Real Redemption
Feb 03, 2012
Soul salvation is a topic no longer within public domain. By this, I mean that there is no general understanding of what real salvation really is. Perhaps, it has ever been so, but the gospel…
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Looking Back Over the Years
Jan 27, 2012
Some people never look back, and some people do nothing but. There are proponents of both dispositions, and some validity to each. For some, everything is in the past. It’s almost as…
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You’re Not No Account
Jan 20, 2012
In a rare moment of lucidity, Ernest T. Bass confessed to Andy that people like himself appreciated kindness from others because they were “no account.” With a sympathetic and pained expression, Andy…
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So, I Took What I Could Get
Jan 13, 2012
Some aspire to greatness, some have greatness thrust upon them, and some chase greatness down a dirt road path to nowhere. Everyone does not have the same opportunities in life. I’m just…
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The Lesson ‘Bout Messin’
Jan 06, 2012
Nearly every day, we see or hear the sad evidence of yet another moral lapse. Some of these take us by no surprise. Yet, there are others which give us serious pause, and we wonder at the times…
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That Old, Familiar Pain
Dec 30, 2011
Some things come to pass, and some come to stay. Even when the most vivid reminders fade, they are always there, and the waking memory serves to goad the wandering thought. I recently heard…
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My Best Christmas Ever
Dec 23, 2011
Speaking of Christmas miracles, well, I had a hand in one. Now, that just all depends on how you define a miracle. Although they are out there, we don’t see miracles of biblical proportions…
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Where are You, Christmas?
Dec 16, 2011
I once heard a sermon entitled “Christmas 365 Days a Year.” The speaker informed that the reason people are so excited at Christmastime is the spirit of giving and goodwill that exists beyond the norm. …
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You’ll Go Down in History
Dec 09, 2011
People will do many things for notoriety. Everyone wants to be known- even if it’s for a bad cause. Most, I’m sure, would rather be known for their goodness or contributions to society,…
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Let ‘Em Up Easy
Dec 02, 2011
As the Civil War culminated and Abram Lincoln was gathering the spoils of conflict, his advice to the officers of his army regarding the vanquished was, “Let ‘em up easy.” At the end of great bitterness,…
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If I Leave Here Tomorrow
Nov 22, 2011
I guess it was the climate of the day, but I remember a great emphasis on the end of time in the preaching I heard in my youth. Now, that emphasis is still around today, but I don’t want to stoke…
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They Call It Understanding
Nov 11, 2011
A willingness to grow. The only growing I knew as a child was out of my control, and I wanted taller. My will didn’t have anything to do with it. Not only am I not growing taller today-…
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A Reason to Believe
Nov 04, 2011
The wonderment of childhood is great part faith. Children are open and honest, only learning suspicion and deceit as they become more sophisticated. I know (from the theological stance) that…
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I’m Not the Same. Can You Blame Me?
Oct 28, 2011
Changes can be freeing, and changes can be cruel. I only know that changes be. They are the natural result of the passage of time. In some ways, they are like erosion and akin to deterioration,…
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The Way It Works
Oct 21, 2011
Several things happened in the first century church that are not happening today (in the same way) and are, sometimes, mistakenly thought to be replicable. That was a singular period of time. …
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You May Say I’m a Dreamer
Oct 14, 2011
Some accept things as they are and live their lives on that plane and others strive for something else. There is something to be said for both positions. It is true that we are all bound somewhat…
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Against the Wind
Oct 06, 2011
In his 1903 play, Man and Superman, George Bernard Shaw wrote, “The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore,…
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Well, I’m Back
Sep 30, 2011
The concluding scene in J. R. R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings has Samwise Gamgee coming home from his final adventure with Frodo, sitting in his chair, holding his daughter on his lap as his wife, Rosie,…
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To God Be the Glory
Sep 23, 2011
It’s hard to get outside your own skin. Try as we might, there’s always a self-protecting bias that stands in the way of our seeing things the way they are. This is true all around. …
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Finally…Me
Sep 16, 2011
If you have to force your way with others to get what you want- you don’t. One of the undeniable truths of life is that you can’t control other people. It’s not easy to accept, but it’s…
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He was a Friend of Mine
Sep 09, 2011
Sometimes, I miss Frank. He’s not been absent long, but he was a good friend of mine. I was his pastor for twelve years. He was a pastor’s friend, and that’s a fact. Not that we always agreed…
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Fighting in the Shade
Sep 02, 2011
A quote attributed to King Leonidas in 300, the fictionalized movie account of the Battle of Thermopylae in which he leads three hundred Spartans to war against a Persian army of one million, was actually…
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Freedom’s Just Another Word for Nothing Left to Lose
Aug 26, 2011
See, you start out imagining life’s one way, then you find out it’s something else. I suppose we all think of ourselves as masters of our own fate, but that only lasts until we realize there…
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Deserve’s Got Nothing to Do With It
Aug 19, 2011
In a climactic scene from Unforgiven, Clint Eastwood’s 1992 angst-filled western, William Munny (Clint Eastwood) stands over “Little Bill” Daggett (Gene Hackman) with a shotgun pointed at his head. …
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The Once and Future Church
Aug 12, 2011
The explosive growth of the church in the first century remains the ideological goal of every church pastor and many lay people, as well. No believer could possibly disagree with the concept of a…
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A Guilt-Free Life
Aug 05, 2011
We all bridge two generations. Of course, some may see more pass by virtue of length of days, but we are all linked between our parents and our children. By this definition, we could say that…
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I’m a Believer
Jul 29, 2011
The Bible encompasses all of life, but there may be a great many points to which the Bible does not speak. That is not to say that there might not be an applicable principle to a situation in question-…
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Forever’s Gonna Start Tonight
Jul 22, 2011
At what point does a person begin eternal life? We all have unending life whatever our eternities entail, but only one of the two options is eternal life. The other is unending death. …
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That’s Not My Dog
Jul 15, 2011
As the guests entered, the dog followed closely behind. The host and hostess were immediately taken aback that the couple had brought their pet (and large at that) to dinner. “How rude!”…
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I’ll Remember You
Jul 08, 2011
It may be that, in the passage of time, memories become more dear. Some of the Apostle Paul’s fondest thoughts near the end of his life were those of his friends and co-workers in the ministry…
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Live for the Fight
Jul 01, 2011
Do everything you can to stand firm. That’s the teaching of Scripture. The Christian life is likened to a long distance race, warfare, wrestling, even boxing in Holy Writ. A flash-in-the-pan…
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Ring the Bells of Heaven
Jun 24, 2011
See, you get saved, and you go to church. If that’s all you do, you will grow in grace and the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. I can hear someone saying, “Now, that’s not all there…
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Help! I Need Somebody
Jun 17, 2011
I’m not enamored with admitting my faults, but I’m accustomed to it. Really, I’ve had no choice. I figured out a few years ago that I’ve got a lot of peculiarities, and I might as well…
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Sometimes, Goodbye is a Second Chance
Jun 10, 2011
When the thing dreaded most is the thing that happens, even the most resilient may despair. Call it weakness if you will, but frailty is the hallmark of human experience. In my view, much comfort…
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How to Save a Life
Jun 02, 2011
It would be inaccurate to say that the church is not concerned about the salvation of the world. Indeed, there are great evangelistic movements throughout the world today. Undoubtedly, there…
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You May Be Right
May 27, 2011
I’ve never had much confidence in people who said they remembered exactly what was said about anything. Though, sometimes, it may be true, this caveat is often given before relating a story on…
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There’s a Hole in My Bucket List
May 19, 2011
I don’t know that I ever gave much thought to the things I wanted to accomplish before my death. Sometimes, I think that is lazy on my part, but, maybe, it’s just the more common approach to…
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Satisfaction
May 13, 2011
I am a big fan of plastic surgery- when it is medically necessary and when it works. By medically necessary, I mean that some people need entirely justifiable, corrective measures taken which can…
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I Want to Thank You
May 06, 2011
Isn’t it funny how everyone looks different? I mean funny in the way Gomer put it, “Makes ya thank.” Of all the people who have ever lived, there are no carbon copies, and that includes identical…
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Stuck in the Middle
Apr 29, 2011
In the first section of Dante’s Divine Comedy, the “Inferno”, he reflects, “Midway on our life’s journey, I found myself in dark woods, the right road lost” (translation by Robert Pinsky). …
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Maybe I’m Amazed
Apr 22, 2011
I try to pay attention to the leaves every day in spring and fall. If I don’t, the trees will be in full bloom, and I’ll have missed the progression. Little things become large things over…
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You’ve Got Personality
Apr 15, 2011
Within each person there is unexpressed potential and unexplained passion. There is a purity of thought and yearning that is obscured by our deeds and unknown to all except ourselves. Such…
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Freedom Only Helps You Say Goodbye
Apr 08, 2011
In our time, we have seen a lessening of loyalty and reliability. This is not all bad. There is certainly no virtue in being loyal to the wrong things, and I speak of reliability in the sense…
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If You Believe in Forever
Apr 01, 2011
There is no question that Christ-followers are given a beautiful and bountiful earthly life. Jesus Himself said this was the case. Neither is there any question that the standards of judgment…
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Going Home
Mar 25, 2011
In Thomas Wolfe’s posthumously-published novel, You Can’t Go Home Again, George Webber ponders, “You can’t go back home to your family, back home to your childhood ... back home to a young…
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I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing
Mar 18, 2011
Many years ago, a friend of mine told me he didn’t like to sleep. Being a college student at the time, sleep was one of my goals, and I didn’t understand how he (my peer) could say such a thing. …
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Someday, We’ll Be Together
Mar 11, 2011
I’m great at compartmentalizing. Close the door, turn the page. If that’s something people should aspire to be good at. My life has taken many unforeseen turns, and I’ve followed…
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Miles to Go
Mar 04, 2011
John Piper wrote that one of the most discouraging things about the Christian life is the slowness of our change. Ditto. It is not uncommon for believers to struggle with the same issues for…
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The Torpedoes
Feb 25, 2011
David Farragut was a Union naval officer during the Civil War. He won a great victory on August 5, 1864 at the Battle of Mobile Bay. Mobile was the last major Confederate port still open on…
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All Those Years Ago
Feb 18, 2011
The story grew in the telling. Your life and mine are best understood in review. None of us realize that we’re in a tale until it’s over, and others (as well as, ourselves) begin to recite…
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Everybody Plays the Fool
Feb 11, 2011
Volumes have been written on the human condition. Theatrical presentations galore. The tragic hero breaks our hearts- the anti-hero confounds our sensibilities. We all identify with what…
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That’s Gonna Leave a Mark
Feb 04, 2011
Where’d you get those scars? Life beats us up. I know where mine came from- where’d you get yours? Some scars come from necessary losses such as surgical procedures, but a lot come…
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I Fell Beneath the Load
Jan 28, 2011
Jesus carried His cross, and so must I. Beneath its load, He fell on the way to Calvary. This fall has, for many years, been a symbol of the crushing weight of responsibility. Following…
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Many a Tear Has to Fall
Jan 20, 2011
There is no way to take the pain out of life. A young person may think that there is a level at which cares diminish, but it’s that thought which diminishes. If the level exists, I’ve not…
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Sin’s Dark Valley
Jan 14, 2011
It’s hard to match new and old. This is not a qualitative statement but a practical one. New things are the products of new (and sometimes better) technology, and antiques are more valuable…
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I’ll Take a Mulligan
Jan 07, 2011
Accounts vary, but the majority opinion is that golf’s “mulligan” was named for Canada’s Dave Mulligan. While on the links nearly 100 years ago, he mishit his first shot and promptly teed…
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Another Year is Dawning
Dec 30, 2010
In a few days, 2011 will begin. We used to speak of 2000 in hushed tones. It almost seemed ominous. We’d be riding in hover cars and teleporting to other destinations. I can remember…
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Old Long Since
Dec 24, 2010
In 1788, Robert Burns wrote the familiar and wistful ode to days gone by, Auld Lang Syne. The title can be loosely translated “for (the sake of) old times,” but is appropriately “old long since.”…
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And in Case You Didn’t Hear
Dec 18, 2010
Christmas is coming. This time of year, each day is filled with expectations and memories. At every turn, we are reminded of the season. Some of the images thrill us, some cause us to…
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And So, This is Christmas
Dec 10, 2010
The celebration is a lot the same, but much different than in the days of my youth. It’s still hard for me to comprehend the magnitude by which things have ramped up. Many people decry commercialism…
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Christmas 365 Days a Year
Dec 03, 2010
What is it that makes the Christmas season stand so brilliantly against the otherwise drab background of the calendar year? For believers, the true meaning of Christmas revolving around Jesus birth certainly…
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Waitin’ on the World to Change
Nov 26, 2010
I have had the dubious misfortune privilege of pastoring several end-time specialists. You know, the ones who’ve got everything figured out. The ones believing they understand the complexities…
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Ease His Pain
Nov 19, 2010
Is there any value or virtue in being easy on people? In younger days, I mostly equated this generous lifestyle with lack of concern for right or plain laziness. Said viewpoint is easy to accept…
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You Got Me Understanding
Nov 12, 2010
Willingness to grow. The hallmark of wisdom shunned by youth and mourned by the old. No matter what age a person may be, it is always the oldest they have ever been. It is no wonder that…
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That Which We Are, We Are
Nov 05, 2010
I believe in change. People can, and do, change their lives for the better- sometimes markedly so. Though it be audacious hope, there is biblical support for such. However, change is…
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Flirtin’ With Disaster
Oct 29, 2010
When calamities come, people often think of them as flukes. Bad luck. This is a defense mechanism, but it is also often true. The important thing is that it not become our fallback position. …
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How Do You Like Me Now?
Oct 22, 2010
To have been raised in a conservative, Christian home is a blessing to those so fortunate. I mean the kind of home where people love one another and God above all. The type of home that strives…
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The Price I’ve Paid
Oct 15, 2010
In the days of my youth, much emphasis was placed on the altruistic life. Now, I know there is still some of that, but, it seems to me, such ponderings are on the decline. Perhaps it has been…
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If You See Something, Say Something
Oct 08, 2010
The pervasive and parodied slogan “If You See Something, Say Something” has seen a renaissance in light of the Times Square street vendors who alerted police to a smoking Nissan Pathfinder on May 1,…
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Houston, We Have a Problem
Oct 01, 2010
There is no “base” in life. You are never “home free.” As much as we desire peace and tranquility, it is hard to plan and of fleeting duration. In the end, even Solomon’s opulence…
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The Hardest Thing I’ve Ever Done
Sep 24, 2010
Now, that’s a toughie. Trying to define the most difficult thing in a lifetime. I once heard John Maxwell speak on the topic of “what hurt the most” at a men’s rally in Nashville, TN. …
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So I Took What I Could Get
Sep 17, 2010
A great many things in life are beyond our control. As much as we may believe in free will and self-determination, even the loosey-goosey must admit that much is chosen for us without representation. …
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Hold My Hand
Sep 10, 2010
The current emphasis on individuality may have done more harm than good. The fear is that, if we do not maintain free-standing, our very personhood will be lost in the soup. This idea applies…
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My Name is Sterl
Sep 03, 2010
My wife doesn’t know my name. I know her name, but she doesn’t know mine. She calls me Stuff or Stool. My kids call me Stekl. Maybe, it shouldn’t surprise me because many…
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We Live Our Lives in Chains
Aug 27, 2010
Many people live in a prison. It is not a prison of stone and mortar nor are there bars, but a prison it is nonetheless. It may be a set of limitations imposed by others, but, more frequently,…
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Well, I Take Whatever I Want
Aug 20, 2010
People often say, “We might as well face it, we do what we want to do.” This axiom is often used to explain misplaced priorities when attendance at an event is not as hoped. It is both a comfort…
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Mister Good Enough
Aug 13, 2010
Women waiting for Mr. Right might as well be waiting for Godot. Now, I realize that “Mr. Right” is an old saw for the perfect fella and every girl’s dream, but I think he’s already taken. …
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Like I Was Walking Onto a Yacht
Aug 05, 2010
Time levels our heads. Funny how, when you finally know how to handle something, the opportunity and responsibility no longer exist. “Left Behind” was a book and a movie, but it could have…
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I Understand About Indecision
Jul 30, 2010
“Knowing how way leads to way, I doubted if I should ever come back.” With those words, Robert Frost cast a shadow on my life and gave a burden to bear. Rather, I should say, he captured the…
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Someone to Watch Over Me
Jul 23, 2010
In a culture of rolling stones, there is a longing for stability among the most contemporary. Rambling fever notwithstanding, we all want to know that there is a firm foothold somewhere. Problematic…
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If Time Were Not a Moving Thing
Jul 16, 2010
The Apostle Paul said he forgot the past. Sometimes, I wish I could forget it, too. So many things only get better (more tolerable) with the passage of time. Fortunately, time does pass. …
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The Door Open to Me
Jul 09, 2010
Several years ago, a friend, somewhat older than myself, was relating to me his experience as a scholarship athlete on the collegiate level. He was a cross-country runner. In high school, he…
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People All Over the World- Join Hands
Jul 02, 2010
Two are better than one. Not as good as one- better than one. At least, that’s what the Bible says. In a world of loners and lonely, this statement rings especially true. Today,…
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I Can Dream Can’t I?
Jun 25, 2010
The pastor of the church in which I was first employed after college graduation used verse in many of his sermons. A favorite poem of his contained the following lines: “I have dreamed many…
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You Sure Know How to Arrange Things
Jun 18, 2010
It is an incontrovertible fact that we can talk ourselves into anything. Sadly, the road of rationalization has an uncertain and, more often than not, disappointing end. All reassessment is…
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What Becomes of the Brokenhearted?
Jun 11, 2010
Funny how the passage of time drives things from conscious memory. As we make choices, and life hands us challenges, we become far-removed from deeds and thoughts of former time and place. …
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I Don’t Carry Me No Load
Jun 04, 2010
According to studies, both men and women lie frequently (I knew that!). However, there is some difference regarding the things they lie about. One lie the genders share may occur when either…
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Yesterday’s Gone, Yesterday’s Gone
May 28, 2010
For good or for ill, the past is the past. “The moving finger writes and, having writ, moves on.” A great many people are mired in the failures and losses of the past. There may be some…
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I Yam What I Yam
May 21, 2010
A friend of mine once told me, “People are what they are, and either you accept them or you don’t.” Since I believe it is possible for people to make life-changing decisions and alter themselves…
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I Could Have Missed the Pain
May 14, 2010
You cannot travel two roads and be one traveler. I sometimes wonder what things would have been had I taken a different turn here or there in my journey. For me, this is purely an interesting…
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It’s Not You- It’s Me
May 07, 2010
Twenty years ago a man who worked for the Department of Youth Development in the State of Tennessee told me, “Be careful in assigning blame. Everybody wants to blame somebody else. The parents…
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Preaching to the Choir
Apr 30, 2010
Eighty percent of church growth is transfer grow. Eight-ty. I’m just saying. For all the talk of reaching the lost, we’re not doing as much of it as we would like- or could. …
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And a Good Time Was Had by All
Apr 23, 2010
Life is meant to be enjoyed. Jesus promised a full life to His followers. In a sense, eternal life is here and hereafter. Much Scripture extols the good life. Joy is a staple of…
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“C’est la Vie,” say the Old Folks
Apr 16, 2010
It is joy and grief to look back over time. Funny, how things work out. A lot of good and well-laid plans never come to fruition. One the other hand, there are successful works done by…
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Now and Then I Feel the Same
Apr 09, 2010
There was a time when I looked at people younger than myself today as old. I would wonder what it was like to be in their shoes and how much differently they viewed the world than me. As sure…
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The Self-Same Pioneer Moxie
Apr 02, 2010
In few days, believers worldwide will celebrate the resurrection of our Lord and the culmination of salvation’s plan. Many will usher into the Kingdom of God as His word is proclaimed from thousands…
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Like a Fool I Am, and I’ll Always Be
Mar 26, 2010
They said I daydreamed a lot in elementary school. By “they,” I mean my teachers. My parents were not impressed, but I could go anywhere in my dreams, and living reality was (and is) often…
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Have You Seen Grace?
Mar 19, 2010
I once told a man that the greatest disappointment of my Christian life was that I had never seen Jesus’ recipe for reconciliation among brothers work. You know, the one where you go to someone…
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Pick Up the Pieces
Mar 12, 2010
What do you do when life doesn’t turn out as planned? What if you give great effort and find it makes little difference? What if everything catches fire? It doesn’t take long for…
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I Know It’s Kinda Late
Mar 05, 2010
I think I’m on the outskirts of middle age. The northern outskirts, that is. Never thought about it or saw it coming. Once, I had the unpleasant experience of being pulled by a peace…
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