TWO CONGREGATIONS OF differing denominations were located only a few blocks from each other in a small community. They thought it might be better if they would merge and become one united body, larger and more effective, rather than two struggling churches. Good idea . . . but both were too petty to pull it off. The problem? They couldn’t agree on how they would recite the Lord’s Prayer.
Read MoreCategory Archives: Love
Our Words Matter Much
ABRAHAM LINCOLN’S COFFIN WAS pried open on more than one occasion. Once in 1887, twenty-two years after his assassination. Why? It was not to determine if he had died of a bullet fired from John Wilkes Booth’s derringer. Then why? Because a rumor was sweeping the country that his coffin was empty. A select group of witnesses observed that the rumor was totally false, then watched as the casket was resealed with lead.
Read MoreWhen You Grow Up
“WHAT DO YOU WANT TO be when you grow up?” The answers we receive are all over the map. One youngster recently told me he wanted to be either a car mechanic or a garbage collector. When I asked why, he gave the classic nine-year-old response: “So I can get dirty!” I smiled and understood as I reflected on my own childhood.
Read MoreMaking a Thorough Self-Evaluation
I’LL NEVER FORGET SOMETHING I heard on the radio several years ago. A woman in West Palm Beach, Florida, died alone at the age of seventy-one. The coroner’s report was tragic. “Cause of death: malnutrition.” The dear lady wasted away to fifty pounds. Investigators who found her said the place where she lived was a veritable pigpen. One seasoned inspector declared he’d never seen a residence in greater disarray.
Read MoreWhen Actions Matter More than Words
THE CHRISTIANS IN THE Macedonian churches were servants who gave without any concern about receiving the credit for their generosity. But Paul reveals something else remarkable about the nature of their gift: Now I want you to know, dear brothers and sisters, what God in his kindness has done through the churches in Macedonia. They are being tested by many troubles, and they are very poor.
Read MoreA Gift That Overflows
THE CHRISTIANS IN THE Macedonian churches were servants who gave without any concern about receiving the credit for their generosity. But Paul reveals something else remarkable about the nature of their gift: Now I want you to know, dear brothers and sisters, what God in his kindness has done through the churches in Macedonia.
Read MoreHumility and Inferiority
PART OF HUMILITY IS HAVING a preset mentality that determines thoughts like this: “I care about those around me.” “Why do I have to be first? Today I’m going to help someone else win.” “It’s my sincere desire to curb my competitive tendencies and turn that energy into encouraging at least one other person.”
Read MoreI, Me, Mine, Myself
THOSE FOUR WORDS stood out in bold print. They appeared as if they were forming an enormous monument, each letter seemingly chiseled out of granite. At the base of this strange “monument” were hundreds, perhaps thousands, of people with their arms stretched high, as if worshiping at a shrine. And then, in very small letters, this caption appeared at the bottom of the editorial cartoon: “Speaking of American cults . . .”
Read MoreThe Way Up Is Down
JOURNEY BACK WITH ME for a moment to one of the many scenes that demonstrated just how ordinary Jesus’ disciples were. What makes this account interesting is that mother of two of the disciples. She’s Mrs. Zebedee, wife of a Galilean fisherman and mother of James and John. Her bold request still makes me smile:
Read MoreWhat’s God up to in Your Life?
OUR WORLD HAS become a large, impersonal, busy affair. Social media and the technological age have caused us to become alienated from each other. We’re connected but not in community. No longer do neighbors visit across the backyard fence, chat in the driveway, or catch up on the kids at the mailbox. Those days are long gone.
Read More