Thoughts on Life and Worship

This is a political post.   Can’t help it.   We live in a highly politicized and polarized society right now and if faith can’t speak into our public angst, what good is it?   Before you fold the paper and move on to something else, however, let me assure you that while this is political, it won’t be partisan. My heart is heavy.   Americans are not listening to each other.   Our bullhorns are locked bell-to-bell blaring our Left and Right narratives at each other into a sickening cacophony of political poison.    Public discourse is virtually dead.   And the dysfunction that is on display in media and capitol buildings has spilled over into our local gathering places as well.   I’ve had heated exchanges with good friends and family members that leave me deeply troubled.   As Victor Davis Hanson asked in a recent article in National Review, “Are we on the verge of civil war?”   I certainly hope not.   But the basis f...

Words have power.   They can destroy or build up.   They can stir hope or breed despair.   Some time ago, a ministry colleague said something to me that shook my confidence and dogged me for years.   On the other hand, the words of assurance that my mother planted in my soul as a child have served to reinforce my calling throughout my adult life.   Promises made by people of integrity have always steeled courage and planted hope in people who were facing troubling circumstances..   Jesus told his disciples to remain in his word.   Two thousand years later, Christ’s admonition still rings true.   If we want to bear fruit – make a positive impact in our world and in the lives of other people – we have to “abide” or remain in Christ.   If we saturate our minds with his word, we will, indeed, abide in him and make an eternal impact in the lives of other people.   Following the link below, I unpack the power of Jesus’ word and consi...

Sunday, September 16th, marked the beginning of our sermon series on abiding in Christ.   I am both excited and humbled to begin this journey with you.   I’ve not preached through this topic before though I believe it will be one of the most important and transforming series of messages that I’ve prepared and delivered.   Please keep me in your prayers.   Before I can preach it, I have to live it…and I am such an imperfect Christian.   I think more than anything, I am looking forward to my own personal transformation as I dig in, study, and reflect on what it means to be in Christ and abide in him.   Through the study, our primary text will be John 15:1-8, but we will also consult the writings of the Apostles Paul and Peter who address the same topic.   Paul frequently reminds believers that we are “in Christ.”   Peter has the boldness to write that we are “partakers of the divine nature” (II Peter 1:4).   Along with Scripture, I ...

Each month, I have the privilege of facilitating two devotional chapels at local senior care centers.   I’m not the only one.   Several of Galesburg’s local pastors volunteer and minister each month in nursing homes.   One of the items in my “ministry toolbox” is a substantial knowledge of hymns and the ability to play the piano.   This month, for a change, I read a psalm, prayed, and spent the rest of the time playing favorites from the special hymnal that all of the nursing homes use.   It was a good time and the residents were very grateful to sing songs that mean so much to them.   Music has the unique ability to transport our memory back to a strongly impressionable moment.   Couples will sometimes identify a particular tune as “our song” because it may have been the number one hit when they fell in love. Perhaps it was the song that was played the first time they danced together.   That powerful dynamic of music is called its “assoc...

The first words that A.W. Tozer wrote in his classic study of the attributes of God, The Knowledge of the Holy, may have been the most profound statement he ever penned: "What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us."   If your problems are too big, then your God is too small.   When you see God as he truly is – as his Word faithfully reveals - then all the concerns of your life will be put in the proper perspective and you will be at peace.   And here is the paradox: the God whose glory can never be fully described by human language is seeking men and women with humble hearts to whom he will gladly reveal himself.   The indescribable God of the Bible has revealed himself through the man, Jesus Christ, so that he may be known by you.   Audio -  http://www.fbcgalesburg.org/messages Manuscript -  https://clovermedia.s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/49482f91e2/attachments/Do_You_Know.Have_You_Heard.pdf ...