“Do you believe?”
This question was asked by Jesus to two blind men who cried to him for sight. Their response was “Yes, Lord.” Immediately they received their sight. (Matt 9:27-31)
To a blind beggar who Jesus had healed of his blindness, he asked, “Do you believe?”
But the question was far greater than Jesus’ ability to heal him. For he already had received his sight. The question spoke to his Deity. Do you believe I am the promised Messiah? was what Jesus was really asking. Continue reading
Filed under Faith, Word of the Week
“We’re hurting,” solemnly declared Dallas Police Chief, David Brown, in a news conference Friday following the senseless shooting by a sniper Thursday night that killed five cops.
Hurting. It describes the Dallas police force right now. Families are hurting. Their professional colleagues are hurting. The greater community is hurting. Continue reading
Filed under Sunday Seed Thoughts
Yesterday morning after writing and publishing my post, I went outside to get the newspaper–The Dallas Morning News. There it was in bold black letters on the front page. AMBUSH.
Numerous articles described the horrific and chaotic scene Thursday night when a sniper began shooting police officers during a peaceful protest in downtown Dallas.
Turning on the local TV station filled in the up to date details of the heart breaking tragedy that ensued. The attack on the Dallas police is ironic. By all accounts the DPD has been a model to other cities in terms of community relations. Reforms in the past six years of excessive force complaints have dropped from 147 to 13. The murder rate in Dallas is the lowest since 1930. Continue reading
“The Luck of Roaring Camp” is a piece of American fiction from 19th century author Bret Harte.
Maybe you’re familiar with the story, but I’d never heard of it. I had it filed under “future blogs.” Evidently a preacher, Bruce Thielemann, had used it in a sermon several years ago.
Roaring Camp was portrayed as the coarsest, meanest, toughest mining town in the Wild West of 1805. It was a terrible place where theft and murder were commonplace, inhabited entirely by men – and one “coarse, very sinful woman” named Cherokee Sal. Continue reading
Filed under Jesus
Alan Smith tells a great story about the grandfather who used to tell his grandson about his boyhood days of working in a blacksmith shop and how he toughened himself to withstand the rigors of that work.
One story was how he had developed his arm and shoulder muscles. He said he would stand outside behind the house and, with a 5-pound potato sack in each hand, extend his arms straight out to his sides and hold them there as long as he could. Continue reading
Filed under Trials
Patsy Clairmont, the author of God Uses Cracked Pots, shares a true story about her son, Jason. When he was seven, she sent him off to school one day. After a little while, there was a knock at the door and when Patsy opened the door, it was Jason.
“What are you doing here?” she asked.
“I’ve quit school” he said. Continue reading
Filed under Great Bible Verses
The summer Olympics begin one month from today in Rio. Athletes around the world are preparing for the biggest event of their lives, hopefully resulting in winning an Olympic medal. As I read an NBC report about their final month of training, the headline of the article was entitled “Olympic training: Drudgery Report.”
No doubt the grueling weekly schedule that calls for early morning workouts, personal sacrifice, and daily self discipline, can take its toll. It’s rigorous. Tough. And demanding. Continue reading
Filed under Spiritual
“We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”
We recognize these words, written by Thomas Jefferson, from the Declaration of Independence, issued 240 years ago today. On America’s birthday we celebrate our freedom and revel in our liberty. We love the feeling of liberty. Continue reading
Filed under America, Word of the Week
As we approach the day of celebration in the United States for our Independence, we give thanks for the freedom we enjoy that has blessed our lives in so many ways.
While we often reflect upon the personal, economic, and social aspects of freedom, let us ever grateful for the freedom of religion as guaranteed by the First Amendment to our U.S. Constitution. Continue reading
Filed under Uncategorized
Preaching is serious business. It speaks to issues of right and wrong. Good and bad. Salvation and damnation. Heaven and Hell.
Yet, I believe there is a place for employing humor in teaching God’s Word.
Elton Trueblood, the noted and often quoted 20th century theologian and author of 33 books on very serious subjects once wrote a book entitled “The Humor of Christ. It is said that Trueblood was inspired to write on the topic after reading Jesus words about specks and logs in people’s eyes that made his four-year old laugh. (Matt 7:3-5) Continue reading
Filed under Humor
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