Posts by John Staiger (Page 73)

When I was 10 years old, I envied one of the boys in our street because he went away to camp for 6 weeks. This was an injustice that needed to be righted. My mother, the most patient of women, endured my talk of ‘wanting to go to camp’ for only so long. To bring things to an end, she told me the sad truth. “He went to a Health Camp,” she said. “That is where they send children because…

The secular workplace can be faith’s hardest testing ground. For those who have been blessed to land jobs that are clean and wholesome, more power to you—Praise the Lord! But spare a thought for those who wake up to less-than-ideal places of employment. Many work around people who think bad language, blasphemy and smut normal. And things get even harder in jobs where intimidation is tolerated or encouraged. If so, change jobs a.s.a.p. Language and behaviour that offends a Christian…

Ambition is a sword that swings both ways—get on the wrong side of it and you will be cut asunder. The Lord’s church is to face the devil with victory in its eye. It is for heaven we have set our course, and we expect our feet to be dogged by the devil and his demons every step of the way. Congregations can be too much about formulating and creating and not enough about receiving proper guidance.Along with the Thessalonian…

Depending on the kind of congregation you were a part of back in the day, missing a Sunday morning, Sunday night, or Wednesday night church meeting for anything other than death or near-death reasons might have caused someone to enquire as to whether you had forsaken the assembly. Things have indeed changed! In many places the opposite is true today. Many brethren pick and choose which church service to attend according to whim, not duty. No matter what the environment,…

My first 33 years on earth seemed to move along slowly. It was the arrival of our 3 children that changed everything. Since 1995 every year seems to have only picked up speed. I find myself saying things like, “If I had my time again…” with monotonous frequency.My children have left home and are making lives for themselves. They are no longer those little kids who consumed our every minute. Concerning their upbringing, I believe we did a lot of…

Jesus prepared his disciples for a worldwide takeover. His Kingdom is like no other. It has a citizenry born of the Holy Spirit, not man. It conquers empires by taking hearts, not prisoners. It fights its wars against invisible forces, not flesh and blood. How do we know this Kingdom when we come upon it? What of the stranger who knows nothing of biblical conversion and worship? What is there to convince the soul that he has found his home?…

“Therefore, be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise” (Ephesians 5:15). The more you order your spiritual walk, the more disorder you will notice around you. Though you were aware that ‘creeps are out there,’ you learn that Satan reserves the worst of them for the pure in heart. Evil men target the lives of the good and come guarded and defended by their enablers. Tragically, there is nothing that can be said or done to…

“Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the son of man has no place to lay his head” (Mt.8:20). This was Jesus’ response to a Teacher of the Law who had just promised him, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.” (Mt.8:20). This man had no idea what he was signing up to.Jesus’ ‘Discipleship Recruitment Contract’ had no fine print or list of benefits. There were no set hours, no transport fleet, no motel bookings,…

There is an old preacher story about a young man who wanted to be the greatest military leader in history. His dream was to attend West Point, the alma mater of his hero, George S. Patton, and visit the beaches of the 1944 Allied Normandy Evasion. But he chose instead to take an ordinary job and to pursue his passion for military leadership as a hobby. The story goes that he died an expert on the subject and went to…

When I asked him what church he goes to, he said that he had been brought up as a Jehovah’s Witness. He knew his doctrines well and defended the failed JW prophesies with convincing tones. I came to the point in the conversation where I needed to leave him with a challenge. I asked him to look hard at the authority of the Watchtower. I said, “Remember, the Watchtower has always claimed to be speaking on behalf of God. So,…