Leonard Bernstein, the renowned conductor of the New York Philharmonic Orchestra, was once asked, “What is the hardest instrument to play? Continue reading
Category Archives: Discipleship
Because You Matter To God
The headline from CTPastors online caught my attention.
Why Belonging Is Not Enough
It immediately challenged a thought I’ve repeated through the years: “It’s not enough to believe; you must belong.” Continue reading
Filed under Discipleship
Who Holds The Future?
This year, instead of attending local celebrations, Norma Jean and I watched our nation’s 250th birthday festivities from the comfort of our family room.
The televised events from Williamsburg, VA, Philadelphia, and, of course, Washington, D.C., were entertaining and enjoyable.
The speeches, musical tributes, on-the-street interviews, and fireworks displays promoted a feeling of patriotism and renewed appreciation and gratitude for our American birthright. Continue reading
Filed under America, Discipleship
Patiently Waiting on the Lord
One of our regular readers and my longtime good friend, David, responded to Monday’s blog post, “Love is Patient,” with an important observation.
David pointed out that patience is not only something we owe to one another; it is also something we must learn in our relationship with God. He offered the example from Hebrews 6:15 of the patriarch Abraham, who “patiently waited” for God’s promise to be fulfilled. Continue reading
Filed under Discipleship
When Someone Falls, Be the One Who Lifts Them Up
In the 2016 Olympics, two runners gave the world a living picture of a principle Solomon described nearly 3,000 years earlier: “If they fall, one will lift up his companion” (Ecclesiastes 4:10).
During the women’s 5,000-meter race, New Zealand runner Nikki Hamblin fell after a collision on the track. American runner Abbey D’Agostino was caught up in the accident and fell as well. Continue reading
Filed under Discipleship
Posting With Purpose
The National Calendar, whose motto is “Celebrate Every Day,” recognizes some unusual, weird, wacky, and generally unknown holidays and celebrations.
Today’s observance, however, touches the lives of almost everyone—Social Media Day. Continue reading
Filed under Discipleship
Sound in the Faith
The late Robert Jackson was one of my mentors as a young preacher. He used to preach a sermon in meetings he called “Put Your Finger on the Passage.”
As I recall, Robert would introduce ideas that folks had about the Bible, some accurate and some inaccurate, and then say, “Put your finger on the passage.” Continue reading
Filed under Discipleship
When Faith is Tested, Courage Is Revealed
What good is a virtue that disappears when it becomes difficult? What value is honesty, faithfulness, or integrity if they only exist when they cost us nothing?
This quote recently caught my eye:
“The virtue of courage is a prerequisite for the practice of all other virtues; otherwise, one is virtuous only when virtue has no cost.”
Filed under Courage, Discipleship
The Call, The Caller, and The Called
There’s an old story about a young farmer down in the Bootheel of Missouri who’s plowing his field one spring. He’s growing discouraged with farming. He tried planting cotton, but it didn’t do very well. Soybeans weren’t any better.
He’s wondering what he ought to do with the rest of his life. As he steers his tractor up one row and down another, he utters a fervent prayer to God: “Lord, if you have a plan for my life, please send me a sign, and I will obey.” Continue reading
Filed under Discipleship, Gospel
The Message and the Messenger
“What you do speaks so loudly, I can’t hear what you’re saying,” was once noted by Ralph Waldo Emerson.
Emerson’s observation reminds us that influence is often communicated more by what we do than by what we say. Continue reading
Filed under Discipleship, Influence
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