-
Imagine There’s No Lennon
“Imagine there’s no heaven. It’s easy if you try. No hell below us, above us only sky…” I find the above one of the saddest thoughts ever put to music. Unfortunately this song has become the Humanist theme song. At the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic and shutdown, a bunch of celebrities decided to sing this song acapella and share it with the world… for some reason. Why? It is a melancholy, hopeless song… at least on the surface. And John Lennon is dead. Imagine there is no heaven, no place where people finally find rest from a life of toil and struggle, pain and sorrow. Imagine there is nothing…
-
The Clarity of Death
“It is better to go to a house of mourning than to go to a house of feasting, for death is the destiny of every man; the living should take this to heart” (Ecclesiastes 7:2). My father died recently. He was always sharp, quick with a pun or a play on words, an accountant by trade who worked until he was seventy-seven years old. He was a student of the Bible for almost sixty years. He did a lot of reading, writing, and “sparring” (personal debating) over the years, quoting folks like Barnhouse and Spurgeon in the process. But dementia overtook him these last few years. He could no longer…
-
Witnesses
What comes to mind when you hear “witness”? I think of ABC’s Eyewitness News and the 1985 thriller Witness starring Harrison Ford about an Amish boy who witnesses a murder (yes, I’m dating myself). Recently, however, I’ve been challenged to step up as a witness. In fact, ALL believers are called to testify as witnesses. Not in a court of law. But in our lives and through our work. Acts 1:8 proclaims Jesus Christ’s final words before ascending into heaven, and what Jesus says still applies to all believers today: “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all…
-
Better to Have Loved & Lost?
Think about a time when you wholeheartedly loved someone and felt adored by them. As you think about that person––spouse, parent, boyfriend or girlfriend, sibling, child––how would you describe that love? What emotions or feelings come to mind? I think of: expectation, joy, excitement, purpose, belonging, peace, contentment, hope. As human beings, we cannot live healthy, abundant, prolonged lives without love. We are created to love. We long for love. We will do crazy things to show our love. But at some point in our lives, we will all lose love. What then? · A husband sits silently, mourning the end of 50 years with his beloved bride. · A…
-
Treating others as if they were Jesus
It seems as if each generation is labeled as being excessively self-centered and self-focused. Take, for example, the millennials. According to the former Time columnist, Joel Stein, millennials are the “me me me generation.”[1] He also thinks they are “lazy, entitled narcissists who still live with their parents.” Baby boomers don’t escape similar accusations, either. For instance, cultural historian, Amy Henderson, stated in a Smithsonian column that “when it comes to Baby Boomers, it is still about ‘me’”.[2] In fact, she maintains that the aging members of this generation have “merrily embraced their selfhood.” Scripture, it turns out, urges Jesus’ followers to resist the temptation of becoming lifelong, career narcissists, regardless of…
-
Good Friday? Good for who????
Think of it. The blackest, darkest Friday of all time. Christ is hanging, suffering unbearably on a cross. This is the day labeled Good Friday by those who claim to love Him most. “Good for who???” might be a question that pops into the mind of a child who has been taught from birth that Jesus loves everyone and is always good. Even teens or adults who have not grown up hearing the full story of Jesus might look at the suffering Savior and His weeping friends and ask the same question. I certainly had questions at the age of 6. I was coloring a picture in Sunday School of…
-
REGENERATION: Made Alive…No Longer Dead
Are you overwhelmed by failure, discouragement, and insecurity resulting from your attempts to live as a Christian by your inadequate human effort? Did someone promise you that your life would be a whole lot better if you just got saved, but you aren’t seeing any difference? Do you keep trying to live “a Christian life,” but your woefully inadequate human efforts leave you feeling defeated? You might be like many Christians who have a lack of understanding of two vital truths: (1) Christ’s finished work on the cross to secure your complete acceptance before God, and (2) “Christ in you” as the reality of daily Christian living. You may have…
-
Why the Incarnation?
December 3, 2017, marks the beginning of the Advent Season in the church calendar. So, why did Jesus leave the glories of heaven to become a human being? Scripture reveals that Jesus’ incarnation occurred for a number of important reasons, not the least of which are the following: From the first two Synoptic Gospels, we learn that Jesus came to earth, (1) to fulfill the Hebrew sacred writings (referred to as the Law of Moses and the teachings of the prophets; Matt 5:17); and, (2) to serve humankind, as well as give His life at Calvary to redeem the lost (Mark 10:45). From the third Synoptic Gospel, we…
-
Hidden With Christ in God
“Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God.” Colossians 3:2–3 (NLT), bold and italics mine Much of our esteem arises from various aspects of our lives—gender, heritage, possessions, accomplishments and how others perceive us. Yet, when we entered into a relationship with Christ, we “died to this life” and our “real life” began “hidden with Christ in God.” The phrase hidden with Christ in God means our life now rests safely locked away in Christ. He is our life now. We are in Christ and we have all the…
-
“What the….?”
Hell is not a topic Americans spend much time thinking about. The extent of our ponderings on such a place are often relegated to funny quips like this: Sidenote: Cold coffee IS a minor catastrophe. While the subject of hell doesn’t tickle our positive sensibilities, our ancestors in the faith seemed to think it was a worthy topic to keep before their parishioners. I recently visited the famous Duomo in Florence, Italy. After climbing the 400 plus (yep – you read that right) steps en route to the top of the Dome, I was greeted by a stunning fresco that inspired Michelangelo’s work in the Sistine Chapel. As I gazed…
