Posted tagged ‘Faith’

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When I…

August 28, 2025

“When I said, “My foot is slipping,”
    your unfailing love, Lord, supported me.
 When anxiety was great within me,
    your consolation brought me joy.” (Psalm 94:18-19)

There are times when it seems that I’m not grasping situations or I’m losing my grip on life. You’ve probably been there. You wake up in the morning and you’re wondering what the purpose of the day is. It seems like a barren field of endless minutes. To agitate my Kansas friends, I compare it to driving across Kansas…with no end in sight.

As I was reading Tim and Kathy Keller’s devotional, The Songs of Jesus, the verses in Psalm 94 caused me to stop and consider. Even when my grip on life is slipping, God supports me. Even when I am anxious about driving down Powers Boulevard in the midst of the speeding lane-changers, the Lord whispers comforting words to my soul.

Gosh! What an encouragement it is to know that I don’t have to be at the top of my game, that the Lord lifts me up as I encounter the de-energizing, withering, stumbling times of life. What an incredible picture to know that “anxious Billy” can be transformed to “joyous Willy!” It doesn’t need to rest like a sack of potatoes on my shoulders alone.

In my years as a pastor…you know, being the one who everyone thinks is as solid and unwavering as a Stonehenge rock…there were times…long, dry periods…where I seemed to be stumbling along. I couldn’t get a grip on situations or understand what the next steps should be. I was supposed to be the one who led, the one who navigated the way, but there was no movement. It was like I was trying to walk through a patch of oil that was unforgiving. I’d read scripture, and it didn’t catch. I’d pray, and it didn’t seem to have any value in it. I’d preach and wonder what point I was trying to make.

I needed to have these words of the Psalm cross-stitched into my memory. Isn’t it amazing how one can read verses over and over and not have them take root and then one day read the exact same words again and have them blaze a new trail for the journey.

Anxious moments result in comforting joy. The sensation of falling results in dependable love. Who would have thunk it?

Thank you, Lord, for being there not only when I recognized your presence, but even when I was oblivious of it.

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Hung Up On The Words

August 19, 2025

 “But I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the day of judgment for every empty word they have spoken.  For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.” (Mattew 12:36-37)

I’m six weeks into wearing Invisalign retainers. It’s not something I envisioned having at age seventy-one, but my son-in-law dentist said I’d be looking like a toothless teddy bear if I didn’t do something. Thus, I’ve joined my two braces-wearing granddaughters in the retainer world.

The main problem is that I haven’t adjusted to the speaking part of wearing retainers. I find myself stumbling over words with more than three syllables. B’s, F’s, P’s, T’s, and W’s seem to be the main villains. They resemble splinters that a person tries to pry loose, hesitant to give up their attachment to the inside of my mouth. At my cross-country practice last week, I was showering the young runner sitting in front of me as I spat out any word with a beginning or ending “s.”

The result is that I’ve become more focused on the words than the message. I’m hung up on making sure I don’t “spray it, don’t say it!” someone as I’m stuttering through words like “preparation” and “fundamentalism.” I’m more concerned with what I could say than what I ought to say.

It’s a parable about our culture. These days, people seem to get hung up on the words, and what they spit out makes about as much sense as skinny-dipping on a snowy afternoon in an isolated Eskimo village. There’s a lot of bad theology being sputtered about these days that complicate the simplified and simplify the complicated.

For example, some people don’t talk about sanctification. Any word with fourteen letters sounds like trouble and high-brow intellectual grade mish-mash. Better to simplify it into understandable off-the-wall theology, such as “coming to a point where we will no longer do bad things. Beyond wrong.”

What?

There’s the oversimplification of grace that tells us “Don’t worry about sin. God’s grace is sufficient.” Translated, a new generation of spiritual journeyers interpret that as saying, “What you do doesn’t matter. Sin freely, and then be freed.”

With our generations becoming less knowledgeable, or interested, in what the bible says, culture fills in the blanks for us. God terminology flowsd out of bad theology. The rock our lives are anchored to could be categorized as a weightless pebble.

I know, I know, that sounds pessimistic and borderline crochety. What can I say? My retainers hurt and the student in front of me is wishing he had brought an umbrella to cross-country practice. I’m trying to keep my “s’s” to a minimum.

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A Walk With Jesus…and Ralph

August 12, 2025


“As he walked along, he saw Levi, son of Alphaeus, sitting at the tax collector’s booth. “Follow me,” Jesus told him, and Levi got up and followed him.” (Mark 2:14)

One of my neighbors is recovering from a fall. His daily physical therapy now entails a walk around the block, his walker moving slowly in front of him, and his eyes on sidewalk cracks and unevenness that could suddenly trip him up. Ralph is in his mid-eighties, delightful to talk to, and a retired Navy officer.

This morning I had the privilege of going with him on his walk. The lady who normally walks with him (also a neighbor and retired nurse) had planned an out-of-town trip and asked me if I would pinch-hit, or maybe pinch-walk, for her.

As I reflected on our neighborhood journey, it occurred to me that it probably resembled what it was like to walk with Jesus. Ralph was focused on putting one foot in front of the other, but he stopped several times in our stroll to talk to people. He talked to the water sprinkler repair person, he talked to his neighbor across the street, and, a while later, to the neighbor’s spouse and son. He spoke with the man who was coming out to retrieve his empty trash can and also with another person as they drove by.

In essence, a walk with Ralph was not so much about where we were going but rather who we met along the way. It wasn’t about the destination, but rather the dialogue and discussion as we went. I envision a walk with Jesus being like that. In our hurry-up world, we miss the calm moments that are the most meaningful. I remember walking with my dad in the last couple of years of his life. He was to the point where he shuffled his feet as he walked, slow and steady, never rushing to get to wherever we were going. The best part of that was not where we were heading to, but rather the walk along the way.

Jesus talked as he walked. He taught as he made his way to the next town. People joined him in the journey as he progressed. Some of his most powerful and meaningful conversations came as he walked.

I was on the receiving end of Ralph’s neighborhood education. He knows all his neighbors. As he walked, he’d tell me about a neighbor’s family, occupation, how long they had lived there, what they lke to do, where they’ve been, and interesting things he’s learned about them.

Just like Jesus. Jesus knew the people who walked with him, and Jesus knows each one of us. When we walk through our days at hyper-speed, we’re prone to miss the greatest blessings of God and others.

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Future Church

August 10, 2025


“For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.” (1 Timothy 6:10)

Recently, a good ministry friend of mine sent a video clip to me that had me shakingmy head. The clip featured a mega-church pastor telling of the church elders’ decision to sell seats at their worship services to help pay for a new sanctuary that was being built. Think of it as a religious form of Frontier Airlines selling seats on their flights, higher-priced for prime seat locations. The idea would raise money and take care of any confusion about where someone should sit on a Sunday.

I was pulled into the story as I listened to the pastor’s rationale. I was envisioning names for the different tiered seating locations, such as “Saints’ Seats”, “Club-Level Christians”, and “Upper Level Lepers.” Perhaps communion would take different forms, depending on the area in the sanctuary: French bread and French wine up front, Welch’s white grape juice and sourdough in the middle, and those pre-packaged juice and cardboard cracker crumbs up high.

It wasn’t until I received another text from my friend that I realized the whole production was a put-on, a spoof. I had fallen for it hook, line, and sinker.

Maybe!

Future Church could take on financial weirdness like that. Years ago, I remember a TV evangelist/pastor having crutches nailed to the front of his church’s balcony. It was a motivator for people to send a “seed promise offering” to his church. It was slick and effective and manipulative. Future Church may look for other creative funding options to keep the lights on, considering the church-in-general’s shrinking base of financial supporters. We have not moved so far into the future that the words of Reverend Ike are no longer remembered. Reverend Ike would say, “The Bible tells us that the love of money is the root of all evil. But Reverend ike says the lack of money is the root of all evil.”

In Future Church, if it comes down to having to prioritize one capital “M”, “Money” will take center stage over “Ministry.” I fear that some mega-churches and centuries-old churches will, out of necessity, pivot towards unique funding models, especially those that heavily rely on their pastor’s popularity and pulpit ministry.

Future Church may also look to create a “rah-rah” environment that rivals an NFL fan base. Translated: an emphasis on the superficial that doesn’t seek to touch the soul. People may look to identify themselves with a high-energy, flashing-lights-and-smoke, popular church more than Jesus. The unspoken rationale could be “Jesus saves, but Faith Fellowship gets my foot tapping.”

The heartache for me is the sense I have that our population’s inner spiritual void seems to continue to look for something that will satisfy their emptiness, but are hesitant to see a relationship with Jesus as being able to fulfill their need. It’s as if our culture has limited the gospel in a time where they look for things that go outside their limits.

Could it be, could it really be, that Future Church will take online reservations for Sunday’s prime time worship gathering, just like our local movie theatre does? Don’t even get me started on church cheer squad and flag corps tryouts!

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Who Do I Look Like?

August 5, 2025

“For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.” (Colossians 3:3)

At a recent meeting of our high school coaches, our athletic director asked a question that stuck in my mind. He said, “What is your team’s identity?” Concerning our high school girls’ basketball team, I could answer that halfway. Part of who we are is clear, but part of who we have been, in my opinion, resembles a life raft floating in the ocean to wherever the wind says it’s going. That might say more about my expectations after coaching basketball for thirty years than anything else.

Either way, our AD’s question got me thinking about our Christian walk. Who do I identify with? Baptists? More specifically, American Baptists? A hybrid form of Jesus and church culture thrown into the mix? Or, do I identify with Christ? And, what does that mean?

I’ve been a church participant since I was born. I didn’t know it at the time, but I was positioned in my mom’s arms within two weeks of my entry into the world. The only time I was church-negligent was in my college years when I fell to the temptation of attending Bedside Baptist on Sunday mornings with Rev. Sheets always there to comfort the weary. I promised the Lord I’d do better next week, but my prayers of repentance disappeared from memory by the next late Saturday night. Woe was me.

Otherwise, I had been as regular in my church attendance as our postal carrier’s delivery each mail day of the unimportant Metronet ads that keep flooding our box. But, even that, doesn’t answer the question of where my identity lies.

As I creep along in the early seventies, I find that the truths of my faith seem to seep deeper into my soul. The value of my walk with Jesus has increased much more than my seat in the sanctuary. Even the times I’m asked to fill the Sunday pulpit have become more meaningful as I read the text, ponder it, and discover other people’s thoughts about it.

Understand, I don’t boast or brag about my identity with Jesus. And please don’t think I’m impervious to temptation and failure. I also can’t ignore the fact that I don’t have much tread left on these tires. Jesus just seems to be closer these days. I marvel at his wisdom and consistency. I’m amazed at his gentleness and mercy. I long to look like him and, in many ways, have people be able to see him in me. Or, better yet, see me in his shadow.

I’m not exactly sure what it is, but we don’t talk much these days about our Christian identity. It’s a bit like my high school girls’ basketball team — none of us are pretty sure what it means or what it looks like, which isn’t all bad, because how Jesus is experienced through me is uniquely different from anyone else.

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Bumper Sticker Patience

July 31, 2025

“And don’t say anything you don’t mean. This counsel is embedded deep in our traditions. You only make things worse when you lay down a smoke screen of pious talk, saying, ‘I’ll pray for you,’ and never doing it, or saying, ‘God be with you,’ and not meaning it. You don’t make your words true by embellishing them with religious lace. (Matthew 5:33-34, The Message)

Recently, I was driving down one of our city boulevards and was passed by a car in the next lane. As the car passed, I noticed a bumper sticker on the trunk that read, “Please Be Patient. New Driver.” A half-mile or so up the road, the other car was slow accelerating after being stopped at a red light. I passed the car on my passenger side and noticede that the “new driver” was a young guy who was staring at the screen of his cell phone as he picked up speed again. (Since January, in Colorado, it is against the law to drive while holding a cell phone in your hand.

I thought to myself, “Am I to be patient because he is a new driver, or because of his distracted state due to his cell phone?” Would they not have covered this in his driver’s training class?

It is a simple form of communicating mixed messages. Kind of like parking in a handicapped parking space and, just in case someone was looking, hobbling inside the mall before racing up and down the corridors. Our words and actions are often from two different hemispheres.

I think of business slogans…you know, the heart and soul of a company, what defines them…and the opposite vibe so many of their employees display. Perhaps we have evolved into a culture that says things it doesn’t mean, and does things it won’t say.

I stand convicted myself. My bumper sticker might read, “Follower of Jesus, Now Get Out of My Way!” Or, “I’m a Pastor. Leave Me Alone!” I mix my messages up, confusing body language signals with sympathetic verbiage, and applauding someone else’s recognition when jealousy drips out of my emotions.

Some of my mixed messages are only apparent to me because I am outwardly saying what inwardly I’m NOT thinking. They say that actions speak louder than words but thoughts show that we’re all guilty.

Jesus, help each one of us to live what we say; to love who we say we love; and to pray for who we say we will pray for. Amen.

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Hating Good

July 20, 2025

“ I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” (John 10:9-10)

A college friend of mine posted the news this morning that the church he pastors was burglarized and vandalized last night. Rooms were ransacked, sound equipment was stolen, and thousands of dollars of damage was done. The church also has two minority congregations that use the building as well. It’s a light and a place of hope that is now grieving the callousness of a few.

My church has had scaffolding in place for several weeks to fix some structural problems on our bell tower. The scaffolding has fencing around it for the protection of pedestrians who walk by the front of the building, as well as a deterrent to anyone who might consider climbing on it. A couple of weeks ago, someone (or more than one) climbed over the fence, up the scaffolding, and painted graffiti on the tower a good thirty to forty feet up from the ground.

A skate park in Pueblo West, Colorado, in recent days has been graffittied so much that the hours that the public can use the park have been significantly reduced, and police drive-bys have been increased.

We are shocked by things like this, and yet we shouldn’t be. In our physical world, we become blind to the spiritual conflict between good and bad, the ways of God versus the work of the Deceiver. We blame it on bad kids, insensitive adults, and out-of-control hooligans. If there were simply more police, we theorize, problems like this wouldn’t happen. We fool ourselves into thinking that would be the solution for justice and getting back to a world that is good and civil.

Let’s not sound like religious crackpots and suggest it’s spiritual warfare.

And so we had Bob Vylan leading a crowd of thousands of music festival attenders in England in chanting “death, death to the IDF (Israel Defense Forces). Whatever your stance on the Gaza situation, promoting hatred in such a way is another sign of the chaos and distortion promoted by the forces of darkness.

An organization that tracks the number of church vandalisms has reported that there have been over 30,000 incidents in the United States in the last four years. An estimated $75 million in damage occurs annually as a result of church fires.

We have a tendency to categorize the crimes as a ripple effect of societal problems and even political differences. Whereas, there is truth in that we are prone to brush to the side the spiritual warfare that is happening. Perhaps our minds have become so removed from the spiritual dimension of life that it’s like “out of sight, out of mind.”

There is a vendetta against good, against wholesomeness, against the ways of peace. The media is very good at putting the chaos of our culture in front of us and keeping us informed about how out-of-control the world has gotten. And so a church in California is cleaning up the mess, mourning for the wounds to its faith community, and trying to figure out why it happened.

To put a positive spin on it, scripture tells us that things like this will happen. Followers of Jesus will deal with the consequences of following Jesus. It will not always be understandable and will bring us to tears and leave us with unanswerable questions. In the end, our faithfulness, grace, and mercy will bring glory to the One we serve. In many ways, that goes against our culture’s solutions but points us towards hope and peace.

The goodness of God will one day triumph over the hatred of darkness.

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Be Kind…Even If…

July 11, 2025

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.” (Galatians 5:22-26)

A young lady in my youth group has started her first job at a fast-food restaurant. She has gotten up-close and personal with humanity this past week, and experience that no amount of manual training can prepare a teenager for.

She’s getting the idea that people are rude, mean, and unreasonable. The fact that a person’s french fries were left out of the order should not justify verbally abusing the young lady who brought the order to you. Cheap food sometimes produces cheap personalities and caustic attitudes.

This young lady is an awesome individual: hard-working, caring, a good listener, and a devoted follower of Jesus. The first-job experience, however is taking its toll on her. She came home extremely emotional after her first long day of delivering food to entitled adults, who have probably been their child’s teacher’s worst nightmare.

Kindness is one letter longer than “kid-ness.” I find that interesting, in that Jesus talked about becoming like a child (a kid): “And he said: ‘Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.’ (Matthew 18:3) Kid-ness, I think, is wrapped up inside kindness. Which prompts the question, “Why are adults so abrasive about the fact that they had asked that there not be any mustard put on the sandwich, and there was?” Why does there seem to be battles happening over trivial details?

Perhaps it’s the absence of civility in our culture that has caused a void to develop, a chasm if you will, between treating people with respect versus belittling people with verbal venom. We don’t hear of many examples of kindness but we see a multitude of unkindness demonstrated each day at the highest levels in the lowest ways. We see the boldness of social-media-bullying from folk who don’t have the courage to confer face-to-face with those they have differences with.

At my middle school, our motto has been “Be Kind!” In many ways, that’s a good reminder, but it also makes me wonder if we’ve given up hope by even having to say the two words. Do people need to be reminded to treat their fellow man with respect? Shouldn’t that be on the same education level as 2+2=4?

My prayer for the young lady from my youth group is that she doesn’t give up hope on the goodness that is possible in people, that she sees herself as a light in the darkness that will not be dimmed by the stains of the world, and that she will see that smiling and being kind even in that moment of customer dissatisfaction about insignificant matters may be used to change that very person’s attitude.

May her kindness remain planted in kid-ness!

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Enjoyable Experiences

July 5, 2025

“Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name,
 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,  in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2:9-11)

Recently, a Hollywood actress boasted on a podcast about her sexual adventures. She mentioned the number of one-night-stands she had been involved in, and how amazing one of them had been in a recent experience. There was no shame, no regrets. She lives by the principle, “If it feels good and I want to do it, then I’ll do it.”

It’s the adult version of what I tell my middle school students. I point my finger in front of me and draw a invisible circle around it and say, “This is you and the world revolves around you.” In regards to this actress’s sexual exploits there is no consideration of the emotional damage or misleading ideas she creates. It’s all about her enjoyment. Like I said, “…the world revolves around her.” Most of the time, when middle schoolers do something stupid, they have regrets. Putting thumb tacks on the classroom teacher’s chair may have led to laughter for a moment, but then the harsh return to the real world wiped the smiles off of the offending student’s face.

Many adults, on the other hand, put the exercising of stupidity and self-centeredness on their resumes. Lack of morals is viewed as a sign of the times. It’s just part of life. Life, according to the new mindset, is about doing things that are enjoyable, not necessarily beneficial.

When enjoyment becomes the shrine of worship, the world gets a little more warped and unpredictable. It’s like being on a seesaw where I want to control the movement, and the other person is left dangling in the air. It’s all about me and what I want. “How much I enjoyed it”, regardless of its effect on others, becomes the measure of value.

Walking with Jesus isn’t always enjoyable. It’s revealing. It includes walks of soul-searching, walks of repentance, and walks of comfort. If what a person points toward is having an enjoyable experience with Jesus, it will result in a superficial, self-serving kind of faith…shallow, undemanding, and punctuated with meaningless laughter.

There is joy that takes residence in our soul, but that is different than experiential enjoyment. When we walk with Jesus, we find that it involves taking a knee in His presence, letting Him control the direction of the walk, allowing Him to be the King.

When the joy of the Lord is evident, there is no boasting about my exploits and transgressions, just sorrow and a deep desire to be taken back into His embrace.

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License Plate Boasting

June 15, 2025


“All who exalt themselves will be humbled, and all who humble themselves will be exalted.” (Matthew 23:12, NRSV)

I’ve noticed that vanity license plates seem to be multiplying like rabbits in our area. It seems that more and more people want you to be envious of either their vehicle or themselves or both. In Colorado, that statement of how awesome a person is must be made in not more than seven letters and/or numbers, including spaces. People look to be creative in the midst of those limitations, as well as not worry about Spellcheck.

So you get license plates that say things like “TheBoss” and “FastGal.” “SeeYa”, “MrMacho”, and “YouWish” are meant to tell you something about the car that whizzed by you.

It used to be that there would be catchy bumper stickers on vehicles that you’d read, like “We’re out spending our grandkid’s inheritance!” and “The One who dies with the most toys wins!” However, someone could pick up one of those at the truck stop down the road or Spencer’s Gifts. Vanity plates brought a sense of privilege to the story.

I’ve noticed that vanity plates are rarely attached to Grandpa or Grandma’s cars, Ford Focuses, or Nissan Sentras. They seem to surface on the back of BMWs, Ford Mustangs, or any kind of red sports car. They seem to nonverbally say, “Look at me!” I have yet to see a license plate on a BMW that says, “ITPAID4”!

We have a need to be noticed. Vanity plates works for some of us. Others talk about their impressive resume or wear their varsity school letter jacket that displays their achievements. I remember when I bought my varsity “I” jacket (Ironton High School), I wore it to the first football game even though it was ninety degrees and humid. I wanted to be seen for what I had already done.

It was no different in Jesus’ day. People needed to be noticed, except it was more the wealthy and religious. The poor had no place. The outcast was not to be seen by anyone. For the most part, women were to remain quiet and dependent. The religious aristocrats looked to sit in the most notable seats, the places of honor. Jesus said the Pharisees “loved to make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long.” (Matthew 23:5, NRSV) Think vanity licenses plates of the first century!

Everyone has a purpose, but some people have such an elevated sense of their importance that their view of life becomes distorted. Like the middle school boy athlete who has developed a strut in his walk to let people know that he “has handles” and can “shoot the jay!” Other people in the local Target wouldn’t know that unless he walked his cockiness.

Now, I’ll slap myself in the face, because I hope people notice my writing. I’ll get a strut in my step as I arise from my writing stool at Starbucks and go for my free refill. For me, I guess I have a vanity stool. However, it’s not limited to seven letters.

Maybe I should think about a vanity plate like “WrdFrWW”!

Nah!

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