His Guiding Hand

A new year is upon us. We tend to look upon each new year as a chance at new beginnings. We promise ourselves we will do some things which will improve the quality of our lives. We also promise to try to improve the lives of those around us. As this year ended, I found myself looking back upon the year that sped too quickly by. In doing so I realized that I grew considerably as a Christian this year. I served in ways that I could not have imagined serving a few years ago. As I reflected on these things, I recalled some of the events that led up to them. There was the...

Call Me Wilson

The Lord has surprised me many times and in many ways this year. The season of Advent was to be no exception. A few weeks ago I was asked to participate in our Christmas program. I normally work with adults so when I was offered this chance to work with our young people, I jumped at the opportunity. The days leading up to Christmas tend to get busy enough. Participating in the Christmas program meant I was going to get even busier. There would be lines to learn and rehearsals to attend. Working alongside our young people would be worth the extra effort. I was asked...

A Time to Draw Closer

Terrible things are happening around the world. One only has to turn on the news for proof. There is really nothing “new” about this. Terrible things have been happening throughout all of human history. In reality, each of the terrible things that happen is merely a symptom of a much bigger problem. Humanity, as a whole, has lost touch with God. How did this happen? It stands to reason that one side of this equation had to move for there to be more distance. God did not move. God is eternal and constant. Therefore it must be humanity that has moved away from God. The...

Use Words If Necessary

One of my favorite stories is about Francis of Assisi. The story goes that one particular day he planned to go into town to preach. He invited a young monk to accompany him. The young monk felt quite honored to be asked along. The pair set out the following morning. When they arrived in town they walked up and down its streets. They stopped and visited with everyone they came in contact with. They met with people of all classes and all occupations. As the day ended, they headed for home. As they made their way, the young monk commented to Francis that perhaps they...

One Who Strengthens Me

Every Christian has at least one favorite passage of scripture. I am no exception. Of all the passages of scripture my favorite can be found in the book of Philippians. Philippians 4:13 (NET) - I am able to do all things through the one who strengthens me. I have leaned on this verse more times in my lifetime than I can count. I even lovingly refer to it as my “go to” verse. Whenever I begin to feel stressed or overwhelmed, I turn to this verse. It reminds me that I can face any challenge that comes my way. That is because I do not face such challenges alone. There...

Amazing Grace

I was thinking about hymns and the first one that came to my mind was Amazing Grace. This hymn has always held a special place in my heart. The title and opening stanza say it all… Amazing grace (how sweet the sound) That saved a wretch like me! I once was lost, but now am found. Was blind, but now I see. How true those words are. They are just as true as when John Newton published them in 1779. Perhaps that is why it is one of the most recognized songs in the world. It does not matter who the artist is. It does not matter what instruments are played. It...

Dignity and Respect

One of the things I find interesting about the human race is the way we treat “important” people. In business we tend to think of our superiors as important. In politics we tend to think of our leaders as important. We even tend to think of religious leaders as important. Leaders are given titles and those titles denote their position within the structure of the body they serve. In and of itself this is not a bad thing as it helps everyone within the structure function efficiently and effectively. As humans, we tend to treat those above us in the structure as more important...

A Universal Symbol

Symbols are everywhere. They tell us what we need to know at a glance. Corporations utilize symbols to promote their products and services. When utilized in this way a symbol is called a logo. We identify their product or service with their logo. This is an important concept because logos are international. Coca-Cola is an example of this. If I were to travel to a foreign country where I did not speak the language, it is safe to assume I would be able to purchase a Coca-Cola by recognizing one or more of their logos. There are symbols in Christianity as well. The...

Keeping It Simple

The world in which we live is often complicated. We have constant access to information but in reality learn little that is useful. We find new ways to stay busy but accomplish little. We have politicians who make promises yet little, if anything, improves once they are elected. We have laws designed to protect us yet we live among those who have learned how to manipulate them. We may live in nations that produce enough food to sell yet some of our citizens are hungry. We rush out to purchase the latest in technology while its replacement is already in development. The...

Free Access

Human beings like to stay connected. Cell phones, email and social media are just some examples of how we stay connected with each other. More than a few businesses have become aware of our desire to remain connected. Some have even offered ways to help us do that as a means of attracting business. Recently I entered a small cafe. I chose to spend time in this particular café instead of others nearby because it offered free wireless Internet access. After I made my purchase I took tried to connect my device to their free service. The signal was very week, It took quite...

Love Replaces Fear

When I first posted to this blog site I promised those that started it that my posts would be uplifting. I think that have kept that promise thus far. I will continue to keep it even though this discussion starts out with something that seems anything but uplifting. Hell. Hell is a reality most people would rather not think about. The concept of Hell being an actual place can and does make people feel uncomfortable. Matthew 13:42 (NET) – They will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be wailing and gnashing of teeth. It is easy to see why this makes people...

Blood over Bloodlines

Nations whose rulers are kings or queens place great emphasis on bloodlines. The monarch who sits on the throne does so because members of his family ruled before him. Typically, their oldest son or daughter will reign after them. The book of Matthew talks about the earthly bloodline of Jesus. In the very first chapter we are told exactly how the ancestry of Jesus can be traced from Abraham through David to Joseph the husband of His mother Mary. Matthew then describes how Jesus came to be born. Matthew 1:18 (NET) – Now the birth of Jesus happened this way. While His mother...

Future Plans

This past weekend it was my honor and privilege to speak at our church convention. On Saturday, I spoke to the delegates about our church history. On Sunday, I gave the devotional as part of the worship service at the very first church in our state which was built in 1866. Although that congregation has since built a newer church, the old church has been preserved for history. I am glad that they decided to preserve the old church. That church is one of the “Painted Churches” which means that the interior was painted in a very...

The Handwriting On the Wall

In the fifth chapter of Daniel, King Belshazzar gave a great banquet for his nobles. Heavily influenced by wine, King Belshazzar ordered that the vessels taken from the Temple in Jerusalem be brought in. Once this was done, all present drank wine from them and in their drunken state praised gods of metal, wood and stone. At that moment, a hand appeared and began writing on the wall. This sight greatly disturbed the king. Even more disturbing to the king was the fact that he was unable to read the inscription. The king was frightened to the core of his being. He summoned...

An Imaginary Conversation with My Father

Psalm 103:13 (NET) - As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on his faithful followers. Sunday is Father’s Day. I wondered what it might be like if I could but sit down with my father once more and seek his wisdom. My father was born almost a hundred years ago. He died several decades ago while he was still a relatively young man. I thought about how much things have changed since he was born. I also thought about how much things have changed since he died. Although some of the changes were beneficial a great may were not. I tried to imagine...

Choices Matter

Most of the driving I do is on the highway, There are several spots along my commute where traffic becomes rather intense. I can normally count on at least a few drivers taking some unnecessary and even dangerous risks. There is one thing I have learned about these drivers from experience. Drivers in certain makes of cars appear more likely to take unnecessary chances. Certainly one might expect this from drivers of high performance sports cars. Their vehicles have more horsepower and greater acceleration. Yet these drivers are not the only ones that are willing to take...

Judged More Strictly

James 3:1 (NET) – Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers and sisters, because you know that we will be judged more strictly. If there is one passage of scripture that weighs heavily on me, it comes in this warning from James. Teaching, whether in my church or in my blogs, is one of the great joys in my life. But, regardless of the pleasure it brings me, the warning from James could not be clearer. Those who teach will be judged more strictly. Since that is the case, why would anyone even consider taking on such a task? The answer can be found in the book of Romans. In...

Unplanted Seeds

Proverbs 22:6 (NET) – Train a child in the way that he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it. When it comes to children and smart phones, I have mixed feelings. To be honest, it bothers me when I see children spending time with their phones instead of interacting with each other. I will admit that part of that is due to my age, but deep down I feel that interaction between people should not take a backseat to interaction with a device. At the risk of sounding judgmental, I have discovered something that bothers me even more: parents who interact with their phones...

The Good Delivery Driver

Luke 27:33-34 (NIV) - But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. I read a short article in the news the other day that moved me. In one of the largest cities in America, someone ordered pizza online. There was a place on the online order form for special instructions. The customer left two instructions. The first was for the restaurant to have the pizza delivered by their “cutest...

Kind Words

Who among us does not appreciate a kind word? In today’s fast paced world, words of encouragement are increasingly rare. Words of gratitude seem even rarer. With each passing day, we get busier and busier. Thoughts of lifting each other up seemingly fall by the wayside. Even the simple act of saying “Thank you” seems to be dying away. Yet a kind word or a simple “Thank You” can make a tremendous difference in someone’s day. As Good Friday approached, I thought about this. I also thought about the kindest words of all. Those words were the ones spoken by Jesus as he...

Intimate Knowledge

When we think about God, many things come to mind. We think of Him as the first Person in the Trinity. We think of Him as the Father. We think of Him as Creator. God is omniscient God is eternal. God is love. God is all of these and much more. Because God has so many qualities, one thing that is easily overlooked is how intimately God knows us. The Psalmist understood this intimate knowledge. Psalm 139:13 (NET) – Certainly you made my mind and heart; you wove me together in my mother’s womb. In fact, the Psalmist understood this very well. Psalm 139:16 (NET)...

Turn Around

I take the same route to and from work every day. There are some advantages to this. One of the biggest advantages is that I have learned from experience where I need to be more careful. There is a hill I must descend that is rather steep. I need to monitor my speed there so I can stop safely. There is one traffic light that changes more frequently than the others. I need to wait an extra second or two before proceeding as someone will inevitably run the red light. There is a left turn I must make from a busy highway. Experience has taught me to make sure I am in the...