Someone once said of the 18th-century evangelist George Whitefield, “Mr. Whitefield was so cheerful he tempted me to become a Christian.” Blessed temptation! May everyone who names the Name of Christ become such a sweet enticement to those who do not know Him. Yet note what it was that made Whitefield whet the appetite of […]
One of Yogi Berra’s choicest Yogi-isms is “When you come to a fork in the road, take it!” And crazy as it sounds, we do. Every day, all day long, we come to fork after fork in our road. And we take them. We make choice after choice after choice. Jesus reminds us we make […]
What should we do when a Christian we know goes into the Far Country? A Christian goes into the Far Country when he/she makes a wreck of his/her life. Falling into David-like scandalous sin (2 Samuel 11). Making Lot-like bad choices that end in heartache (Genesis 13:1-13). Engaging in Jonah-like rebellion against the Lord (Jonah […]
In Matthew 17:27 Jesus teaches us 6 lessons on civility in the school of a small fish: However, not to give offense to them, go to the sea and cast a hook and take the first fish that comes up, and when you open its mouth you will find a shekel. Take that and give […]
I’m a congenital pessimist. I came from the womb seeing the glass as half-empty. My temperament makes Charlie Brown seem like Joel Osteen. And I’ve had my share of rainy days and Mondays that have gone on for weeks. But in spite of it all, I’m a Grace-Focused Optimist. Why? Because of a single fact. […]
Realtors have embedded in our minds the trifecta words, “Location, Location, Location.” They use this mantra to emphasize that a property’s address determines its value. A mansion next to the town’s garbage dump won’t be as valuable as a shotgun house in that neighborhood in New Orleans where everyone wants to live. Jesus’ first miracle […]
Sometimes I feel like Sisyphus. Remember him? He’s the poor guy from mythology who was sentenced to push a boulder up a hill only to have it roll back down. Not a very appealing way to spend eternity, huh? Anything Can Be a Battlefield I’ve got a boulder. Like Sisyphus, I never seem to be […]
A young evangelist complains to Charles Haddon Spurgeon, “I haven’t seen many people converted under my preaching.” “Well, do you expect God to save someone every time you preach?” “Of course not.” “Then you have no reason to complain if God’s not giving you what you aren’t expecting.” Pray for Others Expectantly God wants preachers […]
It’s hard to be a Grace-Focused Optimist when you look out at America. Take just this past week and a half. Charles Krauthammer—one of the rare people in Washington speaking with intelligence, wit, charm, and courtesy—–died. And politicians, pundits, and proprietors seem bent on making us a house divided that cannot stand. Looking out at […]
One of God’s least talked about miracles is his miracle of making an iron axe head float (2 Kings 6:1-7). The head accidentally becomes a mini-Titanic when a seminary student is using it to help build a dormitory. Somehow it flies off into a river and sinks. Since it’s a borrowed axe the situation’s as […]
