Life Goes On

I remember the days when pastors used to have a Monday Pastor's Lunch; sometimes weekly and sometimes monthly.  As I recall, these often turned into "bragging sessions" as pastors gushed about the number of people in Sunday School and church and the decisions that were made.  It was almost a "can you top this?" session.  Having served for 50+ years in ministry, the past 6 as either interim or full-time pastor, I'm glad we don't have such a meeting in our area.  Most Mondays I'm ready to chuck it all and go play golf (not a bad idea by the way).   The cycle I find myself on begins every Monday with the challenge of deciding on sermon and text for two services next Sunday.  Finding the text is easy because I preach through books of the Bible.  Determining a title is a challenge because I always want it to be something that will grab the attention of those who see it. Tuesday is the day that I outline the sermons and begin the study process of unpackin...

In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day from Mark Batterson / Family Christian Mark Batterson's book was my first introduction to this gifted writer's material.  Since then I've devoured most of the books and articles that he has written.  "In a Pit..." continues to be my favorite because it deals with a fairly obscure personality who found a place in God's Book because of his confidence and bravery in extremely dangerous situations.  As I read this article, I was reminded of the fact that there are times in all our lives when we wonder why God put us in a particular situation.  The reality is that God never abandons us in the sticky situations, He is merely helping us to discover that He has uniquely equipped us to deal with them and emerge victorious. Benaiah was not lion hunting the day that he encountered the ferocious feline.  We aren't usually on the lookout for a confrontation when suddenly God drops us into a tenuous situation. However, we must remembe...

React = to act in response to or under the influence of a stimulus or prompting. Respond =to act in return or answer. Have you ever been to the Dr. and have him take the little rubber hammer and tap on your knee?  Do you remember the involuntary "jump" of your leg.  That was a "knee-jerk" reaction.  In most interactions, be they conversation, debate, negotiations, or confrontations, the one who can cause the other to react has taken control of the moment.  On the other hand, if someone is attempting to get a reaction from you, but instead you respond with a reasoned, well-thought-out response, you can at the very least remain on an even field and probably will even take the advantage. The "world system" around us has decided that Christianity is fair game for any and all attacks.  They are delighted when they are able to elicit a reaction from Christian people that is heated or defensive or harsh.  It merely proves their point that Christians are stupid...