I don’t know a single preacher who makes such his aim, but many preachers and/or sermons have been charged with being “boring.” While I do not want to defend unprepared sermons or lazy preachers, I do wonder sometimes if listener’s expectations are properly placed. We live in an entertainment-crazed world, and sometimes churchgoers compare the preacher with the latest sitcoms, YouTube phenom or televangelist. Sometimes…

In the midst of great laments for the children of Israel and the woeful results of their disobedience, Jeremiah took time to focus on the mercies, compassions and promises of God, which he emphasized are “new every morning” (Lam. 3:22-23). Think about that! For a child of God, even in times of despair, there are blessings from God that are “new every morning.” We…

The Lord told Abraham that He was going to destroy the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah because of their wickedness—specifically because of the sodomy/homosexuality that was being practiced inside those cities (Gen. 18:16-21; Jude 7). Abraham pleaded with the Lord to spare the righteous in those cities and then he drew this conclusion about the Lord, “Shall not the Judge of all the…

How many times have you heard someone say it? Or, how many times have you said it yourself? Some tragedy happens, and as fellow Christians are working through it together, someone says, “I don’t know how folks in the world make it through times like this without the church!”  Isn’t that the truth!? Only Christians share a deep (and almost inexplicable) connection with each…

Have you had enough? Are you “about up to here” with all that is going on? Would you say that your discouragement level has reached new highs in recent days? What can you do? Staying positive is a hard thing to do…even for a Christian. Some non-Christians look at Christians and expect perfect peace and sunniness all the time, but such is not always the case. However,…

Why did God put the stories of Noah, Abraham, Joseph, Joshua and David in the Bible? We might think that they are there to honor and indelibly publicize those Bible heroes for what they did. That could be, but it’s not the prime reason. We might think that they were there for children to have bedtime stories. That could be, but it’s not the prime reason.…

These are frustrating times! Our lives have been turned inside out and upside down, in some respects. People on television and the internet seem bent on stirring us up to fear inside and angry hatred on the outside. Perhaps you have noticed a change in your attitude. Are you less joyful? Less optimistic? Less pleasant to be around? Are you more irritable? More easily frustrated? More susceptible to lose your temper…

When you are provided with an “excused absence,” how do you respond? If someone is given an excused absence from school or work, they might rejoice and wish for more. But, if you were given an “excused absence” from assembling with the church to worship God, how would you respond? Would you respond in the same way as receiving an excused absence from school or…