My Brother's and Sister's Keeper

When our brothers and sisters are struggling, grieving, and going through all sorts of turmoil, how should we handle their struggles when they make them known to us? In 1 John 3:16, it states that "This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers." Of course, we should handle them with love; how can we show them our love, especially in their time of need, without making them feel as if they were a burden?

Power of Agreement

There is no doubt that our lives are richer because of our friends and family, including our church family. With so much that is going on in our churches and our lives, it is no wonder why so many people are drawn to the comfort in fellowship. Ecclesiastes 4:9 declares that "Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labor." Our labor becomes much more bearable when we have another brother or sister to help up bear the burden. Imagine the power and working of the spirit, within our churches and our lives, if we were to agree in prayer and faith. Matthew 18:19 says "If two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven." How can we move beyond fellowship into agreement in prayer and faith?

Are You a Letter?

Considering that most of us do not live, work, or shop exclusively within our church circle, we come into contact with unbelievers and people of other faiths almost every day. How do people know you, at work, in your social circles, in your home, or other social circles outside of church? How should they know you? 2 Corinthians 3:3(Contemporary English version) declares that "You are like a letter written by Christ and delivered by us. But you are not written with pen and ink or on tablets made of stone. You are written in our hearts by the Spirit of the living God." Consider how do others recognize you as a Christian, as a living love letter of Christ's love and compassion for his people. What is your letter saying to those who are around you?

Healing Words, Hurting Words

In the Old and New Testament, there are approximately 140 scriptures that refer to "the tongue," with many references to the power that rests in our words. Proverbs 18: 21 declares that "The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit." Our words are so powerful that we can literally speak life or death over our situations and relationships. It is too easy to speak a word of despair or negativity over our relationships, our children, jobs, etc,. How can we change our language to promote life and positivity and not death and despair?

What is Ministry?

The hungry, hurting, and homeless have become a part of our every day lives. One can hardly walk downtown or exit the highway without seeing people on the street, oftentimes begging for food or a few dollars to meet their daily needs. As members of the Body of Christ, how should we handle those people who have social needs when we are approached? Do we give them a few dollars or a bring them a meal, or throw them a blanket to keep them warm, or do we offer them Christ and give them a word of encouragement that could change their lives? Can we do both and what does it cost us?

Learning to be Content

Too often, we are bombarded with images and messages of desire, and influenced to want things that we may not need, through commercials, Internet ads, magazines, and conversations with friends and family. The truth is that we are hardly ever satisfied and rarely content; we want it all, and want it right now. In Philippians 4:12, Paul states that "I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want." In the modern-day church, can we still be content in any and every situation, or has our "right-now" culture moved us too far away from contentment?

Sowing and Reaping

Sowing and Reaping is a law of nature and of the spirit that we cannot get around. If a farmer plants (sows) apple seeds into the ground, eventually, his seed will bloom and grow into an apple tree. Galatians 6:7-8 states "Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life." Consider the kinds of seeds that we have planted as individuals, as a church, a family, even as a nation. What kinds of fruit are we now reaping?

Perfect Love, No Fear

Today marks one of the most critical, historical events of our time; the inauguration of Barack Obama as the 44th President of the United States. President Obama is often referred to as the fulfillment of Dr. Martin Luther King's Dream of equality for all men, peace, and unity, living with one another in peace and love. In his inaugural speech, President Obama mentioned that we must choose hope over fear, but how we choose hope over fear unless we have love, as 1 John 4:18 declares that "There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. " How can we begin living through that Perfect Love to overcome fear?

Living Peaceably

With the celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King's Birthday being so close to the inauguration of Barack Obama, the 44th president of the United States, this week is will be remembered for many generations. The King Holiday often provides an opportunity for communities to come together in the spirit of unity and peace, as Romans 12:18 declares that "If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men." How can we apply this message of living peaceably to our lives every day, and not just on the King holiday?

Still Believe in Miracles

Yesterday, the pilot of Flight 1549 made an emergency landing into the Hudson River; a feat that NY Governor and reporters called "A Miracle on the Hudson." There were no fatalities and only a few injuries, and some of the passengers did not even get wet in the freezing water in the river. It was a miracle indeed. However, In reading the articles, it is surprising to see that this miracle was attributed much more to the pilot with little mention of the "Miracle Worker" that we have in God. As the pilot announced for the passengers to brace themselves, surely people were praying. Why was there so much publicity for the pilot and the rescue workers, and so little mention and thanks to God for working this miracle?

Faith-Based Initiatives

President Bush is steadily working to establish his legacy; promoting Faith-Based Initiatives has been a major part of that legacy. These initiatives provided grant funding and collaborative opportunities for churches and other religious organizations to partner with government agencies to provide a broad range of services. Does this partnership allow the church to offer a broader scope of ministry? Do government regulations compromise the church's ability to minister freely?

Family Devotion, Family Prayer

"The family that prays together stays together" is a familiar saying, and it is generally true for most families. In previous generations, family devotion was a common part of the family's every day life. Families would gather together and pray, sing praises, and read scriptures regularly, and that time was as sacred as Sunday morning worship. Today, we work more hours and are involved in too many activities to spend time at home. When we are at home, few families take the time together to participate in family devotion. Has the lack of family devotion contributed to the increase in divorce in Christian families? How can we incorporate family devotion into our busy lives?

Living Holy in any Environment

Is is possible to live holy while working in a less-than-holy environment, such as a casino, bar, club, etc,? Can we still live holy even when we find ourselves in these environments? Are we impacted by our environment, or is our environment impacted by our presence?

Misions or Outreach?

Many churches allocate a percentage or dollar amount of their annual budget to their Missions Initiative to send missionaries to foreign lands to spread the gospel, build medical facilities, provide educational materials, tutoring, etc., to improve the quality of life for those that the church seeks to minister. What should we do to minister to those in our own neighborhoods? Should we focus more on outreach ministries in our own neighborhoods before sending missionaries to other parts of world?

Kingdom Treasures

In today's economy, investments are riskier than ever before. People are facing high rates of unemployment from jobs that they invested their time in over the years. In this volatile stock market, their pensions are being drained to almost nothing, homes are being foreclosed at the highest rate since the Great Depression. In Matthew 6:19-21, Jesus declares" Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." Where is your treasure invested? With so much at risk, where is the hope in your investments? Instead of investing in the world system, where the risk is high and the rewards are few, why not invest in the kingdom of heaven, where you are assured a reward and return on your investments?

New Generation, Same Gospel

Today's Christian has a very different culture than those of previous generations. With the use of technology, we are truly able to spread the gospel to a wider audience than the local church through the Internet, Podcasts, On-demand Streaming video, etc. Although there are many different means to spread the gospel, the message of the gospel remains the same, or does it? Has the emphasis on the technology and media changed the gospel message? Has the need to reach a wider audience changed the focus of evangelism from saving souls to entertainment?

Grace to Spread the Gospel

Most people have heard that there are "no perfect churches because there are no perfect people." It is true that God has delivered all of us out of darkness by his grace, despite whatever we have done in our past. In 1 Cor. 15:10, Paul states that "But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them--yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me." Now that we are delivered, how can we draw on that grace to spread the gospel to those who surround us, especially those who are close to us and familiar with our old nature?

Obama's Economic Recovery Program

On Monday, the Associated Press announced that President-elect Barack Obama plans to include about $300 billion in tax cuts for workers and businesses in his economic recovery program. The $300 billion dollars in tax cuts is somewhat of a "bailout" for the average worker in America. Will these tax cuts be enough to turn this downtrodden economy around, or is it too little, too late?

School at Home?

Current statistics from the Department of Education showed that more than 1.5 million children are being home schooled across the country in 2007. With the growing trend to educate children at home, what are the advantages and disadvantages of homeschooling? What caused the spike in homeschooling? What kinds of trade offs are needed to make the homeschooling work for both the parents and the students?

Free Indeed

Happy New Year! Praise God for persevering, surviving, and thriving through another year. A familiar passage, John 8:36, states that "Who the Son sets free is free indeed." What does being "free indeed" mean to you? How will you be free indeed this year and moving forward?