Church

As I've reflected back on my church upbringing, I realized I grew up singing a lot of hymns about heaven. There's a land that is fairer than day ... Oh they tell me of a home where no storm clouds rise ... When we all get to heaven, what a day of rejoicing that will be! How beautiful heaven must be, sweet home of the happy and free ... When the roll is called up yonder, I'll be there ... As a child, I didn't really understand what was meant by the "sweet by and by", but anything that involved sweets couldn't be all that bad. Over the years, I've grown even fonder of the hymns that speak about the future and what God has done to secure it. The reason is simple: I'm only getting older and the number of family and friends awaiting on the other side is growing.…

There are certain words which leave no wiggle room. Everything, all, complete, impossible -- just to name a few. What does "all" mean? It doesn't mean some, part, or even most. It means all. The same is true for everything. It's either every thing or nothing (another one of those words that means what it means). In addition to being certain, this kind of language is also direct. If the teacher says that some kids in the classroom will be allowed to go on recess, the kid on the front row immediately begins wondering if he will be one of them. Pretty soon, he's building a mental argument for why he should be one of them. But in the absence of certainty and directness, the mind wanders and tries to fill-in what is unknown -- creating anxiety and wild imaginations. If the teacher had simply said, "Everyone get ready for…

I once heard Pastor Tony Evans tell of seeing a crack in his bedroom wall. The next day the crack had become larger. Over the next few days, it spread and began to look like a family tree. Evans called a contractor to plaster and paint the wall. The contractor looked around and said, “That will be $25,000.” To which Evans replied, "You’re kidding me! $25,000 to plaster and paint the wall!” "It's not $25,000 to paint your wall; it's $25,000 to fix your entire foundation. You have a major crack in your foundation and unless you fix that, the cracks will keep returning. Do you want me to paint your wall or fix your foundation?" Truth be told, many people are just plastering over the cracks of their lives without making any changes to their foundation. We experience a lack of peace or a lack of meaning and what…

I like to do certain things a certain way. It's my choice to use a burr grinder to grind my coffee beans. I will always choose meat on my pizza over only vegetables. (Before you send me a note saying vegetables are good for me, I said "only vegetables." Pepperoni with green olives is fantastic!"). We all have a will -- and I'm not talking about Palmetto Bluff Real Estate planning. Most of us don't even realize the things we are willful about. Instead, we use words like preferences, choices, and opinions. We have a taste in clothing and food. Something may not fit our style. There are useful aspects to our will. For example, it facilitates and streamlines decision making. It may also inhibit us from making a better decision because we are unwilling to consider other angles. The will isn't value-neutral. I make my coffee a certain way…

Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. But as I told you, you have seen me and still you do not believe." - John 6:35-36 There is an important link between actions and results. If I take action to eat better and exercise more, the expected result should be better health, energy, and stamina. Likewise, if I don't action to change a lazy lifestyle, I shouldn't expect to feel better or have more energy. In fact, I should expect to have less of the benefits. People who take action and go back to college or graduate school to earn a degree do so hoping to see that result in better job opportunities or a new career. Or the result could simply be the sense of achievement they gain. Every action (or inaction) results…