Salvation remains a struggle for many Christians.  We say that Jesus saves, that his sacrifice is the one that satisfies God, and that we can’t earn our salvation.  We repeat what we’ve heard from others, that we can’t earn our salvation.  We define grace as something that can’t be earned or deserved, so we discount a works-oriented salvation.  Mercy declares that the punishment we deserve is redirected away from ourselves.  In all of this we are correct, yet listen... Read Full Story

The Sermon on the Mount is a challenging section of scripture.  I've been mulling some things over recently, and renewed a line of thinking that struck me years ago.  I'd like to share a little of it with you. The Sermon on the Mount may be one of the most familiar and best loved passages in all the Bible.  It's also more difficult than it first appears.  If you read scholars, you'll discover that there are numerous assumptions and attempts to give this sermon a theme, or... Read Full Story

I got an email the other day asking me to pray for the President.  No, that’s not exactly what I was asked to do.  In short, I was asked to pray a blanket prayer that all the President’s programs pass and become law.  Frankly, I was shocked. I started paying attention to politics, Presidents, and other elected officials about the time John Kennedy competed against Richard Nixon to become President.  That would have been 1960, and I was 11 years old.  I remember sittin... Read Full Story

It's hot!I spent a week at church camp recently so I thought I'd jot down a few observations.  First, you need to know why I have dodged camp for so long.It was the summer between my freshman and sophomore year at Ole Miss.  That's along time ago, in case you don't know.  Anyway, it was the first summer that Sardis Lake Christian Camp had full-fledged summer camp.  The year before they only had day-camp.  I was recruited for the job of Assistant Camp Director.  The Director's job was filled e... Read Full Story

7Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. 8The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love. - 1 John 4:7-8, NASB95Spread love everywhere you go: first of all in your own house. Give love to your children, to your wife or husband, to a next door neighbor . . . Let no one ever come to you without leaving better and happier. Be the living expression of God's kindness; kindness in your face, kindness in your eyes... Read Full Story

10"Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11"Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. 12"Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. -- Matthew 5:10-12 , NASB95The cruelty of atheism is hard to believe. When a man has no faith in the reward of good ... Read Full Story

Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you. -- Ephesians 4:32, NASB95It is the center point around which our faith revolves. But when we are the ones who need to forgive, forgiveness becomes more difficult. To believe that God forgave me millennia ago, pardoning me in a broad theological sweep with billions of others, seems, for some reason, more reasonable than my granting forgiveness to someone who has wronged me. -- Discipleshi... Read Full Story

Here's something all preachers can use (as well as anyone who has a sizeable collection of books). It's a computer program called "All My Books." You can click on the title of this blog entry or just click here and it will take you to the web site.For years, I've wanted a program to help me keep up with my books. There are lots of preachers who have more books than I do, but I daresay I have more than most. The job of cataloging and keeping up with them all is stagge... Read Full Story

Let's be clear right up front.  Many Christians are very insecure about their salvation.  Some have the idea that salvation is something in a constant flux, moving from something one possesses, to something one loses.  Most of this insecurity is base on the performance level of the particular individual.  The thinking is that if one is "faithful" (usually meaning something like performing at a level near or at perfection), then one is saved.  But if one's performance level d... Read Full Story

I believe it was Rodney King who once asked the question that serves as title to this article.  It’s a good one, and often asked in interesting circumstances.  If you don’t remember Rodney King, you might read up on him and you’ll know why his question was so interesting. I’m currently aggravated (again) by the state of American politics.  I’m not sure why this bothers me so much.  By now you’d think I would have become as jaded and cyni... Read Full Story