I know a few people who weep on Sunday: preachers whose sermons could have used a few more hours of preparation before delivery; homebound folks who would love to be in a worship service but cannot; workers who, by no choice of their own, must be on the job during times of Sunday worship. But…
I read recently an estimate of how many people are reading books on prayer these days and I wondered how many of these readers were actually praying. With amazon.com listing 48,000 books on Christian prayer for sale, there is no shortage of reading material, and new books are being published daily. Certainly writing and reading…
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…