Discipleship
Re-Entering the World of Blogging
It was seven and half years ago that I stepped out of my comfort zone in a BIG way. I sent out my first blog. Here’s how it started: “Blogging is a new adventure for our church and certainly this pastor. I’ve recently advanced from the “Computer Illiterate” stage to the “Since things are being backed-up I’ll take a chance and try…
Adequate In Christ
Such confidence we have through Christ before God. Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God. 2 Corinthians 3:4-5 How do you respond to challenges that seem beyond your capabilities? Some people feel overwhelmed with a sense of inadequacy, and therefore give up and walk away from the situation. Others…
Take Up Your Cross
When Lucy and I took some time off last fall to spend a few days in the mountains we made our way to the botanical gardens near Asheville. One of the things that caught our attention was their large collection of Bonsai trees – very small trees that are grown in a pot by special methods to control their growth. Hours are spent on stunting the growth of those trees. As we…
Damascus Road
As you have therefore received Christ, [even] Jesus the Lord, [so] walk (regulate your lives and conduct yourselves) in union with and conformity to Him. Colossians 2:6 (Amplified) Each person is to seek to make his or her entire life a walk with Christ. To accomplish that, however, one must learn to walk four roads. 1. There is the Damascus Road – the road of…
Staying On Track
A retired minister was reviewing his many years in the ministry and commented: “I haven’t run as fast as some have run. I haven’t run as far as some have run. But, I have always stayed on track” It is human nature to compare our work and our accomplishments with the work and accomplishments of other people. If we have not done as well as they have done, it is easy to…
Are You Bugged?
Recently I had the opportunity to take a small group of senior adults from our church to Caswell for a retreat. When I’m down there I love, weather permitting, to get up early and go sit on the porch of the conference center and enjoy some quiet time with the Lord. The following is what I wrote in my spiritual journal one morning on this last visit [The Lord’s words are…
Under The Microscope
A pastor was helping out one of the farmers in his church. It was a crisp autumn morning. With previous instructions, the pastor came dressed in his overalls and work boots. The first undertaking of the day was to take three truckloads of corn to the grain elevator in town. The farmer and preacher climbed into the first truck and the hired hands got into the second and…
Being A Donkey For Jesus
A.W. Tozer, a great saint of God of yesteryear, once gave the illustration in which he referred to the first Palm Sunday on which Jesus rode into Jerusalem. The crowds began to shout “Hosanna”. The old donkey pricked up his ears. Some in the crowd threw their coats in the road; others spread out palm branches. “Well”, said the donkey, “I had no idea that they really…
The Busy Christian
Satan called a worldwide convention of demons. In his opening address he said, “We can’t keep Christians from going to church. We can’t keep them from reading their Bibles and knowing the truth. We can’t even keep them from forming an intimate relationship with their savior. Once they gain that connection with Jesus, our power over them is broken.”…
Does God Take A Summer Vacation?
Summer is upon us. I can just hear our school teachers and our kids shouting “Praise the Lord!!!!!” I trust this will be a wonderful summer for each of you. May the Lord give you some time away from your job, school, and weekly demands as you try to have some family time together. I trust during these warmer days that each of us will make the effort to see that our…