Category: Faith

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He Came

christmas-background-314802_1280Merry Christmas everyone! I hope you are healthy, happy and excited to spend time with loved ones as well as celebrate the greatest Gift ever given.

On Thursday, I plan to share some cool insights into some of the real reasons Jesus came, but right now I thought I would do something a little different.

I am currently working on the tracks for a brand new song that I plan to perform with my girls EVanna and Susan on Christmas Eve at our Candlelight Communion Service. I thought for today’s blog I would give you a sneak peek at the words. I hope you enjoy!

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The Day Santa Snapped

blur-1869900_1920The man we often refer to as the “jolly old elf,” wasn’t always so jolly. There is a real historical moment where Saint Nicholas wasn’t only NOT laughing, he actually became rather belligerent. What could have upset this man known for great generosity and kindness so much, that he would snap?

The year was AD 323 when Constantine – at the height of his power – received a very disturbing letter concerning a dispute that had broken out in the Christian Church. After many years of great suffering and persecution at the hands of Nero, Diocletian and others, the Church had finally found peace and even favor, under the first Christian Emperor. Theodoret, Bishop of Cyrus would later write, “for us all was joy and gladness.” The historian Eusebius called the period, “a bright and most profound peace.”

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Spiritual Tune-Up

man-475561_1920In my last article, I introduced the topic of mental malware and our need to be more observant of the negative self-talk that undermines our lives. If you missed it, you can catch it here. Today, as promised, I am going to offer some practical instructions on how to change our programming from bad code to good. But first, we will take a look at the big picture.

In the cosmic view of things, there is a Designer and a Hacker. The hacker is first seen in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3) manipulating and challenging the code the Designer had provided His creation.

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Election 2016: Disaster or Hope?

american-flag-1208660_1920As the smoke of a thousand fires ascend toward Heaven, the American Church struggles to find answers to its latest crisis of faith. What does the election of Donald Trump really mean to those who follow the teachings of Jesus Christ?

Does this latest political upheaval portend disaster for the causes of justice and racial equality? Does it spark hope for slowing or ending anti-Christian bigotry, transgender bathrooms, and abortion? It would appear that it completely depends on the perspective of the person you ask.

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Responding to the Moment

bible-1149924_1920While Democrats, Republicans, and also-rans work hard to dissect the implications of the recent elections, I hope that we as Christians do not spend so much time debating partisan politics that we miss the opportunity to evaluate our own recent behavior in the ever-penetrating light of Scripture.

In a pre-election blog, I wrote about my deep sadness over the political divides in the Church and the unchristian-like character that the election fights illuminated. My sadness continues in the post-election gloating and fear-mongering that I have seen from both our pulpits and our pews.

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Thanksgiving Can Change Your Life – Part 2

looking-up-906888_1920Last time, we looked at three blockers that keep us from living happy successful lives. If you have not yet read part 1 or would like a review, you can find it here.

Today we look at four more ways that the gratitude we should experience in our lives gets stopped by our thoughts, words, emotions and actions.

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Thanksgiving Can Change Your Life – Part 1

prayer-1380214_1920Sometime around the first century BC, Cicero the Roman Consul is credited with saying, “Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all others.” Nearly five centuries later, Saint Ambrose would add, “No duty is more urgent than that of returning thanks.” As old as these quotes are, the art of thanksgiving is still much older. We see the practice all the way back in the very first book of the Bible.

A quick scan of scripture will quickly reveal the importance of thanksgiving to God, but like almost everything, what is important to Him is also very beneficial to us. Studies have shown that grateful people feel better about life, are more energetic, more successful, healthier, more generous, better thinkers, have better relationships and much more.

Most of us intuitively or experientially know that being thankful makes us better people, so why is it sometimes so difficult to put on an attitude of gratitude? If we listen closely, we will probably hear ourselves saying things to ourselves and others that is counter-productive to a heart of thanksgiving. Over the next two blogs, I will unveil seven blockers that turn what should be a thankful heart into a grumbling one.

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Remember Shiloh

ruin-1557624_1920Passive faith has invaded the American religious community. It is easily detected in the conversations that have grown in popularity over the past several years. This is never more true than election time and in times of crisis.

Some of the popular tell-tell phrases include, “America always rises to the challenge.”; “We will be better than ever.”; “We’ve been here before and survived.”; “We are still the greatest nation in the world.”

National pride and positive thinking not-withstanding, the idea that things will never change is deeply rooted in human psychology but not in human history. Studies reveal that we are prone to a condition known as “Normalcy Bias.” This condition causes us to believe that things will always be the same despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary.

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We Must Do More

We MustDo MoreThe election is finally over, but the conciliatory remarks from both sides have done little to alleviate the pain, distrust, frustration and feelings of powerlessness in our communities. The politicians minimize, and even trivialize, the eighteen-month vitriolic struggle with phrases like, “hard fought battle,” as they now call for national unity.

I wonder how many normal people believe that a year and a half of vicious accusations, innuendo and name calling can be simply wiped away by the wave of a hand and a few kind words.

While some celebrate, some mourn and others are conflicted, we the people continue to be divided along political, racial, economic, and philosophical lines. These will not easily go away by reaching across the aisle and saying, “you fought a good campaign.” They will not, and indeed cannot, be addressed with sound bites and partial truths. While we should continue to pray for our governmental authorities (1 Timothy 2:1-3), we should and must do much more.

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The Better of Two Futures

sunset-landscape-1149640_1920This election cycle is certainly one for the history books. I don’t know if there has been a more contentious campaign since Lincoln and Douglas just prior to the Civil War – and the mudslinging then, pales in comparison with today. If we are not careful we can easily get caught up in Donald’s (or Bill’s) sexual misconduct or the accusations of high-level interference with federal investigations against Hillary. At the end of the day, however, we are left with disappointingly few choices. At this point it appears to me that the most basic question is, “Which of these candidates will most likely yield the better future for our Nation?”

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