Life Goes On

I don't think I'd make a very good Monk.  On Tuesdays I usually spend several hours behind the door of my office working on sermons for the coming weekend.  In the process, I do a lot of reading; sermons, blogs, articles and of course Scripture.  As I glean information from numerous resources, occasionally a new idea pops into my brain.  At that point I desperately desire someone with whom to share my thoughts and to bat them back and forth with me so that I get a better grasp of where to take the idea next.  I don't have a staff other than a secretary and a part time custodian.  Both of them are occupied with their various responsibilities and not at all interested in juggling ideas around. Today as the rain gently pattered on the sidewalk outside my window, I found myself once again trapped in my own mind with some ideas that desperately need to be aired out to someone.  I don't necessarily need someone to be a "yes" person.  I need someone who...

I'm preaching this Sunday from 1 Corinthians 9 where Paul explains that although he has certain "rights" he chooses not to claim them for the sake of the gospel.  After finishing my sermon preparation I got on the internet and came across various articles and posts where people were going to great extremes to defend their "rights" such as in the article linked above.  I'm saddened by the prevailing attitude, not only in America, but around the world, of "me, my and mine".  Years ago when I was a youth pastor, I did a message for our youth group entitled "Satan's Greatest Disguise".  That disguise is...you.  Once you begin to think only of yourself and what you want, the enemy gets behind you and pushes you to great extremes.  While you think that you are coming up with those ideas on your own, you are actually being fed a line by the most masterful manipulator of all time.  The only thing he can't stand is TRUTH.  (BTW truth is a ...