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Truth not enough?
1 Kings 22:7-8 “And Jehoshaphat said, Is there not here a prophet of the LORD besides, that we might inquire of him? And the king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat, There is yet one man, Micaiah the son of Imlah, by whom we may inquire of the LORD: but I hate him; for he doth not prophesy good concerning me, but evil. And Jehoshaphat said, Let not the king say so.” May I ask: Is truth based upon what is palatable? Is the word any less true if it doesn’t suit our disposition? Have we as 21st century Christians become…
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… the response …
The emotional roller coaster was in full display the day Israel left Egypt. Each plague wrought havoc on the Egyptian family while Israel stood unscathed. Ultimately, they left carrying the treasures of their captors. One cannot imagine the exhilaration of that moment. Freedom. Then came the Red Sea; that impassible obstacle. To make matters worse a cloud of dust confirmed that pharaoh had changed his mind. Death was on the way and Israel knew it. Instead of thanking Moses for bringing them out, they sought to stone him. Instead of seeking his counsel for God’s next move, they desired to…
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Thumbs Up!
Thumbs Up! Isn’t it great to be validated by other people? What a wonderful feeling to have a “thumbs up” attached to our posts, pictures, and shared thoughts. In fact, the more “Likes” must mean we are doing good. Right? It is said that everything is defensible if enough people say so and everything is appropriate, cogent, and credible if the vast majority of replies send their affirmative emoji. Who could argue with a thousand thumbs! Peter and John thought otherwise. After being rebuked; put in prison; held until the next day; openly forbidden to preach in the name of…
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…. lack of vision ….
The famed preacher declared the effects of a lack of vision. He wrote that without a vision the people perish. Those words inspired a thousand sermons and lessons alike. The vision message entailed the future; a plan for the body; and a destination to reach. Many purport that all healthy organizations hinge on “visionary leadership.” Business models speak of early adopters and the bell-curve of rejection. All of it coming from the inception of the vision. Today, the message seems caught in a spiral of motivational speeches and well-intended strategies. Something is missing. We find it in David’s reply to…
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The Way
Some months ago, a pastor friend of mine met with a family. They had decided that outward holiness was no longer necessary and church attendance was optional. They told him that they were spiritual people and had a personal relationship with Jesus Christ on their own. Their conclusion was that they no longer needed to be “under a man’s authority” and they were not interested in submitting to a regular service or worship schedule. Philip Bump wrote in the Washington Post that this has become a 15-year trend. “The decline in church attendance has followed a decline in biblical belief.”…
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… Great Depression ….
September 3, 1929 was the last day of an eight-year gain in the American Stock Market. By October of that same year, a mere four weeks later, the stock market was in a slide from which it would not quickly recover. The whole thing crashed as America plummeted into the Great Depression. A very smart man from Yale University, however, said that everything would return to normal. His name was Irving Fisher. His infamous statements were that investors had nothing to worry about; that the Market would bounce back. Fisher thought the indicators didn’t matter. He said the slide was…
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A Conversation …..
The ancient libraries of Alexandria and Pergamum are a faded memory to our current “screen-age” society. Perhaps all printed material is destined for the same. Paper books took a tumble in 2007 when Amazon’s Kindle was released. The stacks of daily papers at corner newsstands; the early morning paper routes hosting a thousand kids on bicycles; and the rush to read the front page seems to have withered in light of 24-hour cable news and instant computer updates. Gutenberg has certainly lost his place in this “cut & paste” digital age. There is so much information available today that it…
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“These Stones”
It must have been some sight when the priests stood in the middle of the parted Jordan River holding the Ark of the Covenant. Joshua led the people across on dry ground as the whole of Israel took their first steps into the land of Canaan. Their promise came by way of yet another miracle. Before the priests left their post, Joshua commanded the leaders from each tribe to gather large stones from the middle of the river’s bed and build a monument along the shore. Joshua said, “When your children ask you the meaning of these stones, tell them…
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Death By Self
Another tragedy unfolded last month along the cliffs of the Rock National Lakeshore Park in Michigan. A hiker stopped to take a selfie and fell to their death some 200 ft below. While the death toll is small, it appears that at least 54 people have now died taking selfies with about 5 deaths added per year. These losses are not in the same category as fatalities via heart disease, cancer, or automobile accidents. They cannot be listed as medically related or suicide/homicide. Instead, it seems that people are dying, howbeit few in number, by self-entertainment. The incidents are occurring…
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The Hand …
Something about the hand that garnished the attention of the biblical writers. God’s hand; the hand of man; the hand of pharaoh and that of the enemy are all descriptive terms. Elijah’s promised vision came when he saw a cloud the size of a man’s hand rise from the sea. The hands of people are described by the aged novelist as healing or hurting. This appendage with 27 bones, not including the sesamoid bone, is the means by which we eat, write, work, and so much more. Hands are critical to both the physical and spiritual body. Nevertheless, of all…