The Jewish New Year occurs 163 days after Passover. It is called Rosh Hashanah, the Feast of Trumpets. The Jews blow the shofar 100 times on each day of the celebration. These blasts of trumpets have been described as typifying many things, but one of those is the weeping of a mother. Yet, despite the myriad of examples of mothers crying, when the Jews blow the shofar, the model of wailing they chose is not that of Rachel or even Sarah. Instead, they chose the cries of...

Have you ever felt angry with God? Maybe you didn’t want to call it anger, perhaps frustration was a more palatable word. Although I would never suggest that anger at God might be something to actually strive for, there are some examples in the Bible of men, many we would even call godly men, who appeared to be angry with the Lord.We are God’s children. As our Father, He sees the big picture and He knows what is best for us. We may get angry and upset, and if we do, He can take it becau...

Have you ever prayed a prayer such as this? “Please, God, if I ever slip into compromise or fall into transgression, put me under the godly reproof of a preacher who isn’t afraid to expose sin.”I believe one of God’s greatest gifts of mercy to his church is his faithful ministers, men who will lovingly reprove us of our sins. I thank God for such “Nathan preachers,” men who do not wish to offend, men filled with love and compassion, yet men who aren’t afraid to offend elders, deacons, o...

Each spring, millions of people around the world acknowledge, in some fashion or another, that Jesus Christ was raised from the dead some twenty centuries ago. Modern society calls it “Easter.”We are glad that multitudes—usually caught up in worldly pursuits—will take at least some time for reflection upon the event of the Savior’s resurrection. It is entirely appropriate that Christians take advantage of this circumstance; we should be both willing and able to explain to our friends—at least...

I love my country. But, what I don’t love is when my country violates its values and ideals and behaves badly. I don’t love it when my country acts out of greed and only for power, or with blatant hypocrisy, or like an empire. The gospel has never lived easily with empire. Christians have a special calling, in whatever nation they live, to lift up the values of the kingdom of God and call nations to honor their best values in light of those principles.The eroding American culture is hav...

Something that amazes me, is how many people I come across in certain positions of care, that really don't care! There are school teachers, medical staff, civil servants, even pastors, that make it pretty clear they really don't care about people. We take into account that people in these positions can have a bad day now and then, but I'm talking about those who have shown a pattern of not caring.On occasion, we all been guilty of this. In our sinful nature, we naturally care about ourselves ...

Over the next few weeks, we are going to experience a time of great change in our world, I am speaking of the change of seasons. People are going to begin coming out of their shell and be alive. They will be found taking their trips to the beach. Lawn mowers and weed eaters begin to fire up. Flowers begin to bloom. Butterflies will grace our gardens and the fireflies make our evenings sparkle with their magic. People used to call it “Spring Fever.”Can you imagine the s...

Imagine the scene; your automobile suddenly sputters and stalls while driving down a busy highway. You try and try to get the car started however all of your efforts fail. You get out and raise the hood, but not being a mechanic, you don’t know where to begin. Suddenly a man pulls up in a truck and introduces himself as a mechanic from a nearby garage. He certainly looks the part. He has the name of the garage painted on the side of his truck and he is wearing th...

It’s interesting that in most of our prayers, we pray for the poor, the hungry, the persecuted, and yet, Jesus says they are blessed. Shouldn’t we pray more for the “Woe Crowd”? Those to whom Jesus says, “Woe unto you?” Why don’t we pray for those guys? According to the Scripture, they appear to need it more. If you are a believer, you are not a part of the “Woe Crowd” although you will cycle through some “Woe Moments” as the days go by. Just remember, regardless of th...

We love antiques and pay high prices for old pots and furniture that grandma threw out years ago. We love everything old, except ourselves. We only like ourselves young. Yet, as you get older you arrive at the apex of life. You have arrived at the top of the mountain where you can breathe the rare atmosphere of a long life of experience, knowledge, honor, and you’ll have an excellent view that none of those below you have ever seen. You have crossed many bridges, passed many crossroads, ...