We’ve come a long way since President John Fitzgerald Kennedy’s 1961 Inaugural Address, and its most-oft-quoted phrase, “Ask not what your country can do for you. Ask what you can do for your country.” This was not merely a clever quip for the day – it reflected the mindset of most Americans of that era,… Continue reading Millennials and the Church
Category: Evangelism
Ministering to the Broken
The following is my response to a question raised by a Pastor friend of mine in the midst of a recent energetic back-and-forth on FB. Challenge: John, will you acknowledge that every sexual relationship outside of marriage is sin in the eyes of God? Response: I believe that there has to be an order in which… Continue reading Ministering to the Broken
Some important Biblical lessons I’ll bet you haven’t given much thought to – Truth #1
Jesus used many different styles to teach the people, but the parable seemed to be His favorite. And yet, when asked by His disciples why he used parables His strange response was: “Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has… Continue reading Some important Biblical lessons I’ll bet you haven’t given much thought to – Truth #1
Abrasive or Persuasive – do you want your words and actions to be effective or not?
Almost from the date of their authoring over 2 Millennia ago, most of the Old and New Testament books of the Bible have been under attack. Governments have feared their power and influence and individuals have been offended by their intrusion into behavioral choices. Yet in spite of the vicious attacks and wholesale attempts to… Continue reading Abrasive or Persuasive – do you want your words and actions to be effective or not?
Melting a hardened heart
Recently my pastor spoke on the parable of the four soils (or what others may more familiarly recognize as the parable of the sower), found in three Gospels: Matthew 13, Mark 4 and Luke 8. The four types of soil that receive the seed, (1) a trampled down path, (2) stony places, (3) among thorns,… Continue reading Melting a hardened heart
Come – let us reason together
R. Glover (1869-1943) a classical scholar, historian, university lecturer and orator once asked, “How did the Church, confronted by the power of Greek philosophy, Roman might, and unchecked sensuality change the direction of world history?” He answered his own question by explaining that the early Christians out-lived the pagans, out-died them and out-thought them. Do… Continue reading Come – let us reason together
The meek shall inherit the earth
As a thirteen year old eighth grader and a member of Boy Scout troop 1405, I studied vigorously for and received the Ad Altare Dei Award for Catholic scouts. In the process I had to obtain endorsements that I was receiving religious instruction, was faithful to my prayers, frequented the Sacraments and was leading an… Continue reading The meek shall inherit the earth
What do you mean “My body is not my own!”
Between 55 and 57 A.D. Paul of Tarsus’s wrote two letters to the congregation of the church he founded in Corinth. These were former hedonists he was writing to, and many of his messages were probably as controversial then as they are today. Consider this one in particular: Or do you not know that your… Continue reading What do you mean “My body is not my own!”
Let your light shine before men (and women)
I was recently asked to teach a small segment of a class for new believers at our church. The lesson had to do with telling others about what God had done for them as a result of their making a commitment of their lives to Jesus. As I was preparing for the lesson it occurred… Continue reading Let your light shine before men (and women)