Living in light of eternity

At a certain point in our parenting experience, my wife and I began to evaluate what the Christian life sounded like from our children's perspective.     Children are simple and they need things taught simply and concretely.   How do you teach about walking with Christ without it sounding, in the end, like a bunch of do's and don'ts?   We realized that we had been neglecting teaching the ministry of the Spirit to our children. In our own personal walk with Christ we had learned about being filled with the Spirit.   Eph 5:18 says   "And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit,"   It was a command.    Christ had taught the disciples about the ministry of the Spirit in the Upper Room Discourse: “I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him o...

With the stock market soaring here at the end of 2017 it's likely that more Americans are experiencing "prosperity" than ever before.  Everyone wants to see their portfolio grow, but with greater wealth comes added responsibility- and some concerns. Moses predicted that once Israel was in the Promised Land that they would turn away from Jehovah.       “For when I bring them into the land flowing with milk and honey, which I swore to their fathers, and they have eaten and are satisfied and become prosperous, then they will turn to other gods and serve them , and spurn Me and break My covenant." Dt 31:20. For Israel prosperity actually became a curse.  It caused them to become self sufficient and turn their back on the true God, the One who had prospered them in the first place.  In their pride they turned to other gods and served them. Moses had previously warned but they failed to heed his advice.     ...

Our family doctor quoted Billy Graham as saying, "Aging is not for the faint of heart." I have to agree with him.  In addition to the aches and pains there is the change in our appearance.  Every once in a while I catch myself in the mirror and wonder who that person is.  But most surprising is the change in the way people relate to you.   A lot of it is good.  People often treat you with special consideration.  At the Hyatt recently the desk clerk ask me if I want a room on a higher floor, or lower.  She also ask me if I was sensitive to sound.  I wanted to laugh out loud.  Of course I want a floor near the ground, in case of a fire drill (which I have lived through several times). The question of sound was the one that caught me off guard.  Just ask my wife about my snoring.  The other guests may be the ones who have trouble with sound pollution. The Word of God has some great encouragement for those approaching their go...

As illustrated in my blog entry, "Those That Gasp for Air" , I've recognized a certain condition that seems to affect (and infect) us all, myself included.  There is a chronic condition of basic doubt and fear that prevents us from more fully trusting God and resting in His sufficiency.  Although I have indeed "tasted and seen that the Lord is good" (PS 34:8) I have repeatedly drifted from that assurance and slid back to trying to find completeness in other things. There have been times of intense insight and spiritual refreshment over the years, followed by drift. There has consistently been a tendency to look for contentment in other things, like success in ministry, financial security, or family. (Jer 2:13) This illustrative blog entry from April 5, 2010 captures my experience over the years and to the present day.  Just as it is possible to doubt the sufficiency of the very air we breathe, I've found it possible and commonplace to doubt the very...

All nature remembers the goodness of the Lord,         the Lord reigns over all. The dew awakes each day to the goodness of God,         he recalls the Lord's provision. The hummingbird finds his early drink         exactly as the day before. Each look to the Lord, none go their own way. Man, in his pride, wonders about.         He knows not where he goes. Full of understanding,         he imagines great things, Great things without understanding,         great things that explain nothing. But I am poor and needy,         empty of any great thing. I know the truth of thy Word,         the power of thy revelation. As the bird who found her nest,         I come to rest in thee. How many times have I failed thee?         Where is faithfulness? Thou art a friend to sinn...

Even though there are many who have seen firsthand what it looks like 'beyond death's door", none of them could be considered “the expert". If you were to assemble all the greatest philosophers, writers, commanders, scientist, and leaders of history- only one would stand out as the foremost authority on matters of life and death… Jesus Christ.   He did something no other in history has done. Jesus Christ is the only person to have been resurrected to new life.  Historical evidence confirms that he clinically died, lay in a cave-like tomb for three days, and came back to life; not just in a resuscitated form, but in a new resurrected form. Admittedly, others have been raised from the dead; Jesus raised Lazarus, Jairus’ daughter, and the woman from Nain’s only son. Elijah raised the son of the widow, and Elisha raised the son of the Sunammite woman. In each of these miraculous cases, the person raised eventually died.  Jesus was raised to new life. No one has tra...

Death is something we don't like to think about- it's mysterious, and it awaits us all. But we have questions: Does death mean the end of this life or the beginning of another? Does anyone know what happens after death? 
Has anyone been there? 
What does it feel like? Does life continue after death? 83% of Americans say they believe in heaven. Most cultures have predicted life after death.   Egyptians, Orientals, Babylonians, Persians, and Greeks believed that death was only the mortal end of man and that the soul remained immortal.   Plato and Socrates wrote about the death experience. Jewish and Christian theologians believed in an eternal soul, judgment, heaven and hell. But is there any scientific evidence to support the idea of life after death? One of the leading experts in cardio-pulmonary resuscitation, Dr. Maurice S. Rawlings, affirms there is indeed scientific evidence of life after death. In his book, "Beyond Death's Door", the he...