Stay on the Ark

The church is God’s vessel for this age.  As much as Noah needed the ark, you need a local church.  Sure, it’s not a perfect vessel.  The ark wasn’t perfect either.  But, Noah and his family did not dream of getting out of the boat.

A Lesson from Puddleglum

Of all C.S. Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia, The Silver Chair, is my favorite.  At one point in the Silver Chair the characters are deciding whether or not to obey Aslan.  When Puddleglum suggests that they should obey Aslan, a girl named Jill responds, “Do you mean you think everything will come right if we do [obey Aslan].”

Thankful for “Atonement” Blogging

This morning I have been writing a critical chapter in my book on forgiveness.  It is one in which I consider the nature of the atonement and how God forgives Christians.  Of course, this is pivotal for any book on forgiveness given that God expects us to forgive one another as he forgave us (Eph 4:32).

It struck me in writing how thankful I am for the blogs on the atonement that I have followed on Adrian Warnock’s site, Peter Kirk, and others.

On Getting Braces

I woke up almost a year ago and couldn’t open my mouth.  Literally, my jaw had been clicking and complaining for years.  But, I had ignored it.  Now, it just refused to open.

It took a while to find help.  Finally, Dr. Murphy, an orthodontist in Rockford, turned out to be the guy with answers for my rebellious TMJ jaw.  He determined that the problem was my bite and that I needed braces. 

Secret Prayers

Matthew chapter 6 begins with a principle.  Jesus told the disciples to avoid doing good things for the sake of human approval.  He said, “Don’t do acts of righteousness before men to be seen by them.”  Instead, we should do our acts of righteousness “secretly,” before God alone.

One of my favorite ways to live out this principle is through what I call “secret prayers.”  For me, a secret prayer is when I pray for someone I don’t know, will likely never see again, and who has no idea that I prayed for him or her.

My prayers go something like this.  “God, I don’t know why this guy having his oil changed looks so tired.  I have no idea what is going on in his world.  Maybe he has a lot of stress at work.  But, I pray that you might bless him today.”

How about this?  Instead of getting angry at an aggressive driver, why not pray for him or her.  “Lord, I don’t know why this person is being such a jerk, but I pray that you will keep him safe and that you will bless him in some special way.”

God is pleased when we care for people we don’t even know.  And, God answers prayer.  My secret prayers are just between God and me on behalf of someone else.

I have a theory that someday when I get to Heaven I’ll be able to check out DVD’s that document how a few of my secret prayers made a difference.

What would happen if every believer in Rockford started praying 5 secret prayers a day?

Summer Reading

How about reading a good book this summer?  Find something to read that will encourage your heart and stretch your mind.If you don’t know what to read, then let me give you some suggestions.