Blog

“Be anxious for nothing.” Philippians 4:6 My first church staff position was Summer Youth Director for Bluff Creek Baptist Church, a wonderful church, so rural that it’s about ten miles beyond the Great Commission. I was raised in the city, so the boys in my group loved to teach their naïve youth director about fishing, hunting, coon dogs, and the like. Leslie and I had a great summer there and still stay in touch with some of those fine folks. I saw many things there for the first and only time, one of which was a crazy dog. Seriously, the

“Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit says the Lord of hosts.” Zechariah 4:6 The prophets, both major and minor, are not always easy reading. In fact, most of the time they are very challenging and frustrating even for seasoned Bible readers. You can only take so many woes to the Edomites, Moabites, Chaldeans, etc. etc. What I do love about the prophets, in addition to their unwavering commitment to be highly unpopular in their time, is the regular grace that breaks through like a bright shaft of light. Their prophetic skies are normally thick and gray,

“Count it all joy, my friends, when you meet various trials, for you know that the testing of your faith produces patience.” James 1:2-3 Patience is the topic this week. I can hear the groans. Patience is an irritating subject for most of us because we’re convinced that we’ve already been patient enough. We’re ready for resolution. To be told to stay patient is simply exasperating. What’s really irritating about patience is that the need for it never runs out. We’re all going to need patience for some issue in life. Always. So the best piece of indisputably accurate advice

“Therefore, do not be anxious for tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Let the day’s own trouble be sufficient for the day.” Matthew 6:34 Jesus had more to say about trouble, anxiety, worry, etc. in the Sermon on the Mount than any other single topic. 6:25-34 focuses exclusively on this theme and 6:19-24 serves as a foundation to describe the causes and solutions. An aside here: somewhat surprisingly we do not find in the Sermon on the Mount much material that constitutes what might be thought of as "traditional theology." Jesus did not discuss God's nature and attributes,

“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind.” Romans 12:2 What are you thinking about right now? I’m flattered if you say you’ve devoted your full concentration to this devotional, but I want you to consider what your mind drifts to when in neutral. In other words, when you’re engaged in a task that requires no mental effort, like mowing the grass or dusting furniture, what do you think about? Honestly, my mind often gravitates to negative experiences, perhaps a personal conflict or disappointment. Without realizing it, or without consciously choosing the

“Love never fails.” 1 Corinthians 13:8 My hometown of Baton Rouge last week joined a host of other cities torn by a raw combination of anger, fear, and lament over the latest shooting of a citizen. These are the emotions I have felt. Anger at the entire matrix of evil and danger so many people live in each day and into which we send our police. Fear that this evil will screech its way into our lives in ever-more vicious ways. Lament that a man is dead, a family is hurting, and that the life of the police officer who

"Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.” Matthew 7:7 The following is a brief talk I gave recently in the morning worship services at First United Methodist Church in Baton Rouge. Rev. Brady Whitten, the wonderful pastor of that great church, was writing a sermon about our need to ask for help. He cited the apostles' asking for help with the daily distribution of food (Acts 6) and Jethro imploring Moses to ask for help in dealing with the people. Knowing part of my story he

“To Thee, O Lord, I lift up my soul, O my God, in Thee I trust.” Psalm 25:1 I have a lot of stuff. A house, two cars, clothes, furniture, food in the fridge and pantry, money in the bank, and in retirement accounts. I have more stuff than some of you and less than others. Stuff, in and of itself, is neither good or bad. I would not be a better person by getting rid of all my stuff. And I would not be more peaceful by acquiring more stuff. All of this I know, but still struggle to

“Blessed are those who have not seen, yet believe.” John 20:29 Have you ever taken a leap of faith? The “leap of faith” is a commonly used phrase to describe the final act of a person to believe that a particular direction is in keeping with God’s will. It apparently dates back to Kierkegaard, who actually wrote “leap to faith.” The phrase was his description of the final act of will to embrace the paradoxes of the Christian faith. In other words, you take a leap of faith when the commitment seems unlikely, un-provable, or counter-intuitive. We come to the

“And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit.” Acts 2:4 On this Pentecost Sunday, let’s think about the Spirit. “I believe in the Holy Spirit.” Readers from higher liturgical traditions will recognize this phrase as coming from the Apostle’s Creed. To be honest, it sounds a little paltry. A single line. A simple affirmation. No further description. Not so with the “God the Father almighty, the Creator of heaven and earth!” Stand under a starry sky and you’ll think of the greatness of God. Nature surrounds us with evidence of the Father. Just take a look around you. God

“He brought me forth into a broad place; He delivered me because He delighted in me.” Psalm 18:19 I was blessed to grow up with parents who were positive, supportive, and encouraging. The words “I am proud of you” are one of their greatest legacies to me. I knew they loved me, and they showed it in a variety of very important ways. I knew they were very glad I was their son. If you did not grow up with that kind of advantage then the concepts of grace and unconditional love will be harder for you to accept. One

“Do you see this woman?” Luke 7:44 “Up Close and Personal” was originated by ABC sports icon Roone Arledge in the 1960’s as way of making sporting events more intimate for the viewer. One of the keys was providing the background of not only the event, but the participants. I grew up watching “Wide World of Sports” and the Olympics when ABC broadcast them. They could run an “Up Close and Personal” segment on some obscure Eastern Bloc athlete and soon I was pulling for the Bulgarian shot putter who was raised on a dairy farm with 11 siblings and

“What shall we say to all this grace-talk? Some foolishly say ‘Shall we go on sinning that grace may abound?’ I say of course not!” Romans 6:1 If you had a credit card that someone paid off for you every month, would you indulge every whim? Buy whatever you wanted? Spend without concern for the wisdom of the purchase? Ummmm, probably. I would. I’m just being honest Some people are suspicious of grace for this very reason. Paul’s earliest opponents said “shall we go on sinning that grace many abound?” (Rom. 6:1). In other words, if God forgives everything then

“Where is God my Maker, who gives songs in the night?” Job 35:10 The following is for my 16-year-old granddaughter, who’s only 3 right now. "Blackbird singing in the dead of night,Take these broken wings and learn to fly, All your life, You were only waiting for this moment to arise "Blackbird singing in the dead of night, Take these sunken eyes and learn to see. All your life, You were only waiting for this moment to be free. "Blackbird fly, Blackbird fly, into the light of a dark black night." Paul McCartney Dear Emily Grace, When you were little,

“Jesus told them a story showing that it was necessary for them to pray consistently and never quit.” Luke 18:1 Prayer for many people is exasperating. Passages such as Mark 11:24 boldly promise that whatever we ask, we will receive if we believe. Yet in practice that simply is not the case, the prayer in Gethsemane serving as exhibit A. Closer to home, every deathbed, conflict, and heartbreak is likely the subject of earnest pleas for God’s intercession, yet so often the exact opposite of this sincere, believing prayer comes to pass. The loved one dies. The tensions persist. The