Church Blog (Page 85)

In my Bible College days, I was invited occasionally to preach at the Cambridge Church of Christ. David Woodrow took notes, and with much love and encouragement, he would critique my sermons. One particular lesson was obviously not that good. But in order to make sure that I was in no way discouraged David said, “Compared to last week’s visiting speaker, that was great. His lesson was incoherent. It came across as if he had written down random scripture references…

A lady told me that a couple from a local church came to her door and asked if they could say a prayer to ‘Bless her house.’ She consented, bowed her head and, not being a believer, went through the motions. When returning a few days later she invited them in for a religious discussion. She didn’t like their perceived pushiness and told them so. When they left, she went to the window to watch them depart. She witnessed one…

“Sense of Duty.” I have always admired the commitment of soldiers. Understanding that when the need arises, they volunteer to place themselves in harm’s way. My father’s experience in WWII left him proud to have done his duty. But it came at great personal sacrifice. He was silenced by the experience, except for a number of good-memory stories he enjoyed telling. Duty costs! Duty is not dead. It may be misplaced and confused, but it still beats within the heart…

“Speaking for us.” No hints of political opinion or affiliation comes from our pulpit. Jesus is King, and the secular leaders in place are accepted as being under His sovereign rule.The problem with human commentary on secular leadership is that it is, at best, narrow, and short-sighted, and, at worst, selfish and a slur against God’s judgement. Thus, the call for absolute care when speaking for God and His church on the affairs of this world.The last thing we should…

“Friendships Tested.” Somewhere in my files is a class outline called, “Friendship.” I handed out the outline to the Morningside brethren at home group on a Wednesday night a good few years ago. It was the single best class that I’d taught up to that day. Being convinced that the magic was in the outline, I took it on the road when I visited congregations in the USA. It bombed! No matter what, I couldn’t get it to spark. It…

“60 years later.” Today I turned 60.Since God set life expectancy to 120 years after the flood, I plan on cashing in on my full quota – Lord willing. If I can make my 100th birthday in good condition, I believe grace and enough good habits will help me see out my final 20 years. Unless you determine to do otherwise, getting older will set your mind to looking back—admittedly, that’s where the stories are. But I have decided that…

Teachable…? There’s an old story of a young man seeking the wisdom of the ages. He had heard of an old wiseman who lived in the remotest part of the mountains. One famed to have all the answers to all of life’s questions. The young man searched for months and finally came upon him in a small hut. On arrival the young man was warmly welcomed and invited to sit down for tea. The young man talked incessantly and the…

Conversation – You are being heard. We were born for conversation.It is our two-way interactive audio-manual for life.When something is worth talking about it remains an essential ingredient in our lives. We seek out like-minded people who love what we love. But if something is not worth talking about, it is probably not worth much to us at all.Friendships are forged in conversations. It’s the meeting place of the heart and mind. Christians pray constantly for up-skilling in the art…

Convictions – You are being watched! Be they children, youth, young parents or the elderly, your convictions are being judged by someone somewhere.When “Follow me as I follow Christ!” is our battle cry, this becomes reason for rejoicing, not fear. If I progress in the knowledge and strength of the Lord, seek the same. We are in this spiritual war together.A ninety-foot-high statue is an impressive feat of engineering in anybody’s language (Daniel 3). All that those three Jewish boys…