Christmas is a costly celebration. It seems as though everyone from the lending institutions, to the counseling offices to the travel agencies makes money off Christmas. And the cost escalates each year. I read recently that if the gifts given in “The Twelve Days of Christmas” were purchased just once – from a partridge in…
One word I hear frequently spoken and sung at Christmas is the word “glory.” Among other places, it comes from John 1:14. After describing the origin of Jesus the scripture states, “We beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father . . .” Later Jesus prayed that those whom the…
In my book, The Prayer-Shaped Disciple, I list three reasons why ministers need a prayer support team: (1) leaders have a greater responsibility than followers, (2) spiritual leaders are more frequent victims of spiritual conflict, (3) because of their greater visibility, Satan loves to discredit leaders and damage their ministry. I want to challenge you…
I made an “F” on Thanksgiving again. Can’t seem to do any better than Family, Food, and Football. I overdosed on all of them, even to the point of digging out my old model train set to show my almost-four-year-old-grandson, who has recently become enamored with trains. My Dad attached my model train village to…
A few Thanksgivings ago I re-read Paul’s comments in Philippians 1:3, “I thank my God upon every remembrance of you . . .” Then I decided to do an out-of-the-ordinary thing, which has become an annual ritual. I selected a few people for whom I had been especially thankful that year and let them know…
I received an e-mail this past week informing me I had been nominated and elected to the Alumni Association of my alma mater, Howard Payne University in Brownwood, Texas. Do they do background checks for these positions? Like many, my college years were not the brightest lights on my tree. Too much freedom resulted in…
I’ve been thinking and reading about holiness lately. Holiness is not knowledge-Balaam had knowledge; nor great position-Judas Iscariot had position; nor doing many things-Herod did many things; nor zeal for certain religious matters-Jehu had zeal; nor outward respectability-the young ruler was respected; nor taking pleasure in hearing preachers-the Jews in Ezekiel’s day enjoyed that; nor…
I made my first visit to Vancouver in the late 70s. It was love at first sight, as well as an instant addition to my prayer list. If memory serves me correct, there were eight Southern Baptist churches in metro Vancouver in the late 70s. In recent years I have visited Vancouver at least once…
All along I thought I was having “senior moments.” This past week a friend told me that he didn’t have “senior moments,” but rather suffered from “intellectual interruptions.” Since I’ve had this problem long before I became a senior, I think I like the new term better. Whether your memory lapses are “senior moments” or…
Recently, a friend shared a quote with me – “Prayer is the slender nerve that moves the muscle of omnipotence.” I was impressed with the quote and being a professor who is in the habit of looking for footnotes, I asked who made the statement. He didn’t know. In curiosity, I began a search. I…