Posts Tagged ‘teaching’

Anything Good?

Feb
2

“Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” asked Nathaniel.

Later the religious leaders said “Look in to it.  You will see that no prophet comes out of Galilee.”

There were people who doubted Jesus’ authority, because they saw him as a nobody from nowhere.

So did they have it right.  Is Jesus disqualified as the son of God because he happened to live in Nazareth?  Or does that all the more qualify him as a wonderful example for any person from anywhere to follow in his footsteps?

Listen to the message and see what you think.

How to be the Perfect Mom – Mothers Day

May
12

Being a mom is so much more than just the things mom does for her family.  So many moms are always on the go getting things done, from household chores to playing games to taking kids where they need to go and so many other things.  But a great mom isn’t just the stuff she does, it’s who she is.  It’s a heart full of love that is poured out for her family, making sacrifices to care for her kids because her heart is so full for her loved ones, that really makes a mom.  And that is what truly makes a mom so wonderful!

Bringing Up Baby – Fathers Day

Jan
20

It’s sad enough when you hear about a tragedy like a school shooting.  But then people seem to turn it into an opportunity to promote their favorite politics.  And that turns a bad situation into a worse one.  Lately people having been arguing for and against things like gun control and armed security in schools and medicating children and various other things that deal with the symptoms of of the problem.  But I don’t hear anybody talking about teaching basic morality to children–or even adults.  We’ve left the training of our children to a public school system that has a hard time producing kids who can read and do math, much less kids who follow the Golden Rule.

I think our society has abdicated its responsibility of raising children who can be a benefit to society.  If you want to have less crime and a better economy and a better world all around, one thing we need is fathers with moral character who will model integrity and excellence for their children to follow.

The Man, The Myth, The Legend – Part 2

Mar
17

There are some people, who obviously haven’t ever studied the teachings of Jesus, who say he was simply a good, moral teacher, which is just goofy, because if they had read the things Jesus said and still didn’t believe that he was the Son of God, they would have to call him a total nut-job or a wicked deceiver.  The religious leaders of Jerusalem didn’t kill Jesus because he was a good teacher.  They killed him because he claimed to be God, and people were following him and believing in him and that made the leaders extremely jealous.  And then Jesus went and rose from the dead and made things extremely inconvenient for the establishment.

Obviously, Jesus was a moral teacher, but it’s impossible to leave it at that…unless of course you have an agenda to deny any truth that might cause you to have to face the reality of your personal responsibility for your choices to break God’s law and live a sinful and selfish life.

Just sayin’.

One Man’s Garbage

Aug
1

Have you ever driven by somebody’s house and seen something they had put at the end of the driveway to throw away and thought that would be something you’d like to have?  Or maybe you’re a garage sale pro.  Isn’t it amazing how many things some people want to get rid of, and how many others see a treasure in that item?

What’s even more amazing is how that happens in so many people’s lives.  They do things to mess up their lives, and they end up thinking they’ve become no better than garbage.  In fact, some people have even ended their own lives because they’ve lost all hope in themselves.  But the good news is that there is a potential treasure in every life.  It doesn’t matter how much we have fouled things up or wrecked our own lives with sin, God can turn any life around and make something wonderful out of what was once worthless…including you!

High Seas Adventure – Part Two

Jul
28

Did you know that there are a number of passages in the Bible that tell Christians to meet together to fellowship and worship.  It’s not only good to have church, but you could argue that a person isn’t a very good Christian if they avoid going to church on a regular basis.

Of course just going to church doesn’t make you a Christian anymore than standing in a garage makes you a car.  However, a real Christian, who cares about Jesus and the Bible always looks forward to meeting with fellow believers to be encouraged in his work for the faith.

And that’s so important.  Because even more often than it talks about worshiping together, the Bible tells Christians to preach God’s Good News to the world.  And if you’re not doing that, well what good are you to God.  That’s our most important task.  A Christian who doesn’t go to church is like an athlete who doesn’t go to practice.  But a Christian who doesn’t share his faith is like a firefighter that refuses to put out fires.  The first will just lose you the game, but the second will cause lives to be lost.

High Seas Adventure – Part One

Jul
27

Have you ever taken a big trip somewhere?  It usually a lot of fun to get out on the open road (or skies or seas–whatever the case may be) and travel to someplace new and different, and enjoy the sights and experiences.  But what if you were forced to go on a long trip that you didn’t want to go on?  That happened to Paul.  He went on plenty of trips that he wanted to take because he liked being a missionary.  But there was one pretty disastrous trip that he didn’t have a choice about.  And you know what?  In spite of all the difficulties and his life being endangered a number of times, he seemed to make a pretty adventurous trip out of the ordeal.

Dry Grass

Jul
26

So we’ve been having this heat wave go through the whole Midwest, and everybody on the news is telling people how dangerous it is and to drink lots of water and stay indoors when possible.  You’d think people had never been outside on a hot day before.  It really hasn’t seemed all that hot to me.  But I sure am glad not to be putting on a new roof or anything like that lately.  And I’m also glad that we got a reprieve from the hot sun,  My yard had been getting pretty brown, and I noticed some clouds out in the distance.  So I asked God if he could give us a couple inches for the crops and the grass.  And guess what?  We got 2 & 1/4 inches.  It was a real blessing.

But you know, even if we hadn’t gotten any rain, there is still so much to be thankful for.  There might be dry grass in the yard.  But in the heart of a true Christian, the grass is always green.

A Review of Paul’s Letter to the Romans

Jul
21

Have you noticed that people just don’t write letters anymore?  Even e-mail has been traded for texting and Facebook and Twitter.  We still get junk mail from every direction.  But it’s a rare occasion to get an old fashioned letter in you mailbox.  And you definitely don’t see letters like the one Paul wrote to the Christian church in Rome.

 

A Walk Through the Book of Romans: Chapter 16

May
12

CHAPTER FOURTEEN – Don’t Let ’em Fool Ya

What’s wrong with the church today is not the music or the modern dress or even the trend toward the mega churches with coffee bars and barber shops and all that jazz.  What’s wrong with the church today, at least in the U.S., is that it is largely ineffective.  Sure we have some outreaches and mission trips and things like that.  But where are the real miracles, and turning the world upside down, and caring for all the widows and orphans, and repentance from sin, and morality outside of church, and preaching counting the cost and expecting persecution and trials as a Christian?

It seems to me like much of the church in America is little more than a weekly club meeting to make you feel better about yourself and not to actually affect your real life. But on the bright side, it doesn’t have to be like that!

What’s it like for you?