Join us Sunday mornings this spring at Burns for a look at Peter’s epistles: Christian living in a broken world. Hope to see you there!
Verse of the DayBulletin articles and other news from the ministers
Join us Sunday mornings this spring at Burns for a look at Peter’s epistles: Christian living in a broken world. Hope to see you there!
Most folks who set out to make New Year’s resolutions make a list. That list is pretty familiar, isn’t it? Lose weight. Eat better. Be nicer. Quit smoking. Go to church more. Be a better parent, husband, friend, or preacher. Write better bulletin articles. Read more books. Talk less. Listen more. If you’re like most folks – that list serves you well until January 3rd or so. It’s a great idea, but hard to follow through on.
Here’s a suggestion: what one thing in your life is holding you back from serving Jesus? There may be several things—but what is the biggest problem?
We’re kind of funny people. I hate cleaning my office—just ask Leslie! The best way to get me to clean my office is to assign me a task I like less. Suddenly, cleaning the office just got a lot easier. Sometimes we don’t focus on what is really important.
If your car has a leaking transmission, burns oil, and doesn’t have brakes, you’d be a fool to spend your time and money waxing it and installing a new stereo, wouldn’t you? If your house has a broken window, you need to fix it before you worry about new hardwood floors.
Our lives are the same way: while there are several things in each of our lives that interfere with our relationship with Jesus, in all likelihood, one of those problems is more severe and urgent than the others. We need to tackle the big problem first.
So throw out your list of resolutions. Identify the one thing that is doing more harm to your soul than anything else: one repeated sin, one neglected virtue, one continued disobedience or doubt, one nagging fear—just one!—confess it to a trusted friend, bring it to Jesus, and make it the target of your full-on assault this year. When (not if!) you conquer—then you can find the next thing.
This season is one of my favorite four of the year! It’s hard to be sleepy when you step outside and inhale a breath of crisp winter air. It’s hard to miss the beauty of lights and decorations in our homes and communities. I enjoy this time of year.
You and I know that we don’t know when Jesus was born. The Bible is oddly specific in the details it leaves for us regarding the birth of Jesus. We learn about the gifts that were brought, the location of his birth, the response to his birth—but we don’t learn the date or all other sorts of interesting information. I suspect there’s a divine reason for this: God wants us to focus on Jesus—not the things that surround him.
I am grateful that the Christmas season is the de facto time when people remember the birth of Jesus, because without it, they might not think about him at all.
I’m glad that when people think about the birth of Jesus, they think about giving. After all, God does love a cheerful giver (2 Corinthians 9:7), and “the Lord Jesus himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’” (Acts 20:35).
I’m thrilled that when people tell the story of his virgin birth, they are reminded that as the angel told Mary, “nothing will be impossible with God.” (Luke 1:37) Even the impossible is possible.
I’m encouraged by the charities that operate this time of the year to make sure that even in the darkest, coldest time of the year, the “least of these” are taken care of. (Matthew 25:40)
I’m glad to know that God is in the saving business, that He is here, and that he has a plan for me. I’m thrilled that today we can worship this God as a family. Aren’t you?
Not too long ago, a company I often shop with awarded me “silver customer” status. When I received their notification, I was told that I now qualified for more discounts with them, and they appreciated what a “good customer” I had been.
It struck me as a little bit funny. They knew I had spent some too much money with them, and they knew that the discount would likely help encourage me to spend more. The “silver” designation implies that there is a higher status (gold, platinum) that I could attain, if only I keep shopping with them!
It’s a brilliant marketing move that many companies use to try to manipulate us into spending more money. I’m not a big fan of manipulation—but I do have a question for you: if Jesus were evaluating your dedication to His name, how would he describe you?
Crowds of people are spectators. They are interested in finding out what Jesus has to offer, but they’re more content in standing on the sidelines and watching. Spectators will likely come in late and leave early. They might sing—a little—and they might even smile, too. We all begin as spectators who look at Christianity and try to evaluate its merit.
Some people are consumers. They’re interested in what Jesus has to offer, what the church has to offer, what the community has to offer, and whatever anyone has to offer! They are active—in a consuming role. They’ll drop their kids off at every church activity. They’ll eat at every fellowship meal. They’ll be at every party—and probably even early! But you can count on one thing: they won’t be staying after to clean up. They reap without sowing.
A few are investors. They’re interested in being like Jesus. They’re active in serving. Freely they have received, so freely they give of their time, talent, and treasure. They clean up the building and take out the trash. They invest in people with encouraging words and time in prayer. They invest in their faith by studying the Word. They invest in the community by volunteering and teaching. Their work is hard, but nobody enjoys greater satisfaction, joy, or rewards, than an investor.
Which are you? If you’re new here, it’s okay to be a spectator for a little while. Test the water as a consumer—for a little while. And when you see that Jesus is good and his word is true—invest your heart and your life in his cause. Don’t be satisfied to watch and consume. Invest!
Our Wednesday night class listed several things for which we are thankful. The class decided to only list the “little things” in daily life that we tend to take for granted. I’ve included most of the list here as a guide. I hope it will help motivate you to thankfulness! If there’s something you’d like to add, would you add a comment to this post?
serenity prayer
fresh coffee in the morning
dogs that snore
morning solitude
hospital corpsmen
satellites
paper plates
c-pap machines
GPS systems
sunsets hitting airplane vapors
church steeples
clocks
toilet paper
electricity
refrigerators
smell of vanilla
ICE- for tea and other drinks
windshield wipers
heated blankets for when I’m cold
sleeping bags
ice cream cones
rye grass in the fall and winter months
new construction of downtown Dickson
all things chocolate
Read more »
If you’re anything like me (terror at the thought!) sometimes it’s hard to know what to say in a difficult situation. Job’s friends did their best work when they sat silently for a week (Job 2:11-13). By the time Job 16:2 rolls around, they’ve long since opened their mouths and become “miserable comforters.”
Certainly there is a time to speak and a time for silence. Wisdom is knowing which is which!
Alan Wolfelt wrote a book: The Handbook for Companioning the Mourner. He suggests that we take an attitude of companionship rather than feeling the need to offer counsel. Here are his principles for your consideration:
We say it often—because it’s true—sometimes the most important thing is just being there.
(See Richard Beck’s blog for a fuller discussion.)
Around the turn of the 20th century, the London Times put out a call to writers. They solicited essays in response to the question “What is wrong with the world?” to run in a series in the paper. Many great thinkers, scholars, writers, and preachers wrote in response to that prompt—but one short and simple answer stood above the stacks that came in before and after it.
Dear Sirs:
I am.
Sincerely yours,
G. K. Chesterton
I’m partial to Chesterton’s reply. It was probably the most helpful of the answers received that day. We can sit around and pontificate and try to solve all the world’s problems and list all the world’s woes, but ultimately, the only problem I can really deal with is mine.
It’s far easier to complain about what’s wrong with your spouse than to improve your share of your marriage. It’s easier to gripe about your kid’s teacher than it is to discipline your child enough so that he actually completes his homework. It’s more comfortable to count the sins of others and recall our own righteousness than it is to get our hands and hearts dirty in the business of cleaning our own lives.
Don’t take the easy way out. Be honest with yourself and with God. Jesus said, “Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?” (Matthew 7:3)
“Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she laughs at the time to come.” (Proverbs 31:25)
“This is how the holy women who hoped in God used to adorn themselves, by submitting to their own husbands, as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord. And you are her children, if you do good and do not fear anything that is frightening.” (1 Peter 3:5-6)
Scripture repeatedly describes a woman of faith as someone who is unafraid. She has a quiet confidence that can only come from knowing that if God is for us, nobody can successfully stand against us (Romans 8:31).
There are plenty of frightening things in our world. There are the continuing economic troubles, the constant threat of war and terrorism, the increasing acceptance of everything except Christianity, bad news from doctors, disappointments from family…this world can be a scary place!
Christians get to look at things differently. The thinks that spook so many shouldn’t have a strong hold on us. We’re concerned for the economy, but we know that life is more than food and the body is more than clothing (Luke 12:23). We pray for peace, but we know that death is not the worst threat (Matthew 10:28) and that we all have an appointment with it anyway! (See Hebrews 9:27).
When Franklin D. Roosevelt said “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself” – he was almost right. The only fear we have is a respect for God (Ecclesiastes 12:13) which is being replaced by perfected love (1 John 4:18). So let’s join the worthy woman of Proverbs 31 and share a good laugh at the fears of tomorrow!
One of the biggest things that can ruin a marriage are expectations that are too high or too low. If you expect your spouse to be perfect, you can expect to be disappointed! If your expectations are too low, you’ll miss the beauty of what God has designed for you. Douglas Rosenau put together this list: ten things you can and should expect of your marriage, and that your partner should expect of you. Read and see if the scriptures don’t help your home!
- Each of us will become a partner and soul mate offering unconditional love, understanding, and support. We will be best friends. (Genesis 2:18, 1 Peter 3:7-8, Ephesians 5:28-31, Proverbs 17:17, 18:24)
- Neither of us will expect the other to meet all of our needs or take sole responsibility for our personal happiness. We will give each other space to breathe and have a life. (Philippians 2:12-13, Galatians 6:5-6)
- We will leave our fathers and mothers and create a new, independent, special family unit. (Ephesians 5:31)
- We will have one healthy fight or disagreement a week. Confrontation concerning our unmet personal needs will be believed and not dismissed. (2 Timothy 4:2, Ephesians 4:15, 2 Corinthians 7:8, Hebrews 3:13, Hebrews 12:13-15)
- We will take regular vacations and honeymoons throughout our marriage as we mend and enhance our intimacy. (Ecclesiastes 3, Deuteronomy 24:5)
- We will use credit carefully as we become wise stewards of our finances. (Rom 13:8, Matt 25:16, 21)
- My mate will be faithful and committed to me. (Exodus 20:14)
- Either of us will be able to initiate marriage counseling, and the other will be willing to go. Our marriage will be constantly growing with individual and relational changes and improvements. (Proverbs 15:14, 16:20, 27:9, Philippians 1:9-10)
- We will have regular, satisfying sexual interaction. (1 Corinthians 7:3-5)
- We will enjoy a growing spiritual life together with prayer and Bible study. (James 1:5, Colossians 3:16, 4:2)
May God bless your marriage as glorious in his sight!
Nicholas Herman was born to peasants in Lorraine, France. He had no choice but to join the army to escape his poverty. After his conversion and eventual discharge from the army because of injury, he entered a monastery in Paris wand became known simply as Brother Lawrence.
Lawrence was assigned to the kitchen. For the rest of his life his work consisted of cooking and cleaning. He was not a featured lectureship speaker; he authored no book. But for Lawrence, common business—the way we go about every day of our lives—is not mundane, routine, or unimportant. Instead, the common is where God is most interested in acting and showing his love.
“Nor is it needful that we should have great things to do,” Lawrence said, “we each can do little things for God. I turn the cake that is frying on the pan for love of him, and that done, if there is nothing else to call me, I prostrate myself fin worship before him, who has given me grace to work; afterwards I rise happier than a king. It is enough for me to pick up but a straw from the ground for the love of God.”
Lawrence’s attitude of treating every moment of life as sacred to God attracted attention. He was investigated by Abbe de Beaufort, the aide of the cardinal in 1666. Four interviews were given, and those were recorded and copied in a simple book called The Practice of the Presence of God. It’s a neat read about learning to understand that God is always present.
Lawrence embodied the teaching of Colossians 3:23: “Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people.” (NLT) May we learn the practice of the presence of God!
