Posts by John Staiger (Page 62)
The Future#1. “Where to from here?”
‘Tomorrow,’ who ever questions its inevitability? And yes, if the Lord wills, the sun will rise, and a new day will be gifted to us. But…inevitable? No necessarily so. For Jesus does not even guarantee that this one will end. His promise to return without warning is just that—a warning! Christians thrive in the hope of knowing that the future is completely in God’s hands. As believers we anticipate great things for the church because, as servants of Christ we…
The Present#4. “Why do you wait?”
Some have said that the church has lost all sense of spiritual urgency. I’m not sure that I agree. I wonder if it is not so much a loss of spiritual urgency, but instead a shift in its focus? Christians who once defined ‘Full-on Discipleship’ in terms of seeking first the welfare of Jesus’ church, now define ‘Full-on Discipleship’ as seeking first their personal relationship with Jesus. The urgency to conform one’s life to the greater fellowship of the saints…
The Present#3. “This is the day!”
When you are young, life is forever. ‘Today’ is the launching pad for an endless number of tomorrows. And praise the Lord, this is how it should be! Growing up, it is natural to look around at all the things you don’t have and to want them. When these desires mature and are put in context, they spur you on to better things—good things will happen. For the Christian, ‘To have is to share,’ and to share the proceeds of…
The Present#2. “All in a day’s work.”
If you are presently raising small children, you are indeed the blessed of all creation. But you are also, all things being equal, the busiest, the most tired, and the least free people on earth—your life not being your own. Though I can’t promise that your life will ever truly be your own again, I can assure you that you will again have some uninterrupted sleep; assuming they leave home, that is. In my youth I read a book called,…
The Present#1. “Here and Now.”
On one of our coldest nights of the New Zealand winter, many homes faced sudden cold and darkness when their electricity was cut off. This was no accident. The low temperatures caused a spike in electricity usage and the national grid could no longer deliver what was needed. Thus, they cut power to various provincial areas. When your world suddenly goes dark and cold, your mind is exclusively centred on the ‘present.’ No matter how much time seems to pass,…
The Past#4. “A great teacher.”
I was halfway to Nashville, and I needed to stop. So, I left the freeway and arrived at a tiny, poorly lit gas station. The attached store was but a glorified prefab (USA trailer home), filled with every kind of convenience food that ever fed a heart attack. The two ladies manning the store were friendly and happy to meet a strangely accented traveller “not from these parts.” One of the ladies had “Billy Jo” tattooed in big bold letters…
The Past#3. “No place to live.”
I always enjoyed listening to my mother’s childhood stories. Her tales of life growing up with 8 siblings in the hills behind Matata (the town in which I was raised as a child) seemed surreal to me. Her Depression Era beginnings had all its associated privations of poverty—too little food, rags for clothing, and substandard housing; things she was determined not to pass on to us. But she didn’t live in the past. She had a family to raise—that was…
The Past#2. “God remembers.”
I have a preacher friend who was unceremoniously moved on by the congregation with which he had been working. Having a clear conscience, he didn’t concern himself with his reputation, but only that he continue to provide for his family. However, there was also the ever-present possibility of having to move to another town to preach—moving house, kids in new schools and a new beginning. But all this was circumvented when a nearby congregation asked him to preach for them.…
The Past#1. “Your records do not lie.”
If you are a Kiwi, you can now access your medical records online. When accessing mine, I was most interested to note the acceleration of medical care that I required the closer I got to my sixtieth birthday. The one-off episodes came and went, but it was the tracking of key indicators that were most telling. The doctors’ micro-comments revealed their greatest concerns over high blood pressure, too much weight and high cholesterol levels. I might have had more concern…
Wise as Serpents#5. “When men revile you. Part 2.”
“Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me” (Mt.5:11). When someone is out to get you, expect a flood of emails, texts, phone calls, random visits and godless social media posts. You can even expect them to use your very children in their wretched cause against your faith. I have heard Christians reassure others by saying, “There are laws against slander and harassment.” And ‘calling the…