How Firm is Your Foundation?

firmfoundationIf you have spent any time in Sunday School, Children’s Church or Vacation Bible School, you have probably heard the parable of the wise man and the foolish man. But it is more than just a story, it begs the question, which one are you?

The story is found in Matthew 7:24-27. In the story, the wise man built his house upon a solid rock foundation. When the storms came, the house stood strong. The foolish man however, built his house upon the shifting sands. When the storms came, the house fell with a great crash.

Notice that both of the men built houses. Both of the men presumably lived in their house. The houses probably looked pretty much the same. It is even possible that foolish man’s house looked even better. After all, he probably did not spend as much money on his foundation, or land, so he had more money to put into the cosmetics. When the storms came however – and they always do – the foolish man lost everything.

Continue reading “How Firm is Your Foundation?”

Unity of Faith

unityoffaithGod called me into the ministry when I was twelve. He used a passage of Scripture from the Old Testament and one from the New Testament. In the Old Testament, He used the Prophet Ezekiel to illustrate the seriousness and weightiness of the Call. From the New Testament, He used the prayer of Jesus (John 17) to reveal His heart for unity among believers.

From the time I was five, I have been blessed with the opportunity to sing and play music to Christians of many denominations. I have been honored to lead crazy Pentecostals and quiet Presbyterians, and most everyone in between. One of the many things God showed me through my experiences was that He has a lot of people earnestly desiring His presence even if they search for it in different ways.

Continue reading “Unity of Faith”

Witchcraft In the Church

witchcraftchurchIs it possible that some who have accepted Christ, still dabble in the occult and witchcraft? Is it possible that some are doing it without even being aware?

It never ceases to amaze me when people who consider themselves “good Christians” – and go to church every week – still get caught up in pagan practices that are absolutely offensive to God.

Continue reading “Witchcraft In the Church”

Health Nuts & Jesus Freaks

healthnuts&jesusfreaksTo be completely candid, I have always been more of a geek than a jock. Sure, I played hide & seek and the occasional football, but while some of the other kids were playing sports, jumping hurdles  or running up and down the mall, I was taking electronics apart (much to my Mother’s horror), studying eschatology or standing in Radio Shack learning to program a computer.

Honestly, and with apologies to my health-minded friends, I have often found the zealousness of health nuts to be a little over the top. Okay, to be totally honest, I thought they were a little weird. That was until…

Continue reading “Health Nuts & Jesus Freaks”

Are You Undermining Your Future?

In 1955, psychologists Joseph Luft and Harrington Ingham devised a technique called the Johari Window. It’s purpose is to help people better understand themselves and their relationship with others. It has been tweaked a lot over the years by Psychologists and Life Coaches, but the principles are still the same. The diagram helps explain the model.

image

Continue reading “Are You Undermining Your Future?”

What You “Like” Says More than You Know

facebookOkay, I admit it. Sometimes I post stuff on Facebook just to see how it will play out in “likes” and “shares.”

It is fascinating to me that I can post two bible verses – without commentary – seconds apart from each other and one will get dozens of “likes” while the other is largely ignored. I have even discovered a fairly proven – though not scientific – formula for predicting what will be “liked” and what will not. For example, here are two Bible verses from the same version of the Bible:

Continue reading “What You “Like” Says More than You Know”

Time to Step Up

timetostepupGod is always tougher on leaders than He is on everyone else. The Apostle James warned his readers that they shouldn’t be too eager to be teachers, as God judges us more strictly. In the the book of Micah we read, “…Listen, you leaders of Israel! You are supposed to know right from wrong, but you are the very ones who hate good and love evil. You skin my people alive and tear the flesh from their bones…” It goes on, but I’m sure you get the point. It is a lot of responsibility being a leader.

That being said, we need God-centered leaders more than ever. Irish statesman, author and philosopher Edmund Burke famously stated hundreds of years ago, “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.”

Continue reading “Time to Step Up”

Old School Parenting

ParentingCan we learn parenting from someone who lived hundreds of years ago? If the success of her children are any indicator, we certainly can.

In a previous blog, I wrote about the phenomenal woman, Susanna Wesley. In case you missed that one and don’t know who Susannah Wesley was, she was the mother of John Wesley who became the founder of the Methodist movement. His brother Charles is a famous songwriter who wrote over 6,500 songs. A number of them are still sung in churches today.

Continue reading “Old School Parenting”

Double-Agents?

doubleagentsEven after all these years, there is a clear image in my mind of the Nuclear Radiation symbol that adorned the stairwell of my elementary school. I vividly remember the drills where we were told to get under our desks or to walk quickly to the fall-out shelter in the basement of the building.

During the cold-war, these events were the norm for children all across America. We lived under a very real threat that the Soviet Union or one of its allies could launch nuclear missiles at any time. Growing up a little over one-hundred miles south-west of the nation’s capital and less than two-hundred miles north-west of the largest Navel Station in the world, made us very aware of our potential as collateral damage in a nuclear exchange.

Continue reading “Double-Agents?”

10 Ways to Express Yourself Without Being a Jerk

jerkI’ve been thinking a great deal lately about the “debates” going in our world. Unfortunately, it increasingly appears less about enlightened and reasoned conversations that make us all better, and more about personal pride and unyielding rants. While there should be encouragement from leadership to keep the discussion civil, it seems that more-often-than-not, leaders appear to be fueling the rage. I believe some do this for personal advantage while others are simply too immature to play well with others.

Continue reading “10 Ways to Express Yourself Without Being a Jerk”