I have a regular reader, Stephen, who often comments on our posts. Not always, but many of his comments and disagreements address my stance on same-sex marriage.
I’m not singling out Stephen. His responses are publicly posted on this site. He has been kind, considerate, and often complimentary. For the benefit of all readers, I want to answer some of his questions.
“Could you talk about “cherry picking” Scripture?” Stephen asked. Continue reading
Filed under Bible, Homosexuality
There’s a missing word among many, if not most Christians.
Most preachers rarely, if ever, use the word
It’s found 53 times in the Bible.
It’s a word used by Jesus. John. Luke. Paul. Peter. And James.
We claim to believe it. Obey it. And teach it.
Ironically, we substitute another word in its place that is not found in the Bible!
Can you guess what the word is? Continue reading
Filed under Word of the Week
Jonathan Ortberg’s book, “Who is this Man?” provides a powerful testimony regarding the impact of Jesus’ life. He says, “Jesus is mysterious not just because of what we don’t know about him, but because of what we do know about him.”
We know he was a compelling figure. He Spoke with authority. As A.T. Wright put it “(Jesus) is so unlike what we know about anybody else that we are forced to ask, as people evidently did at the time, who, then is this?”
That is what the high priest wanted to know when he asked, “Are You the Christ?” Continue reading
Filed under It's Friday. But Sunday's Coming!
“Killing Jews is Worship that Draws us Close to Allah.”
These signs were ruled legal and free speech” by U.S. District Judge John Koeltl on Tuesday and will continue to be posted on NYC subways and buses. They have already been appearing on minibusses in San Francisco for quite a while.
While the substance of these signs may sound extreme and hateful, the motive behind the message is not what it first appears. Continue reading
Filed under Truth
On January 30, 1973, Patrice Tamao of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, allowed himself to be nailed to a cross “as a sacrifice for world peace and understanding among men.”
As thousands watched on television, six-inch stainless steel nails were driven through his hands and feet. Tamao had planned to remain on the cross for 48 hours, but after only 20 hours he had to cut short his voluntary crucifixion because of an infection in his right foot.
The next day a newspaper headlined the event: “Crucifixion-for-peace falls short.” Continue reading
Filed under Great Bible Verses
Tomorrow, April 22nd, is Earth Day. From the first “earth day” celebration in 1970 environmental concerns have gained national attention and the movement has gained momentum. More and more companies are environmentally conscious. The “Go Green” slogan is familiar to us.
Why should I care about environmental issues? Soil conservation? Pollution? Recycling? Or the current concerns over “global warming”? Continue reading
Filed under Stewardship
Her name was Mary Catherine Threlkel. She was my cousin. But we all knew her by “Wimpy,” the nickname given in infancy by her father because she was a fussy baby!
She died on April 8, 2015, at age 70. Last Saturday, I joined family, friends and fellow Christians in Shepherdsville, Kentucky, to honor Wimpy’‘s memory, mourn her passing, but to celebrate her life.
For over 40 years I have participated in speaking at funeral services for people of all ages and who were taken from this life in many different ways. Natural causes. Accidents. Disease. And tragic events. To stand in the specter of death is always a solemn experience. But when it’s a loved one, death suddenly becomes more personal. Painful. And thought-provoking. Continue reading
The cross is the most recognizable symbol of Christianity. It tells the story of Jesus in one simple, easy to understand picture. The cross represents God’s love, mercy and grace. It reminds us of Jesus’ vicarious sacrifice. And it prompts us to remember our personal need for salvation.
We celebrate the cross. We glamorize it. We even romanticize it. We all know what it means. Yet the cross was used by the Romans as a cruel means of capital punishment. It was a shameful death. A humiliating death. A painful death.
It is also good to remember that on the Friday Jesus was crucified to become our Redeemer there were two other crosses occupied by robbers. Continue reading
Filed under It's Friday. But Sunday's Coming!
There was a rambunctious little boy who was always getting into trouble. One particular day when his Mother was trying to get some house work finished, he was into everything. Undoing what she has done. Causing havoc. And generally getting on her nerves.
Finally she said, go sit down in that chair in the corner and be quiet! He looked at her defiantly and said, “No.” Well, that did it. She picked up. Took him to the chair. Sit him down with some authority. And said firmly, “You stay in the chair, until I tell you get up, or you’re going to get a whipping!” Continue reading
Filed under Uncategorized
Today is April 15th. It’s tax time in the United States. It’s the deadline for filing your state and federal income taxes.
But it’s also a time when you hear resurrected phony arguments to relieve us from the responsibility of paying income taxes. In fact, “frivolous tax arguments” are so common that the IRS actually has an online resource listing the most common arguments and a legal refutation of each one. It consists of 56 pages! Here are just a few. Continue reading
Filed under America
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