Be careful what you joke about when God is part of the equation.

“If I ever went to Church, the roof would fall in.”

“There is about as much chance of me becoming a Christian as me becoming a houseplant.”

“The only way I would be a member of a Church is if they paid me.”

“I would only go to a small group if everyone drank beer and ate wings.”

“Oh yeah, I will serve the Lord with all my extra time.”

“You have a better chance of raising the dead than getting me to talk in front of the Church.”

“I think Bible college is for people with no direction in life.”

“Becoming a missionary is the last thing I want to do.”

I have heard people say all those things or at least something very similar. And each time, the person did precisely what they joked they would never do.

Be careful what you joke about when God is part of the equation, or the final joke might be on you.

The movie came out in 1967. That was five years before I was born, so I know I did not see it at the theater. My parents bought a 45 record with the song “Bare Necessities” on it, and my brother and I listened to it repeatedly. All I know is that I saw the movie “The Jungle Book” in my childhood and loved it.

It was not until I had children of my own and bought the VHS tape of the movie that it burned indelibly into my brain. In one scene, the boy Mowgli encounters Kaa, the snake, in the forest. He wants to eat the boy, so he tries to trick him with his words. He tells the boy he has a way for him to never leave the jungle. He will show Mowgli the way to stay there forever. Then he launches into a little song with the simple words “Trust in Me.”

Before the serpent can complete his task of destroying the boy, Mowgli must trust him more than anything else.

Does any of this sound familiar?

It is an echo of Eden. More than that, it is how the devil still works today. Evil comes to us and asks, “Did God really say?” Satan invites us into a trusting relationship with him.

Spiritual confrontation is never “Choosing good or choosing evil.” It is the more subtle, “Will you trust God or something else?”

When visiting a four-star hotel, you will discover two groups of people.

There is one who is unhappy because they wanted a five-star hotel. They are used to staying in luxury, and because of a situation beyond their control, they must accept something less. They will complain and find fault because nothing is good enough for them. They feel like they deserve better.

The other group is thrilled because they usually stay in a three-star or less hotel. They view everything they are experiencing as a luxury that they normally do not enjoy. They will be happy and find joy in everything because it is far better than they deserve.

Same hotel. Two completely different perspectives.

How has the Lord blessed you in this life? You have a choice. You can be unhappy and frustrated, or you can be happy and grateful.

When I find thankful people filled with joy, it is usually not because they have something better than others. It is that they have chosen a different perspective.

My dad used to say, “You know what the good book says, ‘Life is but the twinkling of an eye.'”

Until I was in Bible college, I was one hundred percent sure that this was precisely what the Bible recorded. Then I tried to find the verse. This is what I saw,

“Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed – (52) in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.” (1 Corinthians 15:51-52 – NIV 2011)

The passage is about how quickly we will be transformed when Jesus returns. And it is not about the span of our life. 

I can only guess that my father heard a sermon that used this verse somewhere. That preacher took “in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye” to reference this life. Once we become a Christian, this life flies by until we meet Jesus in heaven. It is not a good interpretation of the actual verse, but it still holds truth because this life does fly fast.

That one line I probably heard him say about a thousand times in my lifetime, that was until his flash was over. The eye twinkled, and he was gone. But I must admit that one phrase is one of the most memorable things he said. In my mind, I can never remember him being sad when he said it. It was always a matter-of-fact statement with an undertone of hope. He was always saying it like, “This life is over fast, but eternity awaits.” Perhaps he knew that the passage in the Corinthian letter is very hope-filled. The following lines speak of our immortal bodies and death being defeated.

Everyone knows this life is short, and you can use whatever phrase you desire to capture that truth. Christians look at that fact with hope and not with despair. I know my dad did, and I hope you do too.

Jesus tells the story of the separation of the sheep and the goats in Matthew chapter 25. It is a parable about the judgment of all humanity. After the split, the groups want to know, what did we do or not do to deserve this? He responds that people were hungry and you fed them, thirsty and you gave them a drink, a stranger and you invited them in, and they were sick, and you looked after them. Then he adds the line that states that people “were in prison, and you came to visit.”

We are often quick to offer food and water, clothing, shelter, and medical care, but the last one requires time. That last one may be the toughest in a world where everyone is busy and time is more valuable than money.

Over the past weeks, my wife and I have noticed how many people want us to stop and talk. The elderly couple next door, the lady whose husband drives a semi for a living, the senior adult with a family member with health issues, and even my insurance salesman, who spends most of their day alone in the office, all want to talk. And not simply talk; they want to have hour-long conversations with real depth and meaning.

As Christians, we love to help people, and it is part of what it means to follow Jesus. What if one of the most significant things you could do this week is to give yourself to the ministry of conversation? Would you be willing to sit down and talk to a stranger or a non-believer and share Jesus’s grace through your time? 

May God bless those who take the time to visit others.  

In 2020 Covid hit, and I, like all pastors, began video recording sermons. This presented a new challenge for me. How do I look at the camera, create a quality sermon experience, and keep from looking at my notes? With all other Church functions not occurring, I thought this would be the perfect time to learn to preach without notes. And so, my journey began.

Over the last three years, I have perfected a system that works for me to remember my sermon and be prepared every Sunday. Several people have asked me, “How do you remember all that?” My answer is here.

First, I write my sermon on Monday afternoon and Tuesday and finish it Wednesday morning. I start with research, then a rough outline, an extended outline, a complete draft, and finally, I edit 2-3 times. Since all my sermons are original to me, repeatedly going through them helps most form in my mind.

Next, I do not look at it on Thursday, Friday, or Saturday morning. This allows me to clear my head and return to it with fresh eyes when I reread it.

Saturday evening, I take the sermon back out around 7-8 pm and read it intently 3-4 times. I am trying to remember keywords, illustrations, and movement. I mentally picture each page as I work through the material.

Usually, on Saturday night into Sunday, I do not sleep very well. Whenever I am awake, I replay each page and try to determine what parts I forgot. Whether I sleep well or not, I wake up at 5 am sharp. I get dressed to go to the track or walk on the treadmill. While dressing, I look over the pages and try to fill in the blanks in my mind. Then, if possible, I head to the local high school track and walk 5-6 miles. While walking, I begin with a long prayer time. I follow that by preaching through the entire sermon. Sometimes it is out loud, and other times it is only in my head. Once I finish, I walk back through the sermon, hitting all the key movements.

After that, I go home and get ready for worship. I arrive and do all the things that need to be done. If possible, I look through the sermon one more time before placing it on my chair in the auditorium. I leave it there as my security blanket. I have needed it twice in the last three years, but currently, I rest easy knowing it is there if needed.

I preach twice on Sunday morning, walk into my office, throw my printed pages away, and start the whole process again.

It has to be one of the weirdest names for a Bible book. Most are named after people or cities. The focus is on the person who wrote it or the people receiving it. Then there is the Book of Acts.

Luke, the author of the third gospel account, writes a follow-up to the story of Jesus and focuses on what happens after Jesus ascends to heaven. The name is a shortened form of a possibly more extended title. Interestingly, no one agrees with the label.

I understand that some manuscripts are labeled as “Acts of the Apostles” while others say “Acts of the Church.” One article states that it is the “Acts of the Holy Spirit (or Ghost),” and still another is the “Acts of Christianity.” 

While there is no consensus on the book’s exact name, everyone agrees that the primary emphasis is action. The Apostles move forward in the power of the Holy Spirit as the Church grows and expands as people become Christians. 

I pray that the Church today, especially the one I lead, will be known for its action. When the history of our Church is written, there may be no unity on a name, but everyone definitely knows we were an active group. 

The book of Acts is not about one person doing something or a group of people learning something; it is about the people of God moving into the world in the power of the Holy Spirit. And all the believers were active.   

Lord, let it be so again in our generation.

I genuinely believe that most people want to bless other people’s lives. They want to do good deeds and make the world a better place. They want to have an impact in this world for Jesus. They want their lives to count for something positive.

And they want to do it in the shortest amount of time possible.

Can we do it in 5 minutes this week? How about 15 or maybe 30 minutes?

What is the minimum number of good deeds we can do to feel good about ourselves?

What is the quickest, easiest, and most convenient way to serve Jesus?

Unfortunately, Jesus said, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.” (Luke 9:23 – NIV 2011)

A follower of Jesus understands that it requires their whole life, and if we offer anything less, it insults him. We might feel good about ourselves, but I assure you that he does not.

I watched a preacher online drone on and on. His content was fairly high quality, but his delivery was the same as it had been for the last ten years since I’ve known him. He had the same stance at the podium, the same notes, the same tone of voice, the same type of outline, and spoke for the same length of time.

My mind immediately went back to a man I knew who served in ministry for seven years at one Church, then seven at the next, and then seven at the next. When he applied for a new job during the interview, he proclaimed he had 21 years of experience. One extremely perceptive leader in the Church replied, “It sounds more like you have seven years of experience and have repeated it three times.”

One personal goal I set each year is to challenge myself in at least one area. In 2019, I set out to learn everything about ministry in a small Church and especially in a rural setting. That led me to changes in my life and ministry. In 2020, I took on the task of preaching without notes as I began speaking to a camera during Covid. In 2021, I decided to take my blog more seriously and learn about writing, leading me to five original posts from Monday to Friday. In 2022, I began to work on my intrapersonal skills and try to become better at how I interact with other people. In 2023, I have been working on learning about discipleship while intentionally discipling people. 

I say none of this to shame those preachers or boast about myself. I am simply trying to illustrate that many Christians become complacent in serving the Lord. We learn enough to answer questions, find a way to serve in an area that is comfortable, and settle into a routine. None of those things is inherently evil, but neither do they stretch our faith.

You will be surprised by all God can do through you when you challenge yourself in faith. One thing I can assure you is that life will never be boring.    

On countless Sunday mornings, I make people mad.

The scenario is always the same. Someone approaches me a couple minutes before Church begins and says, “I need you to make this announcement.” I speak kindly and decline to say what they are asking me. Then I offer alternate possibilities for getting the word out, and they usually leave unhappy with me.

I do this for several reasons. First, if you had all week to get me an announcement to put online and in the printed program and did not do it – that is on you. A lack of preparation on your part does not equal an emergency on my part. To take it a step further, once people see me do that, it becomes the expectation for everyone to wait until the last minute to ask.

Second, I have a lot on my mind Sunday mornings. I have people telling me all kinds of information, and I can almost guarantee that I will forget when it comes time for announcements.

Finally, and this is the biggest, announcements are not the way to generate interest or excitement in any activity. When I make more than one announcement on Sunday morning, people quit listening when I go on and on with more. The same is true with digital or print. The more information on a page, the less people are interested in reading it.

Personal invitation is the key to having a well-attended activity or growing small group or thriving ministry.

When you walk up to someone and personally invite them to join the fun. They are excited that you thought of them. They know you value them enough to ask them into your world, whatever form it takes. It moves the Church from two-dimensional information on a page to a person who cares about them.

No amount of advertising will ever be more significant than personally inviting someone to attend.