Good Morning Friends,  No one likes to be told that they are sinners especially in earshot of others. The opportunities around such a situation can lead the unscrupulous to schemes of emotional blackmail. People of faith can be manipulated by such situations. In fact, they may be particularly vulnerable to such people. That is why … Continue reading Are We Prepared Emotionally To Please God? →

Good Morning Friends, I was listening to a Christian radio station in the car and the topic was about seeing the face of Jesus in heaven and it got me thinking about what I believed in that regard and how I would imagine now what Jesus might look to me then. Well, if you do … Continue reading Are You A Living Example Of Someone Working Responsibly Preparing To Meet Jesus? →

Good Morning Friends, Today we continue to read about the woes of the places and people of worship and the need for them to be cleaned from the inside and the thing is that it is not just in scripture, but in the world in which we live. It would seem the Holy Spirit is … Continue reading What Could Happen Next? →

Good Morning Friends, In today’s lectionary passage from Matthew Jesus rips into religious hypocrites that had created their own brand of legalism to perpetuate their own power. The Pharisees were not demonic, evil people but had fallen into a way of worship that was self-serving. And it is easy for us to do the same … Continue reading In Our Effort To Look Good Do We Forget What A Model Church Looks Like? →

Good Morning Friends, One of the songs we have stopped singing in Church is Onward Christian Soldier. It is no longer politically correct. And yet today as we look at two related images of how Christians are to behave both on and off the battlefield against sin, it seems rather appropriate. For here we discover that … Continue reading Is Your Language And Behavior Outfitted For Success In The Spirit Of Christ When You Pray? →

Good Morning Friends, People of faith want to hear about the real issues from their minister. To the eyes of many, Christians believe in fairytales, and the sermons they listen to on Sunday sometimes play the part. Of course, we know it is no fantasy, whether or not the ministers challenge people in the pews … Continue reading Will Our Dry Bones Come Alive In The Pews And Pulpits And Polity Of The World? →

Good Morning Friends, Today we have the parable of the wedding and its implied vows and the promise of a new heart that God will give to those he has chosen. The stories are not easy reads. In fact, they should trouble us and therein is the lesson. Both stories are full of people whose … Continue reading What Can We Say To Those Who Challenge Christ If We Do Not Follow The True Spirit Of God? →

Good Morning Friends, Well, we just got back yesterday from our vacation in Japan a little later than expected and it had some surprises. The centerpiece of the trip was performing in a concert with 707 other handbell ringers from 16 different countries around the world at the 21st International Handbell Symposium in Hamamatsu, Japan … Continue reading Are We Really Peacemakers? →