It's time to come home

 The biblical story of the Prodigal Son is one of my favorite Bible stories. Like many of us, this individual decided to try everything the world had to offer, and he found it wasn't enough. It wasn't long until he had spent his entire inheritance, lost all his friends, and found himself in a pigpen. Not a good place for a good Jewish boy. Many of us have found ourselves in life's pigpens because of choices we have made. We thought we were enjoying the good life until we learned the good life promised more than it could deliver. At the end of the day we were in the pigpen of life. We looked in the mirror and didn't like what we saw. We laid down at night trying to sleep, but all we could do was replay the bad decisions over and over again we had made. Some, seeing no way out, sink into deep depression, and a few may even consider taking their lives to make the pain go away. There is a better way.

In the story of the Prodigal Son we read that "he came to himself." He remembered that in his father's house the servants had plenty to eat. Maybe he no longer deserved to be considered his father's son, but perhaps his father would take him back as one of the servants. He began to return home, and when he was close enough for his father to recognize him, the father ran to him, embraced him and welcomed him back as his son.

You can also return home. Maybe you have wandered far from God in the choices you have made, and wonder if God would ever accept you. The answer is yes! Just as the father in our biblical story was looking for his son, God is always looking for anyone who wants to come to Him. Contrary to what some might tell you, God does not hate you for the choices you've made in life. He loves you. He wants you to come to Him, and when you do He will welcome you with open arms. If you will but ask, God will forgive you of all your sins and receive you into His forever family.

For anyone who might be reading my blog for the first time, I recently started as the Transitional Pastor of North Madison Baptist Church in Madison, Indiana. Individuals who are ready to return home to God are exactly the persons we want to reach. We could care less about your past. We are only interested in helping you move into a growing relationship with God through Jesus Christ. We don't care about your background, the choices you made in the past or the struggles you may be facing now. We are interested in you. God loves you just the way you are, but He loves you too much to leave you there. We feel the same way.

If you are ready to come home, but aren't sure how, please contact me through this blog. If you live in the area and want to attend our worship service, it begins at 10:30 on Sunday morning. I would love to know you and answer any questions you might have about how to experience God in a fresh, new way. You are loved, by God and by me.

It's OK to Fail

 A story I often tell when I'm speaking at a pastor's gathering concerns a time when I was a deacon in a church I attended. A little girl made a profession of faith at our VBS one year, and before the pastor would agree to baptize her he wanted to speak to her mother. He asked if I would go with him which I agreed to do so. The mother and her daughter lived in a government-assisted apartment complex near our church. When the pastor explained the reason for our visit, the mother was pleased that her daughter had accepted Christ and wanted to be baptized, but she had one question. "Will she become a member of your church?" The pastor said not necessarily but asked why she had that question.

The mother explained she had been an active member of a church in our county when her husband filed for divorce. The next Sunday she felt she had walked into a freezer. No one spoke to her, and during the following weeks she realized they really didn't want her there. She commented she felt like she had a large, bright red D stamped on her forehead. She had been deeply hurt by her church, and she did not want her daughter to experience that same pain.

Jumping several years later, for my doctoral project I coached a number of bivocational ministers and wrote about the experience for my dissertation. One of the persons I selected to coach was a female pastor of a very small church out west. In one of our sessions I asked her what would she most like to do in ministry. She responded that she would like to pastor a church that would reach out to persons who had been hurt by the church. I laughed when she said that and explained that if she ever did that her church wouldn't be small for long because there are many in every community who have been hurt by the church.

Unfortunately, many in the church have forgotten that each of us are the recipients of God's grace. Because we forget that we often fail to extend that same grace to others when they experience a failure in their lives. One of the most important things a church can do is to offer someone a safe place to fail.

Jesus said He did not come for the healthy but for the sick and those broken by life. We find His kindest words to those who were caught up in sin and who had failed in life. His harshest words were to those who thought they had no sin, no failure in their lives. This is an example the church needs to follow.

I remember a Christmas special that ran on TV for years. I hope it still does. In the special there was a place known as "The Isle of Misfit Toys." It was a place where toys that weren't perfect went because no one wanted them. Of course, by the end of the special these toys found a home.

The church should be a place of misfit people. People who haven't got it all together. People who struggle with life. People who are broken and need healing. People who have failed and need to be loved. These are the people for whom Jesus Christ gave His life that they might find healing, hope, forgiveness and salvation.

I hope your church is such a place.

From whence comes our help?

 Evil stalks the land. Ungodly rulers govern nations. Injustice prevails. Violence is felt all around us. Wars and rumors of wars make the national news. Hatred and greed fill the hearts of men and women. Every form of immorality is promoted as normal and praised. Evil is called good and good is called evil. Churches are burned to the ground, Christians are slaughtered and persecuted, and their cries are ignored. The teachings of Scripture are mocked and ignored. Churches abandon the clear teaching of the Scriptures and proclaim the messages desired by those with itching ears. Is there any hope for mankind, and if so where does this hope to be found?

Ps. 121:1 tells us, "I will lift up my eyes to the hills - from whence comes my help? My help comes from the Lord who made heaven and earth." Our hope comes from God. The message of hope the world desperately needs can only come from the church as we proclaim the clear message of salvation that is found in the Word of God. The answers to the world's problems will not come from the White House, the State House or the Courthouse; those answers can only come from God's house.

When Jesus spoke to His disciples about the end of times in Matthew 24 He made it clear that in the midst of the chaos of those times the gospel of the kingdom was to be preached. This is what we are called to do. Without apology or fear, we who are called to preach the gospel must do so boldly and without compromise. This is the time the church must rise up and be the church God called it to be offering hope, forgiveness and salvation to a lost and dying world.

We have allowed our culture to silence the prophetic voice of the church, and we see the ruin of that all around us. As the voice of the church has been silenced we have seen the pain of people increased. Like sheep without a shepherd, they wander aimlessly looking for answers to life's problems, and finding none they draw back within themselves, self-medicating their pain with whatever brings them momentary pleasure.

We cannot afford to be silent any longer. People for whom Jesus Christ gave His life are hurting. They are burdened down with life, and they need the hope that only the gospel can provide. We need to proclaim that hope, not only within our buildings but in every area of society. The marketplace needs to hear it as well as the Sunday school classroom. The halls of government need to hear it as well as those sitting in our sanctuaries. The school board meetings need to hear it as much as those in our small groups.

Not only do we need to proclaim the truths found in God's Word, we need to be in prayer for the future of our nation and the world around us. 2 Chronicles 7: 14 is still in our Bibles. It has been said that the army of God marches best when it is on its knees. We need to pray for revival, an outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon this nation that will convict men and women of their sins and lead to repentance. We need that same revival in our churches.

I want to challenge the readers of this post to pray and ask God how He would have your respond the to the events we see unfolding all around us. Seek His guidance and courageously begin to live into that direction.

Our words are powerful

In a lecture a Rabbi asked his audience if they could go 24 hours without saying anything unkind to or about someone. Some admitted they could not. He explained that if he had asked if they could go 24 without drinking alcohol and they could not they would have to admit they were an alcoholic. If they cannot go that long without speaking unkindly about others then they need to admit they cannot control their tongue.

The same is true when we are speaking to ourselves. In fact, some say that the most impactful conversations we have each day are the ones we have with ourselves. When we speak negatively to ourselves about ourselves we begin to believe that those things are true. If you frequently tell yourself that you are a failure, or that you are stupid, or that you can't do anything right or that you don't deserve to be loved, you are going to believe those things about yourselves, and it will be very difficult to rise above those beliefs.

Sometimes we say those things to ourselves because others have spoken them into us. People who were raised in a family that kept saying negative and hurtful things to them grow up often believing such things. They continue replaying that audio loop they were raised with and return to that every time things don't work out the way they had hoped. In time, they may even quit trying to rise above those negative beliefs they have about themselves.

If you are someone who struggles with negative self-talk I encourage you to begin today speaking positive things into your spirit. An excellent place to begin is with Scripture. The Bible tells us we are fearfully and wonderfully made. It reminds us that nothing can separate us from the love of God. We read in Scripture that we are a people chosen by God. There are hundreds of positive affirmations in Scripture that apply to each one of us. Search out those affirmations, and as you read them substitute your name in the Scripture. For instance, "Nothing can separate Dennis from the love of God." Begin each day speaking these biblically positive comments to yourself. Write them on index cards to review during the day, especially when things may not be going well.

If you will do this it can turn your life around and fill you with renewed hope and confidence.

Addicts in the church

 Many of the stories one hears about addicts and the difficulties they have seem to focus on those who are homeless, without families, living in poverty and usually outside the church. However, it is likely that there are people sitting in our congregations every week who are addicts. They go to work every day, they are involved in church activities, they appear to have solid families, and it seems they have their lives together. However, they are still addicts. What can your church do to minister to them?

When you first hear the term addict you may immediately think of someone addicted to drugs or alcohol. Yes, you may have some of those folks in your church, but we need realize that a person can be addicted to many things that, in themselves, may not be harmful but still present a challenge to live a God-honoring life.

For instance, many people are addicted to shopping. They practice what I often call "retail therapy." I know one faithful Christian lady whose house was overflowing with things she had bought late at night on a TV shopping channel. She didn't have one of something; she had 10-12 of the same item, all in the original package. A family member told me they had hauled several dumpsters of things out before selling the rest at auction. I do not know what battles this lady had, but it seems she was trying to overcome those battles with a shopping addiction.

A very common addiction today is to social media and electronics. The amount of time people spend on social media and their electronic devices is staggering. In my book Is Your Church Ready for Ministry in the Coming Decade? I share some statistics that demonstrate how prevalent this addiction is. While it might be found more in younger people, it affects people of all generations.

The list of potential addictions is endless and would include many things which are not harmful in themselves. One of the dangers of addictions is that they take our focus away from God and place it on the things we desire more. In effect, these addictions become our gods. We bow down to them and worship them. We become devoted to them. They take over our lives. The rob us of the best God desires for us.

I included a chapter on addictions in the above mentioned book because I do not find many churches addressing the problem except as it relates to alcohol, drugs, pornography and other harmful behaviors. Yet, studies indicate that there are many in our churches who have no problem with those things but are addicts nonetheless. We need to offer these individuals help as well. Satan uses these addictions to pull people away from God, and we need to let them know that and help them break those addictions.

The book includes several other ministry needs that are taking on more importance as we continue through the 21st century. It is available only as an eBook and is being well received by church leaders. As we enter into a new year it's my hope the church becomes more intentional about addressing the challenges people are facing and helping them find biblical solutions to those challenges.

You can't move forward looking in your rearview mirror.

One of my favorite Bible verses is found in Philippians 3: 13-14 in which Paul writes, "one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." He understood that he could not accomplish the tasks God had for him if he spent his time focusing on the past events of his life. This is a lesson for each of us and our churches."

Zig Ziglar used to say, "Yesterday ended last night. Today is a brand new day and it's yours." There is no one who would not like to be able to change things about our past, but the truth is we can't. We cannot undo past mistakes. We cannot change past hurts. They are part of our lives, but they do not have to control our present opportunities, and they do not have to dictate our futures.

As I mentioned in this blog last week, as a denominational leader I worked with many churches that had painful events take place in their past. Pastors had failed them. Church controllers had abused them. Some had wandered for years with no sense of vision for ministry.

In other churches, they had enjoyed a great ministry in the past but had seen things change dramatically in recent years. One pastor served a church that was once one of the leading churches in the community with a sanctuary that seated over 600 people. Now, they were lucky to have 50 people worshiping on Sundays. Many in their congregation grieved over their loss and could not see a positive future.

I think of the families with whom I've served as a pastor who had such wonderful hopes for the future but were stuck in painful memories of broken dreams due to affairs, children who made poor choices, and other setbacks. They could see no hope of a better future as all they could see was the mistakes of the past.

Again, I wrote last week that our present circumstances do not define us unless we allow them to do so. Certainly, they can affect us, but if we respond to them properly all they can do is to determine where we begin as we move forward into a better future.

The apostle Paul had made mistakes in his past, but he refused to allow those mistakes to keep him from achieving what he knew to be God's plans for his future. Refusing to focus on the past he was determined to keep his eyes on the goals set before him. This should be the mindset of every church and every believer. We can only more forward by keeping our focus on the future, not the past. We cannot move forward by looking in the rearview mirrors of our lives.

What does your church plan to do the last half of 2020?

If 2020 was a computer I think most of us would want to do a reboot. What a mess, and it's not likely to get much better since it's an election year. My question in the title isn't an easy one to answer because no one knows what the rest of the year will hold, but it's still a question church leaders need to be asking. Let me answer it the way I think I would answer it if I was still the pastor of a church.

I would begin with the mindset that a lot of people are frightened. Between the pandemic, the rioting in the streets, the escalating violence, the businesses being closed forcing people out of work, the continued gridlock in the political world due to our electing children to office, and the news media breathlessly telling us each night how the world is going to hell in a hand-basket, people are frightened.

With this in mind I would want to bring the people messages of encouragement and hope. I would want to remind them that God is still God, and nothing going on in this world is going to change that. The church is in a very unique position right now because it is the only entity that can deliver a message of hope to the people. The media certainly isn't interested in bringing messages of hope. Neither is the political world. In fact, they have no hope to offer. The church does. I have preached many sermons from 1 Peter 1:3 which reads, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead." This is not a dead hope, but a living hope that is ours because Jesus Christ rose from the dead!

In that same sermon I also remind them of the words found in Romans 15: 13, "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." Right now you probably know a lot of people who not only want hope in their lives but also joy and peace. Well...here it is. You should note that we are to overflow with this hope. Why do we need to overflow? So we can splash some of it on those we meet who do not share our hope. People need hope, and the church is the one place that can offer it to them through the person of Jesus Christ.

The second thing I would do is to share the gospel with as many people as possible. Yes, I'm talking about evangelism, something we talk about more than we actually do. When people are in crisis they are more open to hearing the gospel, and many people are in crisis right now. This window of opportunity may not be open very long. Our nation, our world, needs God, and the church is called to bring people to Him. Let's be about the work our Lord gave us.

The third thing I would do is call the church to prayer. Like evangelism, prayer is something many of us talk about more than we do. If there was ever a time the church needs to take 2 Chronicles 7: 14 seriously, it is now. We need prayer warriors who will seek  the face of God asking Him to heal our land.

The fourth thing I would do is to help our church understand the challenges the church is going to face in the coming decade and how to effectively minister to those challenges. I've actually written a book about that very topic that I'm trying to get published, but so far I've not found a publisher or an agent interested in it. I firmly believe that ministry in the next ten years will look much different than past ministry has been, and if we try to just keep doing what we've done in the past we will fail to impact our world.

Focusing on those four things would probably be enough for the next six months!

Is your church ready for the future?

Churches and denominations have spent a lot of time in recent weeks talking about what the future holds for the church when this pandemic is over. It's probably a good discussion to have, but it misses an important point that many are overlooking. With or without the challenges brought about by the pandemic, the church is moving into difficult waters as it is going to be confronted with a growing number of challenges in the coming years. These have nothing to do with church structures or systems, They have everything to do with the culture in which we will minister.

I just finished writing a new book this week with the working title of Is Your Church Ready for Ministry in the Coming Decade? I am now in the process of contacting publishers and literary agents to see if anyone is interested in the book.

The book looks at some of the issues that I believe the church will have to confront in the next decade if it wishes to be relevant to our culture. Many of these are not new issues, but they are issues the church has either refused to address in the past or failed to adequately address. Many of them are quite disruptive, even now, and will become more so in the near future.

Some of the issues I mention are the growing divide between races in this country, the church's response to the mental health crisis affecting the nation, poverty issues, widespread addiction, the breakdown of the traditional family, the growing acts of violence sweeping the nation, sexual and gender issues, the level of distrust of authority in both government and the church, including that directed towards God and the Scriptures, and the increasing attacks on religious freedom that we are experiencing.

For too long the church has sat around wringing its hands complaining about these things but doing little about them. For instance, a study of 500 churches 98.4 percent of the pastors said they knew of people in their congregation dealing with some form of mental illness or disorder. Yet, only 12.5 percent of these pastors reported their churches ever discussed mental health issues openly.

A similar discrepancy exists when it comes to race issues. In another study only four percent of white Protestants identified racism as an issue while one-third of African-American Protestants said it was an issue. Of that number, twenty-five percent said it was the most important issue Christians needed to address. It's hard to fix a problem if people are not aware there is a problem.

Many of the challenges mentioned in the book are not new. In fact, the first-century church faced many of these same issues as has the church throughout history. But, these problems are getting worse, and as our population continues to increase I believe they will become even greater problems in the future. My other concern is that much of the church isn't ready to face them. In fact, we've often tried to avoid them or we've addressed them using the wrong tactics.

I try to offer solutions that will honor both biblical truth and grace. Sometimes, the solution can be a little messy and make some folks in the church uncomfortable, but I believe they offer the best opportunity to help people find real answers to their situations.

Please pray with me that this book will find a publisher. I believe it contains a much needed message for the church as it prepares to minister in the coming years.

Spending Easter at home

Yesterday was the first time we have not spent Easter with family. I'm sure many of you could say the same thing. We facetimed our daughter's family and received pictures from them of the kids looking for Easter eggs in their yard. We talked with our son and heard about his Easter day with his kids. My wife fixed a wonderful Easter dinner for the two of us. It was a good day, but it wasn't the same.

I watched a couple of Easter services. One was our local church which was well done. The other was Franklin Graham speaking from Central Park in New York. Behind him were the tents his ministry had provided to be used for a portable hospital to treat patients with the coronavirus. I thought they made a wonderful backdrop for his message of hope and forgiveness.

So many churches have been quite active in responding to this pandemic. Churches, both large and small, have made sure people had food. Some have been busy getting food for those who cannot get out and placing it on their porches. Many have made concerted efforts to check on those who live alone or might be more susceptible to the disease. I called one pastor to check on him. He didn't answer but called me back in a few minutes. He explained he was on the phone with a lady who lives alone and has health issues. It was her birthday, and he wanted to wish her a happy birthday and make sure she was doing OK. That story can be told thousands of times across the country. Some churches have worked to provide PPE for hospitals and first responders. Prayer drives around hospitals have occurred in different places organized by local churches. Churches quickly moved to obtain the equipment and knowledge to be able to livestream their services to offer hope and encouragement to people. Many churches are engaged in ministries we never hear about.

Some people criticize the church saying it does nothing for people, but this crisis certainly proves otherwise. The church has been active as the hands and feet of Jesus Christ. It has been doing exactly what Christ called it to do: to love our neighbor as ourselves and to do unto others what we would want them to do unto us.

Yesterday was not the Easter many of us have known in the past, but it didn't change the reality of the Easter message. Our Savior is alive! It is through Him that we find hope and peace in trying times. It is because He lives that we can experience forgiveness and salvation. It is because of Him that the church is reaching out ministering to people during this crisis providing the spiritual and physical things they need to survive this.

You will always find what you are looking for

As part of my devotional time each morning I am currently re-reading Craig Groeschel's book Soul Detox: Clean Living in a Contaminated World. Let me share a paragraph that really touched me this morning.

You will always find what you are looking for. Think about the difference between two birds: a vulture and a hummingbird. Vultures soar high in the sky, looking and searching. What does a vulture find? Dead things. The ugly oversized bird doesn't stop until he finds lifeless, rotting road kill. Contrast the vulture to the tiny hummingbird. With wings flapping twenty beats a second, what does this small bird find? Not dead things and disgusting rancid meat, but instead, sweet, life-giving nectar. Daily each bird finds what he is looking for.

The same is true of each of us. We can always find thing to complain about, things that are negative in life, and things that don't go the way we wanted. Some people dwell on finding such things. Zig Ziglar used to say that some people go around looking for the bad as if there was a reward for finding it. Any of us can get locked into such negative thinking which can never help us live life as it was meant to be.

How does this happen? One way people get locked into negative thinking is by spending more time listening to the news than they spend reading the Bible. "If it bleeds, it leads" is the mantra of the news profession. Like vultures they fly through the sky seeking the ugly things in life to report. Yes, we are battling a pandemic that needs reporting. Yes, there are shootings and murders and ugly things out there. But, there are also many positive things happening in the world that never get covered. We don't hear about them because they are not considered newsworthy. If such things receive any mention at all it's in the last minute of the newscast after our minds have been filled with the other stories.

Another way this seeking the negative occurs is through the self-talk we do every day. Growing up we may have been given the seeds of negativity that were planted in our minds. Perhaps you were told you would never amount to anything, that you were dumb or unattractive. Maybe you were bullied by others. People who were supposed to protect you harmed you instead. Such seeds of negativity can be planted deep within a person. They produce thoughts in our minds that never seem to go away until we finally begin to believe them ourselves. We're not surprised when something doesn't go our way because we've convinced ourselves through our self-talk that we don't deserve good things to happen to us.

There's not space to cover any of what I'm about to say in detail, but let me make three suggestions.

1. Spend as much time reading the Scriptures as you do listening to the news. Yes, bad things do happen in the world, but remind yourself that God is still in charge. Read Philippians 4:7 every time you begin to feel overwhelmed by what is happening in the world.
2. Take control of your self-talk. Be aware of the negative things you speak into your own spirit and refuse to accept them. Again, the Bible has much to say about how God views you. Fill your mind with His words.
3. Pastors, this is not the time to preach a series through Lamentations. People are concerned and some are scared. They need to be reminded that God is with them, and those who do not know the Lord may be looking for something, or Someone, to become an anchor for their lives. Preach the Gospel, the greatest message of hope ever known to mankind! Help people find what they are really looking for in life.

Most people are hurting

I venture to guess that a good majority of the people you encounter each day is carrying some pain in their lives. It may be a long-term hurt they've never been able to release. It may be a deep-seated concern for a family member or other loved one that never leaves their thoughts. It may come from some choice they have regretted making, and now they are stuck with the consequences of that choice. Perhaps their pain is the result of a recent medical diagnosis or a financial reversal. Maybe it is due to a broken relationship or a betrayal by someone who was supposed to always be there for them. In fact, the causes of the pain people carry within are endless.

Many people do a good job of concealing their pain. We learned how to put on our happy faces to hide our pain from others. We wear our masks to work, to church, to family gatherings and everywhere else we go, but when we come home the masks come off. The pain comes back. When we lay our heads down in the dark and quiet that pain begins to scream in our minds reminding us how much we hurt.

Sometimes that pain causes us to do things we later regret. We snap at loved ones, we fail to show kindness to someone, we react in rage at minor setbacks, we turn away from friends and family, we sabotage our future all because of the pain we feel, the pain we dare not reveal to others. As has often been said, hurting people hurt people, and our pain has caused us to hurt a lot of other people, innocent people who had nothing to do with the pain we feel.

 As Jesus traveled the countryside He frequently encountered hurting people: lepers, a man born blind, a woman caught in the act of adultery, another woman who had gone from man to man seeking something she could not find, persons who had lost a loved one to death, and many others. What did He do when He met such people? He entered into their pain, gave them hope, and brought healing to their pain. As the hands and feet of Jesus we can do no less.

In The Message Jesus tells His disciples in Matthew 10 that they are to "Go to the lost, confused people right here in the neighborhood. Tell them that the kingdom is here. Bring health to the sick. Raise the dead. Touch the untouchables. Kick out the demons. You have been treated generously, so live generously. Don't think you have to put on a fund-raising campaign before you start. You don't need a lot of equipment. You are the equipment...."

This is the work of the church. We are to proclaim that the kingdom is here to people who are confused and hurting. We are to introduce Jesus Christ to a hurting world and minister to people's pain. Just before Jesus spoke the words we read in Matthew 10, in chapter 9 we read that when Jesus saw the multitudes he was moved with compassion for them because they were weary and scattered like sheep having no shepherd.

Greg Laurie says, "If you preach to the hurting you will never lack an audience." I might add that if we seek to minister to the hurting we will find that indeed the fields are white unto harvest. Into those fields we are to take the saving, healing message of Jesus Christ.

Charlie Brown's Christmas

We watched Charlie Brown's Christmas last night. Even though I've seen it dozens of times it still makes me laugh and warms my heart. Like many of us, Charlie Brown is tired of the commercialization of Christmas, but it seems there is little he can do about it. It's not until Linus explains the true meaning of Christmas can Charlie Brown escape the holiday blues.

With Linus telling the biblical account of the birth of Jesus Christ I'm surprised this classic Christmas special is still being shown. I'll be even more surprised if someone doesn't condemn it as offensive or politically incorrect. In recent weeks we've seen Veggie Tales condemned as racist and dangerous to children due to the fact that the vegetables are various colors. Here's a news flash to the California college students who issued the condemnation: Vegetables are different colors! We've also seen radio stations stop playing Baby, It's Cold Outside because a handful of listeners found the song sexist. The book series 50 Shades of Grey has sold over 100 million copies, and this 1944 song has been declared sexist! We live in a strange world.

My prayer is that, like Charlie Brown, many will find the true meaning of Christmas to be encouraging. The holidays are always a difficult time for some people. It is a very stressful time with lots to do. The holidays also triggers painful memories for some people. We need to be aware that not everyone will have a wonderful Christmas season and find ways to come alongside those who might be hurting to offer comfort and love.

This is a time for churches to be especially aware of people who struggle during the Christmas season. It's easy to get caught up in our Christmas pageants and programs and forget that some people are alone and hurting. There is often much talk in churches during the holiday seasons about families, but let's remember that not everyone has a family to be with during the season.

The birth of Jesus Christ should bring hope to all people. Born in humble circumstances His birth was first announced to shepherds watching over their flocks in the field. This may not mean much until one learns that shepherds were not the most respected people in that society. This reminds us that Christ came for all people. No person, regardless of their situation, is excluded from the love, the hope and the acceptance He came to offer. Let's make sure that message gets out this Christmas season.

It's Friday but Sunday's Coming

This past Sunday being Easter I reminded our congregation that when Jesus died it was only Friday, but Sunday was coming. Although the disciples and others thought everything they had believed in had ended, they didn't realize that Sunday was yet to come. I should have known better than to preach that message!

My Friday occurred this past Tuesday. I woke up with an infected tooth that had to be pulled. While I was waiting for the dentist office to open I found out my computer couldn't connect to the Internet. The computer couldn't find the internet adapter. I looked up how to reconnect the adapter, and couldn't find it anywhere on my computer. By this time I was able to call the dentist and was told to come right over. The tooth was beyond saving so I had it pulled. I came home and didn't feel like fooling with the computer any more that day.

The next morning I tried again to fix it to no avail. There was nothing to do but call my computer repair guy. We felt it probably had a virus. After checking it out he discovered the adapter wasn't even listed on the computer. (At least I was looking in the right place!) Later that night he called saying he had it fixed. Evidently, lightening Monday night entered the computer and took out just that one board. He repaired it, cleaned up some programs that weren't working properly, and it's working great now. Now, if the last of the jaw pain would go away I would feel great again.

Compared to many people in the world my "Friday" wasn't that bad. Uncomfortable perhaps, and certainly annoying, but not bad. Still, I always look for Sunday to come.

The hope that we have as Christians is that there are always better days ahead because Jesus Christ defeated death and the grave. He brings us through our valleys in this world and gives us the confidence that one day we shall kneel in His presence and be with Him forever.

If you want to be blessed this morning go to You Tube and watch the video "It's Friday but Sunday's Coming" by  S. M. Lockridge. If it doesn't light a fire in you, your wood's wet!

What is truth?

Christian apologist Ravi Zacharias tells of a time when he met with a number of Russian generals and political leaders. After their meeting one of the leaders came to him and admitted that he believed that what Zacharias had said to them was true. But then he added, But, it’s very difficult to change after 70 years of believing a lie." We in America are facing the same dilemma. We are lied to so much anymore than we don't know what to believe.

When Jesus had been brought before Pilate the Roman official asked Jesus, "What is truth?" That question is even more pertinent today than it was when Pilate asked it.

Every day we hear one group or another make claims of "fake news." Since the last presidential election such claims have been even more pronounced. Listen to the same news story told on two different programs and you'll wonder if they are about the same story. Each puts a different spin on their version of the story to promote the cause they most believe in. Maybe the truth is to be found in the middle, but today I'm not sure one can even find it there.

Politicians make statements they know are not true but hope enough people will believe them that they will take on the character of truth. If those statements are challenged their colleagues will rush in to defend them and leak false information about the ones who dared challenge them.

Manufacturers make claims about their products that they know are not true. They pay high profile people millions of dollars to support those claims hoping to make enough money off the product before the public learns the truth.

The bottom line is that the average American is lied to everyday by people we should be able to trust. There used to be such a thing as integrity in this nation where we trusted one another to tell the truth, but that day is long past. Frankly, the average American finds it hard to believe anyone any more.

There is really only one source of truth today, and that is found in the Scriptures. A Christian speaker said one time that someone asked if he believed in absolute truth. He responded, "Of course I believe in absolute truth. In fact, I know Him."

The media cannot be trusted to tell us the truth. Politicians cannot be trusted to tell us the truth. The manufacturers cannot be trusted to be honest. Only God's Word is true. It doesn't change to reflect the latest poll. It doesn't seek popularity nor does it appeal to people for their votes.

What it does do is offer hope to all who believe it. It offers forgiveness. It offers both an abundant life now and eternal life for the future. It offers us a relationship with the God who created us, and it offers us an anchor in the midst of a chaotic and wicked world. Stay in the Word, my friends, because it is there that you will find ultimate truth.

New books for a new year

The past couple of days I shared my top 10 favorite reads for 2017. Today I want to let you know what I'm reading now and some of the books on my to-read shelf. The books I'm currently reading are

Knowledge and Christian Belief by Alvin Plantinga. The author is  Professor Emeritus of Philosophy at Notre Dame. The majority of his books are written for fellow academics. I heard this was one written for the general reader. I definitely do not want to read any he wrote for academics! Although I find this a difficult read, it has been one that is most interesting and helpful.

Whatever Became of Sin by Karl Menninger. This book was written in 1973. Menninger illustrates how many of the things that were once called sins became illegal acts. This made those acts subject to the courts rather than the church. Later, another shift occurred when many of these acts were classified as diseases. When this occurred the person committing the acts came under the care of the doctors and psychologists. Each of these shifts removed the act further and further away from being an act of transgression against the commandments of God. I do not agree with everything the author discusses in the book, but it does help me better understand why many people now reject any notion that they are sinners in need of a Savior.

Ghosts in the Fog by Samantha Seiple. For decades the US government denied reports that the Japanese invaded Alaska during World War II. This book tells the story of this invasion. I am finding it an incredible story and read about half of the book in one sitting.

Some of the books on my to-read shelf are

Surprised by Hope by N. T. Wright
Praying the 23rd Psalm by Elmer Towns
Night by Elie Wiesel

I also plan to re-read a number of books in my library this year. It's time to revisit some of the books that have impacted my life in the past to see if I can glean some new nuggets of gold from them.

I hope you have a reading plan for 2018.

Be reconciled to God

Throughout Advent this year we want to look at the theme of reconciliation. Jesus Christ came into the world to reconcile the world to God. 2 Corinthians 5: 18 tells us “Now all things are of God who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to use the word of reconciliation.”

The nation of Israel was chosen by God to be His special people. Unfortunately, there came a time when they turned away from God and began worshiping the false gods of the nations surrounding them. God sent prophets encouraging them to come back to Him, but they rejected the prophets and God’s warnings. Due to their disobedience God allowed invading armies to occupy the nation of Israel for 700 years before the birth of Jesus Christ.

Those were dark days for the people of Israel. They saw their beautiful Temple and the holy city of Jerusalem destroyed. The majority were led away to distant countries. All they had left were the memories of what used to be and a hope that one day things would change.

That hope was found in the words of the prophets. They had predicted that God would send a Messiah that would reconcile the nation of Israel to God. For seven centuries the people had looked for that Savior. One night, in a manger in Bethlehem, that promised Savior arrived.

There was a time many years ago I was going through a very dark time in my life. I kept telling my wife that I just felt if I had more faith that I might pull through that time. I began to read a Bible and talking to some Christian friends where I worked. One day, while alone in our home, I knelt down in our living room and prayed. I said, “Lord, I’ve made a mess of my life, but if there is anything you can do with it, I give it to you now. Would you please come into my life as my Lord and Savior?”

At that moment I was reconciled to God. My sins were forgiven, and my relationship with God was forever settled. No, all my problems didn’t immediately disappear, but in time God gave me the victory.

If you are going through a tough time right now, God will do for you what he did for me. All you have to do is invite Him into your life. If you would like to know more about that, please contact me. I would love to talk to you about this.

Put your hope in the right place

In an upcoming interview first lady Michelle Obama suggests that America has lost hope now that Donald Trump has been elected President. Her husband ran his campaign on hope and change, and now that he's leaving office his wife believes the hope America felt is gone as well.

She's not the only person to feel this way. People have been screaming the sky is falling ever since the election. College students, who should be approaching adulthood, need to see counselors to address the anxiety they feel with Trump taking office. Some former Facebook friends expressed their anxieties over a Trump presidency about every two hours after the election which is why they are former FB friends. (I just got tired of all the drama.)

The problem with Michelle Obama's claim that America is losing hope, and all the other Chicken Littles out there freaking out over the election, is that it reflects a secular worldview regarding hope. No person is going to fix your life or make you happy. If your hope is in an individual you are going to go through life very disappointed. Did President Obama do some good things in office? Yes, he did. He also did some things that were not so good. History will one day judge his overall effectiveness as President. Guess what? President Trump will also do some good things and some things not so good. If your hope goes up and down based on what the President does your life is going to be very unsettled.

In our Western society today we have the mistaken belief that everyone should be happy all the time. It is a symptom of our entitlement mentality. People want free healthcare. College students want free tuition. Here's a newsflash for some people: Life can be tough sometimes. There is no free lunch. Someone is going to pay for that free healthcare and free tuition. Grown up people understand that they have to provide for their own needs. If your hope is based on the belief that the government or some other entity is going to take care of you then your hope is based on the wrong thing.

Our hope must be focused on the one thing or person that can never change, and that is God. We celebrate Christmas because the birth of Jesus Christ ushered in the one hope that will never fail. Our expectations of God might fail us at times, but He will never fail.

For many elections now I have reminded congregations and others that God does not fly on Air Force One. He's not up for election every four years, and He doesn't make decisions based on the latest polls, how many in Congress He can get to agree with His policies or the make-up of the Supreme Court. He provides us with a solid foundation for our lives that we can rely on regardless of what occurs in our lives, and that is the foundation for a hope that will never fail us.

If you believe that the election of Donald Trump is going to usher in a new era of suffering in America, I just finished reading Timothy Keller's book Walking with God through Pain and Suffering. I mentioned it a few days ago and said that it would probably be my favorite book of 2016, and now that I've finished it I have not changed my mind. It is an excellent book that speaks to this whole issue of pain and suffering and the evil that exists in the world. As he points out, a Christian worldview does not deny the existence of evil and suffering, but it also points to the one true source of hope we have when such times come into our lives. If you've not read this book it should be on your 2017 reading list.

Preach to the hurting

Someone has said that if you preach to the hurting you will never lack an audience. How true that is! Yesterday morning our choir sang There is a Balm in Gilead. As I went to the pulpit to preach following their special I thought how thankful we are that there is healing available for each of us. Just prior to the choir's special we had a time of prayer, and many in our congregation shared prayer needs they had. There was a wide variety of needs expressed, and I thought that the balm the choir sang about could address every one of those needs.

While preparing a sermon I remind myself that there will be hurting people listening. I want to offer them hope. I can't take away their pain, but I can point them to the One who can. I cannot bring healing into their lives, but I can tell them that Jesus Christ is the Great Physician who can heal the worst of the issues that bring pain into our lives. I can also often demonstrate that the challenges they are facing are in reality symptomatic of the spiritual issues they are trying to resolve.

Congregations are full of people trying to make sense of life. About the time they think they have it resolved something new challenges their thinking. A person struggling with long-term unemployment may wonder what the future holds. A parent with a child that has drifted away from the way it was raised brings many questions for that parent and a sense of dread for the fate of that child.

Many sitting in the pews try to mask their pain. Outwardly, they appear to have it all together. They smile the biggest, they sing the loudest, but when they lay down at night their fears and pain rise to the surface. Do not let those masks fool you. Behind them are hurting, fearful people who need who need the healing that only God can provide. It is our job to point them to that healing.

Return to my former church

Yesterday I had the privilege of preaching at Hebron Baptist Church, the church I served as bivocational pastor for 20 years. Their pastor had resigned, and I was asked to fill the pulpit yesterday. It was a great experience being back in that church and brought back a lot of memories.

I had last visited the church about five years ago, and at that time I had noticed a lot of changes even then. Yesterday, I noticed even more. There were a lot of new people that I didn't know, and many of my former congregation were no longer there. The format of the worship service had changed. The appearance of the sanctuary was somewhat different although there's not a lot that can be done to a sanctuary built over 100 years ago.

There's an old proverb that says you can never step into the same river twice. Even if you step in, step out, and step right back in the river will be different. The water is always moving and changing so the river is constantly changing.

Churches definitely do not change that quickly, but change is always happening in a church even if it's not immediately noticeable. The people who attend the church are experiencing changes in their lives. During any given week a person may receive a poor medical diagnoses from tests they've had, someone else may have a loved one in a serious accident, a third person may have received a lay-off notice from his or her employer, a fourth may be dealing with marriage or family issues, and the list goes on. Because the church does not consist of the building or the organization, but the people, the church is always going through changes. How we minister to those changes must change as well.

When I was the pastor of that church I was privy to many of the problems the people were facing. Yesterday, because I didn't know most of those in attendance I could not know what they were dealing with in their lives. What I did know what that they had recently lost their pastor which often results in some level of pain. I also knew that because they live in a fallen world that many of them had some issue in their lives that was causing uncertainty, sorrow, grief, or fear. So I did what I try to do every time I preach; I shared with them how Jesus Christ can minister peace and healing to them no matter what they might be going through.

The church is the one place where people can hear a message of hope. Many people are hammered six days a week; the church should be a place where they can be encouraged and hear words that offer them a peace that passes all understanding and a hope that will endure the storms of life. That's what I tried to do yesterday and what I try to do every time I preach. I pray you do the same.

When the leader loses hope

This was one of the most popular articles on this blog in 2015 based upon the number of people who read it. It obviously found an audience. Because I know how discouraging ministry can be at times I decided to post it again in the hope that some will find encouragement and some helpful advice.

I was a pastor of one church for twenty years.  For the past fourteen years I've served as a judicatory minister serving the churches in our region.  I know how frustrating it can be for pastors who struggle to lead their churches only to see few results.  For those of us in my generation it is especially troublesome because it seems everything we learned earlier in our ministries is no longer applicable today.  The world is changing much more rapidly than our churches are willing to change, and it's changing much more rapidly than some of us can keep up with.

However, having said all that, it still bothers me when I talk with pastors and church leaders who have given up.  There is something sad about pastors and lay leaders who have lost hope.  These are people in positions of leadership in their churches and yet they have nothing to give those churches.  When you lose hope, when you can't see anything positive in what you are doing or see how things will get better, you can't lead.

Sometimes this is due to depression or burnout, but there are ways to address those.  Regular readers of this blog know that I've been very open about a period of depression I experienced in the mid-80s.  I couldn't see very much positive about what was happening in my life or ministry during those dark days, but I also knew that I was depressed.  Counseling and medication corrected that condition within a few months and I regained my confidence and hope.

The problem comes when the lack of hope isn't the result of illness but when it occurs because of difficulties in the church.  People leave for another church.  Controllers in the church create on-going problems.  Finances and attendance continues to decline.  First-time guests never return.  People claim they want growth but refuse to accept the changes necessary for such growth to occur.  It become more difficult to find volunteers.  The list of problems goes on and on, and it can become overwhelming.

Well...if you have been called to the ministry this is part of what that calling entails.  Did you think that the ministry was going to be all sunshine and roses?  Did you think your ministry was supposed to be easier than Jesus' ministry?  If so, I've got real bad news: it won't be.  There will be people who will disappoint you, who will hurt you, who will say negative things about you, and who will resist your leadership.  Your church may not grow as fast as the new church in town.  Again, the list goes on and on.

We can't control events outside ourselves or how others will behave; we can only control how we respond to those events and individuals.  If we allow those negative things to take away our hope then we have nothing to offer our churches.  If a pastor spends the majority of his or her time feeling sorry about himself or herself and complaining about how hard ministry is and how this church isn't ever going to do better, then he or she needs to resign immediately and probably leave the ministry.  Your church deserves better and probably won't ever improve as long as you are in the role of their leader.

A church will never overcome its challenges and problems with leaders who have lost hope that things will ever improve.  One cannot lead without hope, and it takes leadership to turn things around.

How does a leader regain and maintain a sense of hope?  Instead of focusing on the negative things begin to re-examine all the positive things that have happened under your ministry.  Look at the difference your ministry and church have made in the lives of other people.  Take a fresh look at the new ministry opportunities that exist in your community and begin to ask God how he would have you respond.  Quick looking at the resources you don't have and determine what resources are available, and then discuss among the leadership how those resources can best be used for ministry.  Spend more time with positive people who are excited about what's happening in their lives and ministries.  (BTW - If you walk around like Eeyore these people will avoid you like the plague, and you need to stay away from people like that too!)  Most importantly, refocus on God's call on your life and upon him.  God called you because he has great things for your ministry and the confidence that you can do them with his help.  Begin to believe in yourself and your ministry as much as he does and see if your hope doesn't return.