Come What May

As I write this, 2020 is winding down. Hopefully 2021 will be a better year, but time will tell. From our current vantage point, there is room for optimism. The vaccine for COVID-19 is already being distributed. With it, we may get a handle on the pandemic. But, from our current vantage point a great deal about the future remains unknown. Will those who lost their jobs find employment once again? Will we find healing for the division we currently experience? Will the virus mutate and perhaps result in additional setbacks? So many questions. So few answers. In pondering the future,...

Finding Joy This Christmas

Christmas is an excellent time for reflection. In doing so, I find that I have many unpleasant memories of events that involve the Christmas season. One Christmas season, the person to whom I was closest died. I had to arrange funeral services. This was made challenging as no one had cell phones. Many had left town for Christmas and I had no way of reaching them. Then there was a young lady I met many years ago. We got along very well. As we learned more about each other I discovered her family chose not to celebrate Christmas. For my family, Christmas was a major event. We parted ways...

A Symbol of Hope

 John 6:30 (NET) - So they said to him, "Then what miraculous sign will you perform, so that we may see it and believe you? What will you do?Throughout His earthly ministry, people asked Jesus for miraculous signs.Truthfully speaking, these requests were more like demands.According to their reasoning, this would cause them to believe.With all that is going on in the world today, perhaps we desire the miraculous even more.We would like Jesus to end the pandemic.We would like for Him to heal all division.Some might even ask Him to restore the...

Worry, Worry, Worry

Philippians 4:2 (NET) - Each of you should be concerned not only about your own interests, but about the interests of others as well. Scripture tells us time and again that we should not worry. The words “Fear not” immediately spring to mind. Good advice. But some have even gone so far as to say that if you worry then you are not really a Christian. My mother was a worrier. I used to tell her that if she found herself not worrying, she would worry about that. Of course, this was in jest and she took it that way. But frankly speaking, there is a great deal of concern in the world right...

Moving Forward an Hour Back

Matthew 11:29-30 (NET) - Take my yoke on you and learn from me, because I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and my load is not hard to carry.People in my part of the world recently set our clocks back one hour. I am still getting accustomed to the time change, Frankly, I wish we could leave the time alone rather than change it twice each year. It always takes time for me to adjust to the new time. I find the time change this time of year particularly unsettling. That is human nature. By the time I have finished my workday...

Comfort and Peace

Leviticus 26:5 (NET) - I will grant peace in the land so that you will lie down to sleep without anyone terrifying you. I will remove harmful animals from the land, and no sword of war will pass through your land. A young friend recently called me. He had just experienced the death of his mother. I understood the loss only too well as I experienced it personally years ago. Although much time has passed for me, I remember only too well the initial shock and pain. Unfortunately, the pandemic prevents me from putting my arm around my friend. The only comforts I could offer him were words spoken...

The Good Shepherd

Psalm 23:3 (NRSV) - he restores my soul. He leads me in right paths for his name’s sake. Psalm 23 is something special. It is among those passages of scripture we memorize very early on. We find comfort in its words. We turn to it when we are grieving the loss of a loved one. We have heard it recited at funeral services time and again. Psalm 23 begins with these timeless words… “The LORD is my shepherd.” That is why my attention currently turns to the third verse. Particularly the phrase, “He leads me in right paths.” After all, that is exactly what a good shepherd does for his sheep. He...

Best Plan Ever

Psalm 71:17 (NET) - O God, you have taught me since I was young, and I am still declaring your amazing deeds. Since the beginning, God has done the miraculous. He spoke the universe into existence. From the farthest flung galaxies to our neighboring moon, the universe declares God’s glory. The Earth itself is also a testament to God’s glory from one extreme to the other. For example, the wings of a butterfly are frail and delicate. The wings of an eagle, however, are strong and sturdy. Yet, God created both. God created both the depths of the oceans and the highest mountain tops  Personally,...

Fruits of the Spirit

Nehemiah 9:20 (NET) - You imparted your good Spirit to instruct them. You did not withhold your manna from their mouths; you provided water for their thirst. The Holy Spirit is the least understood member of the Trinity. But the same Holy Spirit who helped those who came before us helps us as well. Moreover, we do not need to fully comprehend the Holy Spirit in order to know Him. . That is because He has been given to us, John 14:17 (NET) - the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot accept, because it does not see him or know him. But you know him, because he resides with you and will be...

Good One

 Psalm 100:5 (NET) - For the Lord is good. His loyal love endures, and he is faithful through all generations. We use the word "good" frequently. Late in the day, we say "good evening" or "good night". Early in the day, we say "good morning" or "good day". Considering current events we may find ourselves asking "What's good about anything?" There is division among races and politics. There is a global pandemic with no end in sight. There is violence in the streets of our cities. People are persecuted for their religious beliefs. We are forced to remain distant for health reasons. We...

Weathering the Storm

Psalm 26:12 (NET) - I am safe, and among the worshipers I will praise the Lord.It seems a bit ironic to open with this verse these days. The pandemic has managed to do on a global scale what nothing in recent memory has. Worshipping in our own churches stopped. In some cases it restarted only to stop once again. In some cases it has resumed but with a limited number of worshippers. Obviously, those in high risks groups should not attend. We must also understand that some will remain uncomfortable attending in person again for quite some time. Understanding is, after all, part of what loving...

Power in the Blood

I accidentally cut myself this weekend. It was much more than a slight wound. Fortunately, I kept calm and remembered my first aid training. This combination saved me a trip to the emergency room. The incident, although painful, reminded me just how important our blood is. When I was a boy, I knew an elderly man who had a blood disease. This disease prevented his blood from clotting properly. Even a small cut that most would take for granted could have proved fatal to him. I had another friend with a similar condition. His was due to the medication he was taking. Our...

For Sale

I decided to take a drive Sunday afternoon, It’s one of the few activities one can indulge in with the current COVID-19 restrictions in place. With no specific destination in mind, I decided I would first drive by the church I attend. With the recent spike in COVID-19 cases, worshipping together has been suspended once more. Fortunately, our services will still occur and be streamed online. Many churches have chosen this option at least until the pandemic has subsided. I remembered twice finding a note on our church door from a youth group. The note said that they stopped...

Attitudes and Beatitudes

What a time we live in. Just when things can’t seem to be more out of control, something else arises. My thoughts turn to the words of Christ and the Sermon on the Mount. Especially to His words from the Beatitudes. It’s as if we’ve collectively forgotten them. A quick Internet search indicates just how much confusion there is. Some say there are eight Beatitudes while others claim there are nine or ten. I will not go into all the Beatitudes but will focus on a few important for today. Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. Many are mourning right...

I Can't Breathe

“I can’t breathe.” These could have been the final words of a COVID-19 patient on a ventilator. Sadly, they were the last words of George Floyd while being restrained by four police officers. Now the nation, indeed the world, is outraged by the injustice. As Christians, we too must take a stand against injustice. There are so many references to justice in scripture that I cannot list them all here. That’s indicative of just how important justice is to God. It should be equally important to us. Many people think that God, whom we see in the Old Testament, is vindictive. Yet...

Love Endures

Proverbs 31:26 (NET) - She has opened her mouth with wisdom, with loving instruction on her tongue. Mother’s Day was a bittersweet time for me. Mom passed away almost 15 years ago, and I still love and miss her very much. That is why I was so grateful to receive an email from a friend who is a man of God. Like me, he too had a wonderful relationship with his mother, In his email, he reminded me how blessed both of us are for the mothers God gave us. I readily agreed. My faith would not be what it is had it not been for my mother. Some of my earliest memories are of...

Cliffhanger

I enjoy old movie serials and television episodes. Many of these installments ended in what has come to be known as “the cliffhanger”. Simply put, this is a plot device in which the installment ends with a character in a precarious position. It is also intended as an incentive for the viewer to want to watch the next installment. Until then, the viewer is left wondering how the character can possibly escape almost certain doom. There is an old saying that states life imitates art. For those who do not know the risen Lord, death appears to be the ultimate cliffhanger. Is...

Unrecognized

Although Easter Sunday was several days ago, we are still in the Easter season. Before COVID-19, the Sundays following Easter would remind us of this. Sermons, hymns and prayers would help remind us of the importance of the Resurrection, As such, I find my thoughts returning to one fact about the immediate aftermath of the Resurrection. People, including those closest to Jesus, did not recognize Him at first, This started when Mary Magdalene found the tomb empty. She then told the disciples who came to see for themselves. After she was left alone, she encountered the risen...

Solitude and Prayer

COVID-19 has changed the way we live. Like many others, I am working from home now. I miss not being at work and I certainly miss the friends I have made there. I long for the day when I can attend church once more, I think I miss my students on Sunday mornings most of all. We were not designed to live in perpetual solitude Yet even for those living with family, there will be times we still find ourselves alone, But this is not altogether a bad thing. Scripture tells us time and again that even Jesus went off to be by himself. Perhaps the clearest example can be...

Changes and Constants

Those of you who follow my regular offerings will notice this one is in a different format. This is intentional because of all that is going on around us. It is my hope that you will read it anyway. Our routines have been turned upside down and it is very probable that even more changes are in store. The question then arises: What should we be doing during this period of change? 1.      Do Not Fear. It is important that we do not fear. There are dozens upon dozens of verses reminding us not to fear. Philippians 4:6-7 (NET) - Do not be anxious about anything....

Kept in the Dark

Continuing the journey toward Easter I found my thoughts turning to the hours of darkness. An eerie and unexpected darkness occurred while Jesus was being crucified. Mark 15:33 (NET) - Now when it was noon, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. This reminded me of the phrase “kept in the dark”. To keep someone in the dark currently means choosing not to inform them of your plans. This was certainly not the case with Jesus. Jesus told His disciples exactly who He was. He told them exactly what He came to do. He even told them He would rise on...

Completed

Election time is drawing near in my country. There are many people vying for the highest office in the land. Experience has taught me two things. The first is that candidates will usually promise anything to get elected. The second is that some of their statements are simply wrong. One candidate’s recent claim can fall into the second category. According to him, he has earned his way into heaven based on something he did, Politics aside, such a statement is incorrect when viewed in the light of scripture. Salvation cannot be earned. It is not our doing. Salvation...