Words on a Page

Women are constantly misled regarding biblical femininity and Godly female behavior. For far too long, insecure men wanted to translate scripture based on their own predetermined idea of femininity while steering clear of secular feminism.  The biggest myth is that women must be “nice” to please God (and society). Buzzer sound: “Naaaaaaaa!” Wrong answer.  Both sexes are called to be kind, not nice. Barry Corey of Eternal Perspective Ministries explains it this way, “You won’t find niceness in the Bible once—nor the word nice, for that matter. Kindness is fierce, brave and daring. It’s fearless and selfless, never to be mistaken for niceness. They’re not the same and never were. Kindness is neither timid nor frail. Niceness is kindness minus conviction.” Read that again. How would the world change if we focused on biblical kindness as opposed to surface niceness? Thank you, Barry Corey. Powerful stuff. The only Person who says it better is Christ. The Bible continually teaches...

I’ve shared this story before. I’m choosing to share it again. First, because it’s such an interesting story.  Mainly because the older I get the more I realize this story is the perfect illustration to help us recognize the danger of our hang-ups.  Most of us become obsessively concerned about a topic that causes a great deal of personal pain. I’m not talking about finding a spiritual calling based on individual tragedy. I’m talking about taking it upon ourselves to set the entire world straight when we feel we were harmed by misinformation or have been misled.  The story I’ve shared before, that I’m going to share again, is about a former pastor‘s wife. She was in a denomination that required people walk an aisle to accept Christ as Savior before they could be baptized into the church. She walked the aisle as an elementary-aged child and was baptized within the same year.  As she aged and matured, physically, spiritually, and emotionally, she felt her church a...

I sat in church yesterday listening to the sermon thinking to myself, “I don’t belong here.” I’m not talking about being Baptist. I’m not referring to the fact I belong to a mega church. I’m talking about today’s Christianity. To me, it’s not very Christlike.  I’m sorry.  I know I’m going to hurt a lot of friends and family. I mean, let’s face it, I’m the picture of what Christianity is supposed to be. I was born into Christianity. I am born again into Christianity. I graduated from seminary for gosh sakes! I perform my fair share of ministry. I give money to my church. I pray fervently. Regardless of what I’ve done or do, I am the living image of John 3:16. Yet, I am ready to turn in my Christian membership card.  If someone like me doesn’t want to be affiliated with a church or other Christians, what do you think is going on in the unsaved and unchurched community? What is it about Christianity that makes anyone want to be part of the current club or want to be a f...

Somewhere along the way we were misinformed. News stations are allowed to define not only our happiness, but our enemies. We may have our favorite newscaster, a favorite news channel, a favorite news network, or we may be unknowingly addicted to the news. For far too long the news, real or fake, has been allowed to have far too much power in our lives.  The bible defines our enemy. That enemy is Satan. The human enemies we choose to accumulate along the way still deserve God’s love. Christ commanded us to pray for our enemies and to love them.   Our neighbors should not be defined as our enemy. The public school system is not our enemy.  It’s not doctors who dedicated their lives to education and to treating us. It’s not scientists who also focused on an education allowing them to know what they are talking about regarding science.  Vaccines are not the enemy any more than weight loss drugs or weight loss surgery are our enemies. Both are personal choices - not ...

Anytime we speak in generalities, we risk inaccuracies. No matter what we say, when using the terms “every” or “all,” we might find ourselves eating crow.  An example is to say, “Every liberal college professor is ruining my children.” Or to indicate that all liberal universities seek to destroy the Christian faith. These general statements are silly and, frankly, not true.  All three of my sons attended and graduated from liberal colleges/universities with faith intact. Oh, yes, their faith was tested. Is that necessarily a bad thing? Even Jesus’ faith was tested. My sons aren’t as fooled or impressed by surface religion or shallow thought, but God was never kicked off His throne.  Another fact is that my nephew is a college professor at University of Texas. (You can’t get more liberal than University of Texas.) He’s not interested in destroying anyone’s faith in God. He is interested in preventing his students from cheating on their research papers through plagiarism. H...

My middle son was an award-winning debater throughout high school and college. He was a TA (Teacher’s Assistant) with the Communications Department as he worked on and finished his Masters degree. Upon graduation, he was employed as the Director of Debate and taught Communications in Politics for Augustana College in Rock Island, Illinois. His debate years ended when Augustana eliminated the debate program due to budget issues.  Many universities eliminated or reduced their debate programs over budget issues. Interestingly enough, football programs flourished despite reduced funds. Stadiums grew larger. Press boxes became more modernized. Scoreboards became more technical and visually appealing.  And we wonder why the ability to debate civilly is dying?  During his high school years, I volunteered as a judge at debate tournaments. It was tough. First, because the kids were ten times more informed on issues than me. They did tremendous amounts of research.  Secon...

I had a remarkable childhood. I am humbled and I am blessed. It wasn’t perfect. Yet, it was happy.  Truthfully, I was seldom sad as a child. My grandparents lived until I was in my early thirties. Besides my great grandmother’s death when I was a Kindergartner, I didn’t experience death until I was in junior high.   I think my parents did well as parents. They were legitimate Christians. They were loving. They were fair.  One rule at our house was the freedom to say what we felt. As long as it was said in the right way, and was bathed in respect, I spoke from my heart. I suspect my giftedness with words stem from a childhood where I was taught and required to choose my words carefully.  I wish our nation would follow my parents’ rules. Say how we feel but choose our words wisely. Be mindful of how we say what we want to say while extending respect to those within hearing distance.  We can say the right thing the wrong way. There is never a right way to say ...

I care about 9/11 and the aftermath. I care about a controversial, pot-stirring, young father shot down in his prime. I care about the family he left behind.  I care about the multiple attempted and successful assassinations that have resurfaced from the 1960’s into the 2020-somethings. In America. Not in some third world country where freedom doesn’t ring.  I care about the school shooting that occurred on the same day Charlie Kirk lost his life. Each act of violence should be condemned and remembered. One life is not more important than another.  I don’t care about the many entertainment or political idols developed over the past several years.  I care about souls. All souls.  I care about the evil murderer who stabbed four college students to death in senseless acts of violence. I’m trying to care that he is being taunted in prison. For him to complain about the 24-hour taunts through prison vents isn’t something I care about.  His spiritu...

Revelation is taken from the Latin root word , “revelare.” It literally means to lay bare. In the Bible, the Book of Revelation was written as an unveiling of what is to come. John lays out the spiritual future of mankind. He lays bare the good, the bad, and our ugly.  I want to talk about revelation in the present tense. Right now. Today.  I want to talk about how Christ shines a light on the darkest crevices of our minds. When we contradict Christ’s teachings, there is a price to pay. Not just eternally, but presently as well. To me, Christianity in the present tense does not reflect God’s presence in the here and now. You may certainly disagree.  Greed, a lack of mercy, the refusal to help the helpless, and focusing on what is petty DOES NOT reveal Christ. Only supporting or doing that which benefits the upper and middle class IS NOT the way of Christ.  Why do I care? It has nothing to do with politics. It has everything to do with Christianity’s effectiveness....

I’ve learned in my life that we go through real hurt but we also experience perceived hurt. I suspect the difference doesn’t matter. When we hurt, we hurt.  I’m not talking about physical pain. I’m referring to when someone hurts us. Their actions may be intentional. Their actions can also be unintentional. Their treatment of us can hurt whether they meant to do so or not.  Perceived hurt happens when our emotions trick us into thinking someone hurt us. The action is on our part, not theirs. Regardless of what they did or do, we choose to be hurt. Sound confusing? It is.  Picture it this way: A group of friends go on an outing. They fail to invite you. Now perhaps you wouldn’t or couldn’t go anyway, but the feeling of being left out overrules logical thinking. You’re not thinking with your brain. You’re thinking with your heart.  At times like this, we choose to be hurt. The hurt wasn’t based on their decisive action. It’s based on our heart. Our heart hurts.  T...