Giving Answers (1 Peter 3:15)

I don't know if anyone will respond to this blog (via FB or via this blog).  I sincerely pray that many do. I am specifically writing former members of Youth Groups gone by and former members of the church I have been at part of for the last 17 years, why they have changed.  (If you haven't changed, then this isn't for you outside of the same understanding I am hoping for.) I have watched heartbreakingly over the last 17 years former youth seemingly trade in their faith for Christ for either a liberal understanding of faith or an abandonment of faith altogether.  (Truthfully, I don't know where some currently lie.) For those who have changed to a liberal understanding of faith: How did you come to your conclusion that the liberal interpretation was the correct one? Do you still believe in the foundational tenets of faith?  (We are fallen in need of a Savior because of our sin, Jesus came and paid the price for that sin on the cross, He lived a sinless, pe...

Being faithful to Christ in a society of growing hostility toward all things Christian can give believers reason to despair.  Since the passage of same sex marriage, there has been a blow back against the Christian community, and even within it.  Many who have called themselves Christian have abandoned Christian brothers and sisters to stand with family members, friends and acquaintances who identify as LGBTQ.  Labels of intolerance and bigotry await the faithful believer who would call for an acknowledgment of sin and repentance of that sin as precursors to true belief in Christ. However, our message is no different than that of the very first believers.  Remember Peter's response to the crowd at Pentecost, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins.  And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.  The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off--for all whom the Lord ou...

Today I'd like to talk about the gospel...the good news of Jesus Christ.  It is my contention that many who profess to be Christians are no longer (or have never been) so.  It's really not that controversial if you think about it.  Jesus said that the way is broad that leads to destruction and many are on that road (Mat. 7:13-14). This post seeks to give encouragement to those holding onto the faith and a warning to those who are falling away.  It also seeks to clarify what the gospel is and what it is not, something that those falling away may not realize they are doing.  It is also to help us as believers to understand where we may compromise the gospel, thereby denying Christ, if we aren't careful. The good news of Christ is simply this: 1)  Man and woman were created in perfect relationship with God (Gen. 1-2). 2)  Both the man and woman were tempted and sinned against God bringing suffering and death into the world (Gen. 3).  As desce...

I am depressed as I scroll through story after story of the fallenness of our country.  From shootings in school, to the constant hatred spewed by our elected officials and the media that covers them, to  the comments section of any story filled with venom from a growing graceless populace, to the next scandal that is uncovered by the media that involves the church or facebook or...whoever..., these incidents represent only the symptoms of a sickening society. The ironic thing is that a large portion of societies ills could be cured with three simple admissions and the conviction to change them.  And no, these answers have nothing to do with gun laws or getting the "right" people elected.  It has nothing to do with politics.  But it has to do with commitment. Admission #1:  Children need both  of their parents. We have to admit that the great miscalculation of believing that one parent (or bouncing around between two of them) + lots of stuff or...

One of our congregation members who is very savvy at social media often posts about how things used to be.  From looking at old ways to do research, to top 40 songs of the past, old TV shows or remembering old customs from a seemingly bygone era...I am being reminded of my childhood and how things are way different now.  Showing my age, I relate way too much to the ways things used to be nostalgically. One area that has been on my mind lately is the availability of information and the impossible commitment it places on the church, both individually and corporately.  I believe the internet and social media has hurt the church (it has its blessings as well).  I believe that the influx of information that has been thrust into our lives has been too much for us to handle and put into a biblical perspective. Let me explain by drawing from examples from the past and comparing them to modern day realities. In Biblical times there were no phones or automobiles.  T...

"Martha, Martha, you are worried and upset about many things..." I think Jesus would say the same thing to us today as parents.  We are a distracted generation. In the land of opportunity, there are just so many opportunities that we worry over whether or not we are giving our children the right ones to prepare them for life.  We enroll them in the best schools.  We find the best extra curricular activities for their unique personalities.  We work extra jobs and contort our schedules to fit all the activities that they participate in.  We wake up early and go to bed late, often hag-ridden, during their seasons of busyness.  We give them seasons of joy often filled with electronic distractions at home and lavish vacations away from home to make up for the seasons of weariness.  We think of every way for them to get ahead and build a foundation that will serve them well as they exit our household and enter the greater world around them. Yet, despit...

Went to the hospital today to visit a beloved member of our church.  My son was coming into town with me and knew this member well and wanted to visit too. We went to the downtown hospital where my son had his surgery a few months before.  During one of our visits, we noticed that the hospital had a piano with a sign on it.  The sign basically said that anyone could use the piano, as long as they were not a beginner.  It was there to be a soothing balm to those who were recovering or going through a hard time. I had seen it many times before, but never in use.  I mentioned to my son that it would be great to come back after his finger had healed and play some on the piano as a ministry to those in the hospital.  He agreed and we kind of left it at that.... ...until today. After spending some time with our dear friend, who encouraged us with his Christ-like attitude amidst his situation, we found ourselves going down the elevator and the thought of t...