past week. This has become all too frequent. In the words of the one hosting my web site, “I have never had any of my ‘money making’ sites compromised. But yours and another Christian site have been the target of numerous attacks!” I am…
Yesterday was Father’s Day. For sixty-one years I was blessed with a wonderful, earthly father. It’s hard to believe that he died nearly eight years ago, thirty minutes before my birthday. In many ways, he was my best friend – certainly when it came to talking church or sports. In fact, one of my most…
Events of recent days brought back to my memory a hymn from my youth. Anyone old enough to remember: “Loyalty, loyalty, loyalty for Christ?” Whether it’s a university’s athletic department switching conferences for the almighty TV dollar, a spouse switching partners for the lure of youth or status, or an institution cancelling the insurance premium…