Church Blog (Page 79)
Winning and losing#1 “Arguing the point!”“
He’d cut off his nose to spite his face.”I had not heard that expression before hearing it said by the good mother of her preteen son. As I got to know the son I understood that his mother was not referring to a one-off case of stubbornness. Her boy had a persistence case of bullheadedness. He would rather suffer hurt than see reason.Everyone has their convictions. A list of non-negotiables, that they will defend.Of course, your convictions are not correct…
Advice#4 “When ‘Friends’ are Enemies…”
Every time you are tempted to violate your conscience, the devil tells you exactly the same thing he told Eve in the beginning: “Don’t worry, this won’t kill you!”The devil is always, (yes always), speaking bad advice into your life.Who better for him to use than our nearest and dearest?This is when your ‘friends’ can become your enemies. “Be not deceived, bad company corrupts good morals” (1Cor.15:33).How many of us look back and wished that we had heeded this advice…
Advice#3 “Friends…”Nothing seems to feel better than a good friendship,
…and nothing seems to feel worse than one that has gone bad. Friendships are founded on love, respect and trust. Built on that is a mutually constructed framework of experiences. We enjoy the good and endure the bad. When dumb things are said or done, and feelings are hurt, we fix it and we continue to build. Sometimes we forget that it is by nature a process of trial and error.In my youth my friends were my First-Responders to my…
Advice#2 “Talking with Strangers…”
Sixteen-year-old Benjamin Franklin wanted to write for his brother’s newspaper. Though forbidden to do so, he was undeterred. He simply submitted a column under a made-up name and in it he gave everyday advice as if he were a wise older lady. The advice column proved to be popular. It even excited the interest of eligible bachelors who made marriage proposals sight unseen. Given how famous Benjamin Franklin became, it probably didn’t matter that his brother fired him when his…
Advice#1. “Be careful little ears what you Hear!”“
One day you are going to have kids who act just like you. Then you’ll know what its like!”Whether my mother ever said these words or not, I cannot say with certainty. But even if she didn’t say them out loud, I saw her think them. Her message was plain: ‘If you don’t listen, you will just repeat, and pass on, your silly ways.’Was her advice heeded? Suffice it to say that her ‘prophecy’ was fulfilled in more ways than…
True Riches:#6 “Rich Poor People…Poor Rich People.”
Only those who do not read their Bibles believe that there is a one-size-fits-all doctrine on giving.Barnabas’ generous contribution was so big that it was impossible to miss. Most of us do not have those kinds of resources to sell and give away. Though Paul was at pains to commend the Corinthian church for their eager promise to raise a contribution for their poor brethren in Jerusalem, they did not appear eager to get on with the job of collecting…
True Riches:#5 “Be careful of those Questions…”
I read somewhere that Jesus answered 113 questions, 52 of which were his own, and 61 from others.If there was a guy standing on a corner in the first century selling a list of “Questions to be avoided when talking to Jesus,” I wonder which one would be at the top of the list?“Who is my neighbour?” (Lk.10:29) would surely be up near the top. No one around Israel would have been happy with Jesus’ answer to that one.Asking, “By…
True Riches:#4 “The Abundant Life—Recalibrated…”
It has always amazed me when popular Christian speakers and writers trace the roots of their ‘Successful Christian Living’ theology back to Norman Vincent Peale’s 1952 book: “The Power of Positive of Positive Thinking.” Curiously, Peale’s book was instantly accepted as the break-through ‘How-to’ handbook for self-help Christianity. It catapulted him to super-stardom, and thereby gave Prosperity Preaching the new Father-figure it seemed to have been waiting for. I say, “curiously” because ‘The Power of Positive Thinking’ is, believe it…
True Riches:#3 “Render unto Caesar…”
Of all the things that little Jewish boys dreamed about, becoming ‘the most hated man in town,’ was not one of them. There Matthew sat at his tax booth, collecting taxes for the occupying Roman army from his fellow Jews. This was a man that any ‘righteous Jew’ would have more sense than to associate with.But Jesus was disinterested in the opinions of others when it came to what was in a man’s heart. He walked straight up to this…
True Riches:#2 “Filthy Lucre.”
The term ‘Filthy lucre’ survives only in the minds of the old and those who use the King James Bible. Despite its archaic nature, the term invariably causes someone to quote: “Money is the root of all evil.” You have to smile, because at that point someone will always correct this misquote with: “The love of money is the root of all evil” (1Tim.6:10).You can do your own straw poll, but my guess is that it is only middleclass Christians…