You shall be called… the restorer of paths to live in. – Isaiah 58:12
Okay, 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:
God 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.”
From the Board Rooms of New York advertising agencies to school locker rooms, it is clear that we are all searching for true and lasting love. Billions of dollars, yen, sterling and other currencies trade hands every year in hopes that a product or service will somehow be the key to this elusive and priceless heart-cry.
In the process of this search, we have all been sold a bill of goods. The actors who portray perfect couples on television and movies, are often some of the worst at achieving lasting love. All too often, their home lives are a train wreck, plagued with unfaithfulness, abuse, divorce and brokenness. Their children often grow up confused and unloved – repeating the same mistakes in another generation.
Even 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.
I have been astonished and saddened by the level of unadulterated vitriol and hate that is being spewed group against group in our country. As I have watched the decline of civil society over the past several decades, I have been increasingly concerned about a coming civil war.
No, I’m not referring to another North against South, nor do I believe it will necessarily end up as a conventional conflict. I am more concerned with clashes between races, religious groups and political ideologies. I am concerned that warfare might be gang and gorilla style, with riots, murders, rapes, theft and the like. More than physical bombs, I have been concerned about the destruction of personal economies, freedom of speech and the inviolability of our personal thoughts and moral convictions.
I’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”
As Greece dances in the streets, the world teeters on the brink of financial and political collapse. Irresponsible and narcissistic impulses have seemingly seized control of the nations financial system and correspondingly our world economy.
I watched in horrified amazement this week as the people of Greece celebrated their recent electoral decision to stick their collective tongues out at their creditors. In some ways they are like little Oliver Twist holding out their beggar hands saying, “Please sir, may I have some more.” The biggest difference is that the people of Greece are not saying “please.”
1. Be a Hypocrite
This classic approach is one of the best ways to make sure that your non-Christian friends never take you serious about Jesus. It also provides them with an excellent example they can use when they advance the argument that all Christians are Hypocrites.
Continue reading “10 Surefire Ways to Destroy Your Christian Witness”
With churches springing up in nearly every old shopping center and High School, it would appear that the Church is alive and well and growing like never before. The truth is, looks are deceiving.
Indicators that reveal the true healthiness of the Church and its members are at record lows. Take a look at Christian divorce rates, church attendance, immorality, greed, discipleship, worldliness and spiritual complacency just to name a few. It doesn’t take a statistician to see that we have a lot of work to do.
Susanna Wesley (1669-1742) is probably best known as the Mother of John the great Preacher and Charles, the great Songwriter. She is one of the most powerful women in history. Though she never preached an official sermon, she is known as the Mother of Methodism.
Her daily routine would wear out many of the strongest among us. Her tenacity and discipline were the foundational building blocks of what would eventually become one of the largest church movements in history.
Continue reading “Inspiring Facts about the Mother of the Methodists”