My wife, Stephanie, and I received a special blessing this past Easter weekend. Our daughters and their families came to spend a couple of days with us and to attend worship on Easter morning. The weather that weekend was good so I got a brilliant idea. I bought and assembled a fire pit so we could spend some quality time together around a calming fire. When it came time to light the fire, I gathered up some seasoned wood that was lying at the edge of our yard. It had been cut for several years so it should have been ready to burn. I placed the wood on the fire and initially it appeared we would have a roaring fire in just a few moments. Then something happened. The multicolored flames began to diminish and the firewood began smoke and make popping noises. We spent the rest of the evening playing “Dodge the Smoke” every time the wind changed directions. The wood looked ready to burn one the outside but on the inside it wasn’t ready. (more…)

The writer of this Psalm 71 appears to be an older man who’s asking God to strengthen him. His enemies see he is losing his strength so they’re attacking him. He starts out by asking God to strengthen him, protect him and deliver him for his enemies.

Psalm 71:1-8 – ¹ In you, Lord, I have taken refuge; let me never be put to shame. ² In your righteousness, rescue me and deliver me; turn your ear to me and save me. ³ Be my rock of refuge, to which I can always go; give the command to save me, for you are my rock and my fortress. ⁴ Deliver me, my God, from the hand of the wicked, from the grasp of those who are evil and cruel. ⁵ For you have been my hope, Sovereign Lord, my confidence since my youth. ⁶ From birth I have relied on you; you brought me forth from my mother’s womb. I will ever praise you. ⁷ I have become a sign to many; you are my strong refuge. ⁸ My mouth is filled with your praise, declaring your splendor all day long.

The author says he has followed God from the moment he was born through his youth into adulthood. Later in the psalm, he states that as an older man, he’s still trusting God.

There are a lot of older adults in worship throughout the week who have also been trusting Jesus since they were infants. They were raised in the church and are still practicing their faith. Unfortunately, there are also a lot of people in our community who were raised in the church but aren’t worshipping the Lord anymore. They’ve turned away from walking with Jesus and serving him. (more…)

At the beginning of 1 Corinthians 9, the Apostle Paul asserts that as a preacher of the gospel of Jesus Christ, he has the right to demand the church pay him and help meet his needs. He chooses, however, not to exercise that right because he doesn’t want anything to hinder the work he’s doing for the Lord.

In verses 20-23, he continues with the theme of doing whatever’s necessary to bring others to Christ: “¹⁹ Though I am free and belong to no one, I have made myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. ²⁰ To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. ²¹ To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not having the law. ²² To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some. ²³ I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.”

Christians are called to have this same attitude. We are to do whatever is necessary to reach others with the gospel of Jesus Christ. God didn’t create the church to be a country club. He created it to do ministry in his name. This means the church needs to constantly evaluate its ministries to see if they are being effective. If they aren’t, the church needs to make changes. (more…)

The book of Matthew ends with Jesus issuing a dramatic challenge to his followers. Matthew 28:16-20 says “¹⁶ Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. ¹⁷ When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. ¹⁸ Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹ Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Jesus took his disciples up on a mountain to talk with them. In Biblical times, and especially in Matthew’s Gospel, experiences with God happened on mountains. People viewed mountaintops as being closer to the heavens so they were closer to God. There they worshipped Jesus and he gave them what we call the Great Commission. They were already disciples of Jesus and he commanded them to go out into the world and make even more disciples. The book of Acts tells us this is exactly what they did. (more…)

As you think about your relationship with Jesus, prayerfully answer the following question: Why do I follow him? Once this question is answered, please wrestle with this one: Is he doing everything in my life that I’m expecting him to do?

The reason we need to think about these questions is because we human beings are creatures of comfort and convenience. We want things to always work in our favor with as little effort and as few problems as possible. Buying prepackaged meals and take-out replaces cooking. We stop by the car wash so we don’t have to hand-wash our vehicles. Most of the clothes we buy are “wrinkle free” so we can avoid ironing them. Using Facebook means I no longer have to call 428 people and tell them where I’m having lunch, who I’m with and what I’m eating. Shouldn’t our faith be just as comfortable and convenient? After all, Jesus said in John 14:14 – “You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.”  (more…)

Many years ago, a relative asked me if I was going to attend the community Communion Service his congregation was hosting during Holy Week. I said, “No, our congregation is having its own service because we also wash one another’s feet.” He laughed and said, “Well, I’ve never heard of that.” Later I told our senior pastor about this conversation. He listened intently and then responded, “I guess he doesn’t read his Bible.”My pastor had a point. John 13 explains why we wash on another’s feet. I began to wonder about something as I reflected on this conversation. Do we Brethren really understand why we wash one another’s feet? Or, thinking about the bigger picture, do we understand why we have Communion in the first place? (more…)

There’s a well-known story about a tightrope walker who came to Niagara Falls and stretched his rope across the thunderous currents from Canada to the United States. Before the breathless crowds, he walked and then ran across the falls. He did the same blindfolded, with drums rolling. Then, still blindfolded, he pushed a wheelbarrow across the falls.

            The crowds went wild, and he shouted to them, “Who believes I can push a man in this wheelbarrow across the falls?”

            A gentleman in the front waved his hands, shouting, “I do! I believe!” (more…)

One of the best things ever created to help Christians study the Bible occurred in the 1550s when the different books were divided into chapters and verses. These divisions make is much easier to quickly find specific verses in the Bible.

I also believe that one of the worst things ever created to help Christians study the Bible occurred when the different books were divided into chapters and verses. The biblical authors intended for the books they wrote to be read in their entirety. If we read a scripture passage without understanding the context in which it was written, we miss much of its meaning. (more…)

Sex is a topic that causes anxiety in most congregations. While sexuality is a natural part of being human, the simple truth is it’s an uncomfortable subject to discuss. While this may be  true, we still need to address the subject because we see physical attraction and sexuality mentioned in the Bible.

Song of Solomon 7:1-9 says, “How beautiful your sandaled feet,

O prince’s daughter!

Your graceful legs are like jewels,

the work of a craftsman’s hands.

²     Your navel is a rounded goblet

that never lacks blended wine.

Your waist is a mound of wheat

encircled by lilies.

³     Your breasts are like two fawns,

twins of a gazelle.

⁴     Your neck is like an ivory tower.

Your eyes are the pools of Heshbon

by the gate of Bath Rabbim.

Your nose is like the tower of Lebanon

looking toward Damascus.

⁵     Your head crowns you like Mount Carmel.

Your hair is like royal tapestry;

the king is held captive by its tresses.

⁶     How beautiful you are and how pleasing,

O love, with your delights!

⁷     Your stature is like that of the palm,

and your breasts like clusters of fruit.

⁸     I said, “I will climb the palm tree;

I will take hold of its fruit.”

May your breasts be like the clusters of the vine,

the fragrance of your breath like apples,

⁹     and your mouth like the best wine.”
(more…)