October 26, 2024

 Vote for Jesus

At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people.”

– Matthew 24:10-11

Don’t you care about unborn babies? What about our values? We’re not voting for the man but rather for the Bible.

Seriously?

Those are some of the comments made by people I know to defend their votes for Donald Trump. They don’t like the man but they’ve convinced themselves that he’s the best one to stand up for Biblical values.

I care about unborn babies. I care about their mothers. And I care about the babies who are already born. That’s why I am so opposed to Trump.

I want a country where girls, and women, can live their lives without fear of derogatory comments and prejudice against their sex and looks.

I want a country where boys understand that talking about another man’s private parts – publicly, no less – has no place in any conversation.

I want a country where leaders are condemned for lies and bullying, for threats against anyone who criticizes them and for applauding violence and labeling it a “love fest.”

Those are the Biblical values I support. I can’t simply turn a blind eye to a man held up as an idol. I can’t ignore arrogance and comments praising Hitler and Putin.

Will Kamala Harris be a good president? I hope so. She seems to care about people and that’s something Jesus would do.

We are called to care for orphans and widows, for the poor and the foreigner. That’s Biblical. That popular comment “God helps those who help themselves” isn’t in the Bible. Instead, time and time again we are told to love people and help them, sacrificing our time and money if necessary.

We don’t want to hear that.

Please stand up for Jesus. Cast your vote against a manipulative liar who only cares for himself.

October 25, 2024

          Death Strikes Suddenly

Jesus wept. – John 11:35

“It’s not what you take when you leave this world behind you, it’s what you leave behind you when you go.”

Those words from the song Three Wooden Crosses have echoed in my mind these past few days. James Smith was a friend, a former boss, a really good, kind and compassionate man. He was devoted to his wife, his children and grandchildren. He didn’t talk a lot about his faith. He simply lived it.

How does a man so filled with life suddenly move to heaven with no warning? When I got that phone call, I kept telling the caller that she had to be wrong. Not James. Surely not James.

Those of us privileged to know him are stunned. Heartbroken. Grief-stricken. And, yet, all the words we’re using to describe him echo the same sentiments. His legacy, which reaches far beyond his family, will live forever.

If you needed someone to laugh with you, James was right there. If you needed a defender, he was the first to step up. If you needed a sounding board, he had two ears that were always available to listen.

His priorities were right in line with his values. I’m not sure how many performances of Nutcracker he sat through over the years. Or how many swim meets he attended. Add class activities and beach fun. He was present in the lives of his grandchildren and he was just as excited for the last event as for the first one.

He rocked babies and gave away brides. He mourned his Daddy and took care of his Mama. He was someone you could count on. His extended family depended on him and he always showed up.

Was he perfect? No. None of us are. But he had his priorities in the right order. He loved Jesus and he loved Barbara, his wife of 44 years. He loved his family and friends.

I look around today and see people lusting after tomorrow with a gaze that never sees today. I see hearts that judge people based on possessions, while neglecting the seeds that grow into tomorrow.

James planted seeds. He planted seeds of kindness, integrity, compassion, honesty. He fertilized us all with hope and laughter. And the gift of his presence.

The coming days, weeks and years will be hard, especially for his family. There’s the new grandbaby he’ll never hold. And the graduation he won’t see. And let’s not forget the Nutcracker ballet and the swim meets and all the other things he will miss. He leaves a large void that none of us can fill.

But Jesus. Well, Jesus wept. And then He stepped up to fill that void as only He can.

September 27, 2024

                                       Help Others

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.

– 2 Corinthians 1:3-4

Compassion. Kindness. Prayers.

We will go through hard times. It might be a hurricane that takes away our material possessions. It might be power outages and damage to our home. It could be a broken heart caused by the death of a loved one or a marriage that falls apart. It might be an illness or accident that sends your life down a path you never chose.

Why? That’s the question we all ask. We know that God turns all things to good if we give it to Him. (Romans 8:28) But what does “good” look like? 

Sometimes it’s strength to get through whatever we’re facing. Sometimes it’s peace in the middle of whatever happens. And sometimes good looks like walking beside people who are going through what we survived.

There’s a certain kind of compassion that comes when you’ve been there. It’s not about empty words – however well meaning – or platitudes. It comes from the heart of someone who has made the journey.

God uses people like you and me. Someone from church called me after I was diagnosed with cancer. She had no idea I had cancer. She called about something else. We had a beautiful conversation about God’s faithfulness. She’d walked the road I was on. She understood.

As Christians we are part of a fellowship, a family, that helps others. We have our church family, of course, but we also have others to help. We are called to serve. That’s what Jesus told us to do.

Sometimes that looks like taking a meal to someone who is sick. It might be mowing someone’s yard or changing a light bulb. It could be providing transportation to a doctor’s appointment or including someone who is alone in your holiday celebrations.

And sometimes it’s simply showing up and walking beside someone who is in the midst of hard. Compassion. Kindness. Prayers. We hurt so that one day we might be able to help someone else going through what we once faced.

September 23, 2024

                                    Be the Light

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven.” – Matthew 5:43-45a

How do you respond to hatred? How do you react to bigotry? How do you combat lies engineered to fuel unrest?

Haitian migrants have moved to our community. No one seems to know exactly how many but the numbers are small. They’ve been here for about 10 months. And now certain people have decided to use the migrants as a political agenda based on hate.

The migrants haven’t caused trouble. They haven’t “drained” our resources. For example, one elementary school in our town has ONE Haitian child. They are working people who are trying to build a new life.

This has caused some people to react in anger. Their hostility mirrors the hate they are attacking. Their loud voices will not change the opinions or hearts of those who attack people they don’t even know. It will just create an escalation that does no one any good.

It came up before and after church yesterday. While some were focused on what we can do to help integrate the Haitian migrants into our community, others were more focused on lashing out at those who have unfairly attacked the migrants.

I am all about freedom of speech and freedom to express your opinion. I am an editorial columnist after all. But there is a way to make your point without inflaming an already bad situation.

Martin Luther King, Jr. put it this way:

Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that.

I would go a step further and say that hatred begets hatred.

How much more powerful to simply love on the people who are now facing such vocal cruelty? How much better to SHOW how to live a life of faith than to try and argue with people who are filled with hate?

I know. Many of the people who are behaving so ugly are also people who are in church most Sundays. But do we allow them to drag us down or do we, by our own behavior, lift them up?

Jesus told us to love our enemies. He went on to ask what it will accomplish to love those who are good to us? The power, if you will, comes from loving people who aren’t behaving in a loving manner.

We are to be the light. It’s in the Bible. Read it for yourself. Let go of the darkness and pray for those who would do harm. God can do anything if His people will only seek from the depths of their hearts.

September 21, 2024

                 Don’t Excuse Lies

There are six things the LORD hates,

seven that are detestable to him:

haughty eyes,

a lying tongue,

hands that shed innocent blood,

a heart that devises wicked schemes,

feet that are quick to rush into evil,

a false witness who pours out lies

and a person who stirs up conflict in the community.

– Proverbs 6:16-19

Does a lie ever justify itself? Is it okay to excuse a person for lying when he explains its purpose? Is it okay to stir up strife to further your own agenda?

A candidate running for vice president of our country now admits he lied about Haitian migrants eating people’s pets. He explained that he just wanted to draw attention to the migrants who are being located into different communities in our country.

JD Vance has done great harm with his repeated lies. Springfield, Ohio, has dealt with bomb threats against their schools. The tension and fear torments residents, including the Haitian migrants who are here legally. They have sought refuge in our country because of the violence in Haiti. Now this?

The ripple from Vance’s lie, which Trump has also told, has spread to other towns. This week a meeting over the Haitian migrants in my own town packed a local church. A church? The media wasn’t allowed in. I didn’t attend.

The police chief did speak to a reporter. He said the migrants haven’t caused any trouble beyond normal percentages throughout the community. (All groups – white, black, hispanic, etc. cause some trouble from time to time.) The Haitians seem to be hard-working people who simply want to build a life here.

Hatred and fear born of a lie. We’re so afraid of taxing our resources by people who “shouldn’t be here.” Have we forgotten that God can multiply anything that we give to Him so that we have more than enough?

It’s appalling to me that a church would host such an event. I am furious that political candidates would continue to stir up hatred and fear to further their own political ambitions. And I am more than disappointed that Christians fall into the mob mentality and blindly follow and excuse evil.

Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister.

– 1 John 4:20-21

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

– John 13:34-35

Are you stirring up hatred or are you reaching out to others in love? Don’t claim to follow Jesus and demand that people made in God’s image be removed from your community. That’s not love. That’s not what Jesus would do.

September 20, 2024

                 Be Kind to Jesus

Kindness to the poor is a loan to the LORD

And He will give a reward to the lender.

– Proverbs 19:17

Who are the poor? Do they look like you? Do they live in your community? Are they lazy? Are they children with parents who don’t care? Are they women escaping violence? Are they the person sitting next to you on that church pew?

Increasingly, we have no care for the poor. We’ll gather items for shoeboxes. We’ll contribute diapers or clothes to an organization of our choosing. We might even put a few cans of food into a donation box for the food pantry.

But we don’t want to do anything that might get our hands dirty. We don’t want to associate with people who don’t look like us or speak the same language we speak. We really don’t want to see the poor or associate with them.

Do you remember what Jesus said in Matthew’s gospel?

“For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.

Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or see you thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?

The king will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.”

– Matthew 25:35-40

Our world is filled with hate and entitlement. We proclaim a faith we don’t live. We quote scripture but refuse to live it out in our own lives.

Don’t tell me what the Bible says. Show me. Get your hands dirty. Make a sacrifice for someone you don’t know who can never repay you. Do the right thing even when the wrong thing would be far easier and less costly.

Following Jesus was never meant to be easy. Stop thinking that it is.

September 19, 2024

 

Who Will You Follow?

But each person is tempted when he is drawn away and enticed by his own evil desire. – James 1:14

Nazi Germany was filled with Christians. In fact, 95 percent of the population were either Protestant or Catholic. They followed Hitler. They turned a blind eye to evil. They believed the propaganda. They followed evil rather than God.

Why do I bring this up? Because I see the same thing happening now in our country. Christians are following evil and trying to justify it by claiming to follow their Christian “values.” They claim they aren’t following Trump but rather what he stands for regarding policies and values.

Did the Christians who followed Hitler believe they were following Jesus? Did they justify turning a blind eye to evil because it would benefit them financially? Did they choose to walk away rather than stand up for what is right?

I can’t make excuses for lies. I especially can’t make excuses for lies that harm people who were created in God’s image. Haitians - who are here legally – shouldn’t be persecuted to advance one man’s political agenda. That’s just wrong.

I can’t refuse to listen to a man who has repeatedly said that if elected he will use our government to punish those who opposed him. He has said he will release from prison those who stormed the capitol. He has told Christians they only need to vote once more and then they’ll never have to vote again.

How can anyone not hear his words? This is not the media distorting the truth. These are things Trump has said repeatedly.

My next question is this: why? Are you afraid that your life will change if you follow the Bible and welcome foreigners? Are you watching your bank account instead of reading your Bible? Have you turned a hard heart toward the poor?

Blindly following someone who doesn’t follow Jesus will lead us down a path of evil. In many ways, it already has. There is just so much hatred in our country today. And it is being fueled by political rhetoric based on lies and fear mongering.

Are you going to be a part of that? Or are you going to follow Jesus?

September 12, 2024

                                   Don’t Wait

Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope.

-- 1 Thessalonians 4:13

Death is everywhere. A woman lost her husband to a sudden illness. Parents grieve for a young man gone too soon. Teammates, friends and family members walk around in shock. We are so unprepared.

Yet, why are we so shocked? Death comes to all of us. It’s the one guarantee of this life. We don’t know when. We don’t know how. But death will one day knock on our door and demand its price.

Are you ready? Do you know Jesus? He’s the One who defeated death. When death arrives, it will be too late to decide.

The Apostle Paul told the Thessalonians not to grieve the way those who don’t know Jesus grieve. While goodbyes are painful, we have the hope and reassurance that the goodbye isn’t forever. We’ll see those we love, those who know Jesus, again one day.

And there it is. Those who know Jesus. It’s not enough to be a good person. It doesn’t matter how much money you have in the bank or how much property you own. It doesn’t even matter how much your family loves you. All that matters in that moment of death is whether you know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.

“I’ll take my chances.” How many times have I heard somebody say those words?

“He (or she) was such a good person. I’m sure he’s in heaven.”

“He attended church regularly. I never saw him read the Bible or even participate in a Bible study but I’m sure he was good. He went to church after all.”

News Flash: Attending church doesn’t punch your card to heaven. Nor does being a good person. And rolling the dice on your chances is a sure ticket down below.

The only question that matters is whether you love Jesus. Have you accepted Him as Lord and Savior? Have you accepted His gift of salvation? Do you believe that Jesus is the Son of God who came to earth, lived a perfect life, died a horrific death on the cross, and is now raised from the dead and seated at God’s right hand? Don’t wait until your day is done to examine your heart.

And don’t wait until it’s too late to have hard conversations with the people you love. They may not hear you. They may brush aside your questions and your prayers. That’s their right. But at least try.

The only way through unbearable grief is knowing that our separation is only temporary. Don’t wait until death calls your name or the name of someone you love.

September 10, 2024

                            A Country Divided

Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and no city or house divided against itself will stand. – Matthew 12:25

Jesus was casting out demons and, as always, His critics were nearby. They claimed that Jesus was working on the authority of Satan. Jesus’ response was to ask a question: why would Satan work against his own evil spirits by casting them out?

We must either follow Jesus or follow the world. And we must do so while the world taunts us with lies.

Abraham Lincoln recognized this truth when he said that a house divided against itself cannot stand. Lincoln was speaking about slavery. He opposed slavery. Lincoln expected that the nation would become either all slavery or all not. The year was 1858. Fortunately, Lincoln won that election.

So here we are again, a nation divided. In Sunday school class I wrote two lists on the board and asked class members what the lists had in common. The lists included men and women, Christian and Muslim, Democrat and Republican. heterosexual and homosexual, wealthy and poor, highly educated and uneducated. I could go on and on but you get the point.

What’s the common denominator? Jesus loves every single person on that list just as much as He loves you and I. He died for every one of us. We are ALL created in the image of God. Male and female. Black and white. Hispanic. Asian. And on and on.

Right now we have people who truly believe they are better, and smarter, than others. It reminds me of Nazi Germany. Is that harsh? The truth often is. When Christians blindly follow and excuse evil in their midst, horror results. Nazi Germany was filled with Protestants and Catholics and a few other religions. Some supported Hitler. Others remained silent. A few dared to speak out.

The United States is divided. Some support a would-be dictator. Others fear a female leader. Some reach for change and unity. Which way will we go?

My mind remembers the horror of January 6th when rioters – supported by Donald Trump – stormed the United States Capitol and attempted to take control of the government and prevent the certification of election results. The possibility of a recurrence of that day frightens me. I hope it frightens you.

I love our country and our democracy. But, as Jesus said, a house divided against itself cannot stand. How will you vote? Will you vote?

Jesus was assaulted with lies and fear-mongering. He was wise enough to see it and respond accordingly, casting aside the lies and speaking truth. How about you? Are you wise enough to see the lies and cast them aside?

September 7, 2024

    Hatred Begets Hatred

Hatred stirs up conflict,

but love covers over all wrongs. – Proverbs 10:12

Hatred begets hatred.

Again and again Christians post ugly things on social media about candidates they don’t like. They call them names. They spread lies. And they proclaim that anyone who disagrees with them doesn't really love Jesus.

Really!? I have snoozed and blocked, reported and prayed for so many people. Please understand that I really don’t care what your political views happen to be. We are all different. That’s a good thing. But I draw the line at hate-filled commentaries spewed out in the name of Jesus.

I look around at our children. Some face bullies. Some are the ones who bully other children. I hear the name calling and the ugliness. Do you? Maybe you’re the parent or grandparent comforting a child you love. Maybe you’re the parent or grandparent making excuses for your child’s attitude and words.

Kids aren’t born with ugliness in their hearts. They learn it from adults. They learn to be mean and judgmental. They learn to tell lies and make excuses.

They can also learn to be kind, compassionate and forgiving. They can learn to respect the opinions of others, especially those they disagree with.

The next time you shout at that “stupid” driver, pay attention to your words. The next time you spread your “opinion” of the political candidate you oppose, listen to yourself. The next time you make fun of someone who is different from you, consider how you would feel in that same situation.

Kids learn from what we do and say. What are they learning from you?

August 29, 2024

           Change Begins with You

Surely the arm of the LORD is not too short to save,

Nor his ear too dull to hear.

But your iniquities have separated you from your God;

Your sins have hidden his face from you,

so that he will not hear.

For your hands are stained with blood,

your fingers with guilt.

Your lips have spoken falsely,

and your tongue mutters wicked things.

– Isaiah 59:1-3

We pray for our nation to turn back to Him. We pray that God will remember us and once again bless our land. We pray that He will deliver us from the evil forces that threaten our values. We expect God to save us from ourselves.

We are quick to point out the sins of others. We are certain that our sins, few that they might be, are not keeping our nation from prosperity and God’s favor. Our ways are good. Our walk is certain. Except it isn’t.

We have failed to provide for the least among us. We demand anyone in need jump through hoops we’ve created so that they may prove themselves worthy. We hold close to our money and possessions. We’ve worked hard to provide for ourselves and our families and we are certain that anyone in need must be lazy or on drugs.

We have judged what is not ours to judge. We have turned away from the needy, the poor, the abused. We have failed to care for the elderly, the widow and the orphan. We have demanded blessings for ourselves without thought or care for anyone else.

We live in a self-indulgent society with little care for anyone else. Money has become our god. It’s second only to the god of ourselves. We wonder where God is in our nation. We fail to see the stain on our own hands even as we point our fingers to those we see as godless.

What can we do to turn our nation back to the God we proclaim? Change begins with each individual. It’s not a sweeping national election or even a local food bank or church. Change begins when each person who proclaims Christ as Lord and Savior actually begins to live as Jesus lived.

Do you want our nation to change? Then do your part. Be kind. Show compassion. Give where you can without judgment or reservation. Be humble. Put others before yourself. Love your enemies. Pray fervently and never fail to listen to the Holy Spirit as He directs you.

God can heal our land. But first let’s show Him that we are willing to serve His people and not our own agendas.

August 24,2024

 Do You Know Jesus

The LORD is near to the brokenhearted,

He saves those crushed in spirit.

– Psalm 34:18

He was only 14. Today his family and friends will gather in the high school gym to celebrate his life. It makes no sense. Death doesn’t always make sense.

It was a normal school day. He and the rest of the football team lifted weights inside and then headed outside. He suffered a “medical emergency” within minutes.

One day we’ll know what happened. One day we’ll understand. But right now we wonder how a seemingly healthy young athlete could simply die.

We’ve cheered him on through more basketball games than I can count. Our grandson is the same age and was on the same teams. Junior high games. Rec ball games. Travel ball games. We watched him play earlier this month.

Our only consolation is that he knew Jesus. This separation is not the final goodbye. We’ll see him again. I am thankful for his faith. I am thankful for the promises of Jesus.

So I turn to you and ask: Do you know Jesus? Have you accepted Him as Lord and Savior? It’s not about knowing the right words to say when someone asks. It’s a heart thing. Has Jesus changed your heart? Do your words and actions reflect Him?

No one expected a 14-year-old boy to die that day. But he did. Don’t assume you’ve got time. One day it’ll all be over. So I’ll ask you again: Do you know Jesus?

September 20, 2024

                    Be Kind to Jesus

Kindness to the poor is a loan to the LORD

And He will give a reward to the lender.

– Proverbs 19:17

Who are the poor? Do they look like you? Do they live in your community? Are they lazy? Are they children with parents who don’t care? Are they women escaping violence? Are they the person sitting next to you on that church pew?

Increasingly, we have no care for the poor. We’ll gather items for shoeboxes. We’ll contribute diapers or clothes to an organization of our choosing. We might even put a few cans of food into a donation box for the food pantry.

But we don’t want to do anything that might get our hands dirty. We don’t want to associate with people who don’t look like us or speak the same language we speak. We really don’t want to see the poor or associate with them.

Do you remember what Jesus said in Matthew’s gospel?

“For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.

Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or see you thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?

The king will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.”

– Matthew 25:35-40

Our world is filled with hate and entitlement. We proclaim a faith we don’t live. We quote scripture but refuse to live it out in our own lives.

Don’t tell me what the Bible says. Show me. Get your hands dirty. Make a sacrifice for someone you don’t know who can never repay you. Do the right thing even when the wrong thing would be far easier and less costly.

Following Jesus was never meant to be easy. Stop thinking that it is.