God Reflection

Why are old thoughts comfortable and new thoughts threatening? One might think, as God’s prime creation and especially after my redemption by Him, the mind wouldn’t be…… Read more “Perish a New Thought”

Satan loves to attend church. If only there was not enough space for him. Yet, always he seems to find a seat. More times than I like…… Read more “Satan Attends Church”

Double holidays, was among many of the pleasures of living in South America. As a US citizen, I celebrated our own national holidays. As a resident in…… Read more “Holiday Joy and Sorrow”

Ok, I admit it. I have a love-dislike personality disorder when it comes to dealing with church. Since church is composed of people, it is rather remarkable…… Read more “Love Affair with Church”

Do you hear it? Hear what? The silence. It was my first visit back to the US while living in one of South America’s great industrial cities.…… Read more “Silence is Golden”

It irks me to ask for permission. It seems such an unnecessary step. Nine times out of ten when I feel the need to ask for permission,…… Read more “Must I Receive Permission”

It is strange to me how easily I recall dumb acts from childhood. On one special Christmas, Santa Claus dropped off my first .22 rifle. I grew…… Read more “Holy Spirit Ricochet”

It shouldn’t be overly surprising that God planted within my DNA the desire to belong. To belong is a basic component of nations and military organizations. The belonging…… Read more “To Belong”

At the church I attend, we use the word doctrine as a synonym for Divine Truth. We affirm the virgin birth of Jesus, His death, and His…… Read more “Divine Truth, Doctrine, and Unity”

Did Jesus pray for what God could not honor? Was His prayer impossible for God to answer? It was the night of Jesus’ betrayal by His inner…… Read more “Dishonored Prayer”

Crosses are everywhere. I see them spiraling above houses of worship. I see them as pendants, rings, earrings, and stickpins. They decorate coffee cups and writing pens.…… Read more “Cross Talk”

God moved my address when I declared, “I’m in.” When I emerged from the waters of baptism God’s computer changed my address from earth to Church. My…… Read more “God’s Church”

The New Testament writers tell the story of Jesus through two opposite points of view.  One point of view is through the eyes of God seekers. God…… Read more “It Happened on a Hill”

Two thousand years ago, Jesus laid the cornerstone of His church in Jerusalem. For 2,000 years, we humans added enough of our own traditions to make murky…… Read more “Sharp Focus”

I transferred from the hospital nursery to the church pew. I grew up in church. In a parallel life, I grew up on 2nd Street in a…… Read more “Because I Said So”

My last post was a rant against rants. Today, my focus is on the positive. The more today’s thoughts power my walk, the more the light of…… Read more “Cross Church Hope”

I am trying not to let those with the rant gene get under my skin. In fact, I am getting rather good at spotting rants. They all…… Read more “Not So Holy Rants”

Another song of my childhood resonates with a powerful message. I am indebted to a couple of Englishmen who used their God-given giftedness to write a song.…… Read more “Foundation Just One”

Trying to get a handle on comparing my heart to God’s holiness is somewhat like the comparison of a can of tuna fish to the ocean. How…… Read more “Heart and Holy”

Dysfunctional is a colorful word when applied to family and church. It doesn’t take much scratching to get below the facade of a perfect family. At some…… Read more “Beautiful Dysfunction”

I am convinced we create vocabulary to communicate with insiders. Have you ever listened to a doctor describe what’s wrong with your body? They naively believe communication…… Read more “Hermewhat?”

When I climb under my rock to focus again on reality, I stand amazed at my ingrained value system. I am constantly surprised at what I salute…… Read more “Perfectly United – No Big Deal”

     Friends Not Guest By Gary J. Sorrells Today is Sunday. If you attended worship this morning, I bet you saw it. Although, it is so routine you…… Read more “Friends Not Guest”

I saw a quilting frame. Having grown up prior to malls and Wal-Mart, the Sears catalogue was a big deal—although it was mostly for looking. Other than…… Read more “Quilt, Mosaic, & Church”

When I relapse into keeping commandments, I get into trouble. It is a shallow way to live. My problem is I select the commandments that I believe…… Read more “Blueprint Living and Church”

Attending church as a little tyke included recreation. While the older folks visited and talked about whatever older folks talk about—the church property became my playground. When…… Read more “Losing Jesus at Church”

The New Testament provides little structural information about its first generation church. There are no details like those given to Noah to build his boat. There are…… Read more “First Generation Church”

Right is always right. Especially if it is my opinion, right becomes even “righter.” What if my verbal opponent is wrong, but is certain—beyond a shadow of…… Read more “I’m Right – You’re Wrong – God Loses”

I am an expert in practicing division. I am a child of the 1950s and 1960s. Unfortunately, the vocabulary of division is deep in my DNA. Like…… Read more “Practicing Division”

Dandruff appears on dark clothes as flakes. Flakes of bread and cereal are crumbs. Old paint causes flakes to fall from walls. To describe a person as…… Read more “Flakes and Snowflakes”

I suspect the Godhead sees no reason to place an adjective before church. Church is church. On earth, it is the assembly of faulty believers, and in…… Read more “Cross-Church”

“A Christian is someone who thinks nobody else is.” I never met Wells Farnham—a co-founder of John Stott Ministries USA—however, I do appreciate his wry sense of…… Read more “Just Me”

Detail people drive me crazy. As somewhat of a detail person, I give myself some slack. However, when it comes to dealing with people who score 25…… Read more “Is God Detail Compulsive?”

I don’t remember the television product. I do remember the advocates would “rather fight than switch.” Ok. I just looked it up. It was 1960s Tareyton Cigarette smokers.…… Read more “Why the Fighting”

I like the fruits. The letter to first century Galatian Christians lists faithfulness as a fruit of the Spirit along with the eight fruits of love, joy,…… Read more “Baptizing Satan’s Gourds”

Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her  to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word,  and to present her to himself as a…… Read more “Radient, Holy, Blameless”

On a photo shoot in the great city of Brasilia, my lighting guy plugged the bank of Photo Spot Lights into the wall, and with a blinding…… Read more “Gifted”

The one church is two. When living in Brazil, our team constructed a two-track model as key to planting churches.  We envisioned the model like a railroad…… Read more “Railroad and Church”

I am a member of a fellowship of churches who have fought for over a hundred years. They are my people. They are my family. We are…… Read more “Let’s Call a Truce”

The 21st century North American church encounters a landscape of confused observers. It is in our culture where the young and not so young chant, “Jesus yes!…… Read more “Jesus and Church”