Righteousness Exalts a Nation

If you watch or read the news on a regular basis, you will see a world in turmoil. Political rhetoric is sharp and nasty. Depending on who you listen to, democracy and freedom are threatened from both the right and the left. On the international scene, wars and threats of violence abound.

Closer to home, the moral fabric of our society is crumbling. Crime permeates our communities. Marriages are failing, leaving children to grow up in broken homes. Sexual sins have become normalized. Cohabitation is common before marriage, with some questioning the need for marriage at all. Homosexuality,…

Developing Discernment

In our 1 Corinthians class we just finished studying chapter six, where Paul addresses problems with the Corinthian Christians taking each other to court.

Paul says in 6:1-6: “When one of you has a grievance against another, does he dare go to law before the unrighteous instead of the saints? Or do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world is to be judged by you, are you incompetent to try trivial cases? Do you not know that we are to judge angels? How much more, then, matters pertaining to this life! So if…

America has some towns with curious names. There’s Uncertain, Texas; Neutral, Kansas; and Likely, California. You can visit Why, Arizona or Whynot, North Carolina. You can take a trip to Normal, Illinois or Peculiar, Missouri. There’s even Somewhere, New York and Nowhere, Colorado. I’m sure every one of those places has a fascinating story behind its name, even if few people know it.

Well, how about a place called Test and Quarrel? The Place of Burning? The Graves of Craving? The Waters of Contention? None of those sounds like a place you’d want…

The Parable of the Older Brother

In Luke Chapter 15, Jesus tells three parables about lost things. They are usually called the Parable of the Lost Sheep, the Parable of the Lost Coin, and the Parable of the Prodigal Son. Jesus tells of a shepherd with 100 sheep who, losing one, seeks and finds it, and rejoices.  He tells of a woman with 10 coins who, losing one, seeks and finds it, and rejoices. Then he describes a man with two sons who loses one, the younger, to the allure of unearned wealth and reckless living. After squandering all, this son…

As he opens his first letter, the apostle Peter writes this about our salvation in Christ:

As to this salvation, the prophets who prophesied of the grace that would come to you made careful searches and inquiries, seeking to know what person or time the Spirit of Christ within them was indicating as He predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories to follow. It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves, but you, in these things which now have been announced to you through those who preached the…

A Calm and Quiet Soul

Psalm 131 “O Lord, my heart is not lifted up; my eyes are not raised too high; I do not occupy myself with things too great and too marvelous for me.  But I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with its mother; like a weaned child is my soul within me.  O Israel, hope in the Lord from this time forth and forevermore.” – a Psalm of David

After the last game of the regular season, all the players whose parents signed them up to be on the Little League All-Star Baseball Team…

“Be hospitable to one another without complaint” (1 Peter 4:9).

This simple instruction raises the question: Why would extending hospitality involve the danger of “complaining” or “grumbling”?

Because hospitality can be messy. Carpets or couches may get stained. Furniture or walls may get dinged. Dishes or knick-knacks may get broken. When you open your home to others, there’s probably going to be something to clean up afterward.

Because hospitality comes at a cost. It costs money — for food, or (in the case of overnight…

It’s All About Perspective

There were these two young fish swimming along and they happened to meet an older fish swimming the other way, who nods at them and says “Morning, boys. How’s the water?” And the two young fish swam on for a bit, and then eventually one of them looked over at the other and goes “What in the world is water?” In David Foster Wallace’s 2005 commencement speech to the graduating class at Kenyon College, he began his speech with this anecdote to explain that the most obvious, important realities are often the ones that are…

In Ezekiel 37 the prophet records a vision from God. In the vision, he was transported to a valley and saw that it was full of human bones. God had Ezekiel walk among them; everywhere he looked were dead, dry bones.

God asked, “Son of man, can these bones live?”

The natural answer would of course be, “No!” But Ezekiel, familiar as he was with God and His power, answered, “Lord God, only You know.”

God told Ezekiel to prophesy: “Thus says the Lord God to these…

Have you sinned? Do you feel guilty about it? What are you going to do about that?

You could try…

• Adam’s solution: Blame someone else (Genesis 3:11-12).
• Aaron’s solution: Claim that it “just happened” and that you were hardly involved (Exodus 32:21-24).
• Saul’s solution: Try to rationalize and justify your motives (1 Samuel 15:1-15).
• David’s solution: Cover it up (2 Samuel 11).
• Ahab’s solution: Attack those who are doing right in order to deflect attention from yourself…

Lessons from Cracker Barrel

Cracker Barrel has a special place in my heart. Strategically placed along the nation's busy interstates, Cracker Barrel restaurants were a safe choice among many suspect and questionable diners that dotted the roadsides during family road trips. The food was quality, the staff was friendly, and the peg game provided hours of fun. I spent many hours in those restaurants staring at walls adorned with an assortment of antique signs and tchotchkes, drinking root beer from a frosted glass, and rocking to and fro on the front porch.

For as long as I can remember, Cracker Barrels looked…

Do you suppose that I came to grant peace on earth? I tell you, no, but rather division; for from now on five members in one household will be divided, three against two and two against three. They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law. (Luke 12:51-53)

Did Jesus mean that he wants people to be at enmity with each other? Of course not. But, inevitably, he and his teaching divide people. Those who embrace him and those who reject…

Find Peace Through the Noise

Lately, it feels difficult to have a conversation that stays light for very long. It does not matter how ordinary the starting point is. Before long, it turns toward the news. A tragedy that just happened. Another story that leaves you shaking your head. Another reminder of how unsettled the world feels. Sometimes the conversation ends, but the weight does not. It lingers in our minds. You find yourself thinking about it later, replaying details you can’t change, carrying concern you do not know where to put. And over time, that quiet heaviness begins to feel…