Revitalize Your Church

There are a lot of things that get messed up pretty bad when you put an “un” in front of it. For instance, “grateful” is pretty lousy when it becomes “ungrateful” and “faithful” is bitter when it becomes “unfaithful.” I searched the Bible the other day, digging for “un” words, and came away with quite a load of them. I was surprised, however, to discover than not ALL of the “un’s” are negative. In fact a few of them are excellent qualities to possess. On the negative side, the Bible speaks clearly against the following “un’s”: Unbelief: Faith is a central foundation for life. That’s why Jesus rebuked his disciples for their unbelief when they acted or spoke out of fear and mistrust. Unloving: We were made to love. When somebody behaves in an unloving way, it always hurts. We are commanded to love our neighbors. Unclean: A foul spirit and inner ugliness always go together.   Impure motives lead to selfish manipulation. Negative speech reveals a bitter heart. The Bible says, “Out o...

Fear can really do a number on us emotionally. It hinders our hopes, cripples our character and destroys our dreams. I recently read that anxiety (fear) is most common mental health problem for women. For men it ranks second -- right behind alcohol related issues. (I guess that means guys drink booze in order to mask their fears.) Researchers have discovered that one out of nine Americans has a debilitating phobia. If we don't deal with fear in a healthy way, it takes over like a cancer of the soul. Lloyd C. Douglas said, "If a man harbors any sort of fear, it percolates through all his thinking, damages his personality, makes him a landlord to a ghost." Whatever you fear has power over you! You must face it if you wish to master it. As Frank Tyger stated, "Fear fades when facts are faced." We can quickly spot the "anxiety disease" in others. It's much more difficult for us to see it in ourselves. Do you know the difference between realistic and un...

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A beautiful thought expressed by 18th Century Methodist leader, John Fletcher, in a letter to his friend,  Charles Wesley: I have the impression that we can never have too much compassion for sinners, nor overemphasize for them the love of Jesus, when he himself became incarnate and declared redemption and salvation to tax gatherers and evildoers.  I have also the impression that faith shows itself gradually in many hearts, and that it is our task to nourish the weakest spark, the faintest signs.  What is your opinion?   (Reluctant Saint, Patrick Streiff, p. 82)

Randolph McCoy's piggy was a trouble- maker! When Randolph wasn't looking, the pig escaped from his pen and ravaged the neighbor's garden. The frustrated neighbor, Floyd Hatfield, exclaimed that he would shoot that blasted pig if she ever came close to his property again! He didn't have to wait long. Old "porky" escaped a second time - and the rest is history. A silly dispute over a pig began a major conflict between the Hatfields and the McCoys, which lasted over thirteen years. The family war claimed the lives of twelve people - three Hatfields, seven McCoys, and three outsiders. Over a century later, the family feud between the Hatfields and the McCoys still stands as an example of why it's best to resolve conflict in a healthy manner. If you harbor unresolved conflict in your heart, you are running the risk of crazy behavior. As one sage put it, "Whenever you fly into a rage, you always make a bad landing." "Discuss...

In light of the recent "deep freeze" we've recently experienced, I'm sharing s a little tribute I wrote in honor of February: Black and white February tends to chill us to the bone. Summer joys lie torpid in thick ice. Hopes hybernating. Frozen in distant memory banks, spring flowers lie far  beneath. In cold and cloudy winter, one begins to wonder whether May will ever show her lovely face again. But she will !  She will! She will! She always does! Every spring, she springs, and sings, and brings new life. The multi-colored days, pinioned by the bitter greys, will soon burst forth in light, Winter is only temporary. Beneath the snow, flowers grow.

Here are the lyrics of a song, written by my brother, Tim.  After sharing the story behind the song in a talk I gave recently, I was asked if I could post this on my blog: Thank you Lord, for this day that I've been given. Thank you Lord, for all you've done for me. Thank you Lord, for this day that I've been given. Thank you Lord, for all you've done for me. O Lord you know, that my heart is filled with sorrow. Lord you know, that my heart's filled with pain. Although my world has come crashing down around me, I'll still trust in my Lord Jesus' name. Thank you Lord, for this day that I've been given. Thank you Lord, for all you've done for me. Thank you Lord, for this day that I've been given. Thank you Lord, for all you've done for me.

A Wyoming cowboy was once asked what was the greatest lesson he’d learned from his experiences of ranching. "The Herefords taught me one of life's most important lessons," he replied. "We used to breed cattle for a living, but the winter storms would come and kill 'em off. It would take a terrible toll on the herd. "Time and time again, after a cold winter storm, we'd find most of our cattle piled up against the fences, dead as doornails! "They would turn their backs to the icy wind, and slowly drift downward until the fences stopped them. There, they just piled up and died." "But the Herefords were different than that," he continued. "They would head straight into the wind and slowly walk the other way until they came to the upper boundary fence where they stood, facing the storm. "We always found our Herefords alive and well. They saved their hides by facing the storm!" When the storms of life are raging, our natural ...