Today is Juneteenth (a.k.a. June 19th). Texas introduced me to Juneteenth during a pastoral stretch in the Republic. I am thankful to reflect on its significance today especially living in one of the more racist regions of the country. A region that has done its fair share of infecting my own heart as well. Abraham Lincoln declared the Emancipation Proclamation on September 22, 1862. In it he ordered the freedom […]
Jesus wept (John 11.35). My dad was recently in a local rehabilitation center/nursing home. He returned home a smidge stronger but he still inches toward the midnight hour. John 11 met me at the door when we last visited him. The apostle John put Jesus on display in John 11. The fullness of God and the fullness of man swirling heavenward to stir up faith in the Bethany township. The Son of […]
Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne and the living creatures and the elders; and the number of them was myriads of myriads, and thousands of thousands (Rev 5:11-12). One of the sweet traditions in churches is the 5th Sunday night hymn-sing (a.k.a. 5th Sunday Sing). Or was. Some months will have five Sundays and many churches would gather that fifth Sunday night to, […]
A homosexual agenda is hardly new. By Genesis 19 there was already a community with a well-established homosexual identity. We then read in Genesis 19 about “the men of Sodom . . . both young and old . . . all the people from every quarter” (v4) who demanded their right to gang-rape who they thought were two of Lot’s hunky high school chums. This was no small contingent. It was a multi-generational […]
Every so often “the man on the island” gently stirs the waters about the necessity of evangelism in light of God’s sovereignty. He sends out a message in a bottle that reads, “What must I do to be saved?” Hopefully someone sends a message back to him saying, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved!” The church has long debated his question. The bottle can easily wander adrift in a […]
If navigating the DMV wasn’t stressful enough, they force us to decide whether or not we will be organ donors. Of course, the DMV would not wish a fatal vehicular demise on anyone. But, in such an unfortunate event time is of the essence. If there are organs to be donated they need to be preserved and transported quickly. What better vehicle for that information than our driver’s license. I […]
But you are A CHOSEN RACE, A royal PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, A PEOPLE FOR God’s OWN POSSESSION, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; for you once were NOT A PEOPLE, but now you are THE PEOPLE OF GOD; you had NOT RECEIVED MERCY, but now you have RECEIVED MERCY (1 Pt 2.9-10). We could hardly find […]
“O God, arrogant men have risen up against me, and a band of violent men have sought my life, and they have not set You before them. But You, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness and truth” (Ps 86.14-15). In God’s magnificent creativity and grace he created us to be both historians and poets. Tacticians and dreamers. We report and reflect. We […]
“Honor widows who are widows indeed; but if any widow has children or grandchildren, they must first learn to practice piety in regard to their own family and to make some return to their parents; for this is acceptable in the sight of God. . . . But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is […]
Is abortion a legal right the state is obliged to protect? The CEO of our local Planned Parenthood organization recently argued just that. Since abortion is “the law of the land,” then Tennessee must make safe abortions as accessible as possible to all its pregnant citizens. As the anniversary of Roe v. Wade approaches, she is lobbying to defeat any and all legislative efforts to restrict abortions. After all, “Ninety-four […]