NEWS FLASH: The Devil does not wear red tights, have a pitchfork and is graced with a long pointed tail. But then, you probably knew that. The Devil (a.k.a. Satan, Lucifer, the Dragon, the Serpent of Old, The Evil One) is often so characterized, and the danger is that people are pushed towards the idea… Continue reading The Devil is in the Details

Having just gone through another round of elections we are quite familiar with ballot counting and election results, and are likely quite weary of it all. In all of the local, state and federal results, to my knowledge, no one won by the kind of score in the title of this blog; that is, a…

Horrific but not surprising. When we heard the grim news of the killing and wounding of well over a dozen people in a Pittsburg synagogue, there erupted a multitude of proclamations of grief and outrage. And so it should be when such a despicable event occurs. But it is not surprising when we consider that…

Much of America sits in shocked amazement watching the melodrama in DC surrounding the nomination of Judge Brett Kavanaugh for the US Supreme Court. The drama is decidedly an unpleasant one. (At this writing the confirmation vote has yet to be taken.) Gone is any pretense of kindness or even civility. Words like “ambush”, “justice”,…

“Secular saints” would seem to be a contradiction of terms, and in some ways it really is.  The dictionary says that the word secular means “of this world, temporal”; and is distinguished from the “sacred”. A “saint” is one who had been declared righteous by God because, and only because, faith has been placed in…

You may recognize this title from some previews of an upcoming show on TV.  The idea is clever and CBS has included it among their Fall shows to be broadcast in September. The basic idea is that a young man, Miles Finer, a self-proclaimed and somewhat aggressive atheist, receives a “friend” request on his Facebook…

The sheer number of religious expressions and ideas in our culture today is truly impressive. Our culture, if nothing else, has an unending variety to choose from as far as what one might believe in. People seem incurably religious. And, in spite of philosophies like Marxism and worldviews like many forms of evolution, people remain…

“You are so heavenly minded that you are of no earthly good!”  That used to be a common come-back to religious type folks from non-religious type folks.  Aside from the fact that no such person really exists (ones who are too heavenly minded), it is not something anyone really wants to be like anyway. After…

Across all the political spectrum, there is a growing sense that this is no longer grandpa’s America.  The right wing, left wing and all points in between, are suggesting that presently there is a national insanity and it seems to be growing.  And these varied voices just might be right.  Consider some recent events. A…

The other day I was watching a television preacher who was telling his congregation about what God was doing and what He wanted to do. In his sermon, one could see how this preacher viewed God.  But after viewing for a short while, I got the distinct impression that the God the preacher was proclaiming…

Driving with my family through the desert some years ago, our 3 year old son Timmy and I had a memorable conversation.  As we traveled through the hot desert, Timmy observed water on the road a short distance ahead. However, we never did get to it. It was always a short distance ahead. Seizing this…

I am sure that I am not alone in my weariness to the growing profanity, crudity and incivility that is everywhere in American life today.  The public square is getting crowded with comedians who aren’t funny, politicians who really don’t serve their people, and many talking heads on TV who appear to have limited vocabularies…

  The unending conflict in Syria just keeps on giving.  It seems that one nightmarish event is topped by yet another, and this week has provided the specter of civilians (again) being killed with poisonous gas. The Assad government’s brutality is well documented, and one wonders how someone like this manages to stay in power. …

The matter of guns in America once again is front page news as another school shooting took multiple lives.  This is another senseless, tragic and terrible act of violent behavior.  I do not know how the parents feel, because I have not personally experienced the violent death of a child.  The pain must be horrible,…

The recent school shooting in Florida brings another heartbreaking moment to our nation, but especially to those whose lives will never be the same because of the loss of loved ones or close friends.  We see such an event as senseless (and it is) and want to “fix” the problem (which is a proper response).…

The politicians assure us that they are deeply interested in the fate of illegal immigrants (including DACA).  Color me cynical, but it doesn’t seem that many of these politicians are really concerned about them. Their inner concern seems to be on how this matter is going to affect getting re-elected and staying in power. It…

It is neither new news, nor fake news, that the church has always had to live in a culture while resisting being infected by that culture. It has not been easy to be near the mud puddle without being splashed with mud to one extent or another. Generally the church, through the ages, has not…

The church in North America is badly infected with MTD and it likely going to get worse in 2018.  This spiritual disease is now so rampant and pervasive, that the spiritual health of the church will undoubtedly continue to decline noticeably. But, you say, what is MTD? It sounds really bad.  Some years ago this…

Often in the high stress days that surround Christmas, we tend to forget the most fundamental focus of this event.  It is that God loved the world so very much that He sent His Son into this world to deliver people from sin, shame and meaningless lives to a life of peace, purpose and joy.…

Well it is that time of year again: Deck the halls with advertising, ‘tis the season for merchandising!  “Black Friday” is now history but fear not, the fantastic, unbelievable, once-in-a-lifetime, time sensitive, three days only sales are just beginning.  Now, I have no real quarrel with buying stuff at this time of year, nor with…

During these past weeks, it is hard not to notice the flurry of intense activity in the news, on the internet and other places dealing with the matter of sexual misconduct among the rich and powerful. Daily, it seems, more and more revelations come out about the sexual misdeeds of many powerful individuals.  Men and…

Epic wildfires in California, multiple hurricanes with catastrophic flooding on several coasts, and a slaughter in Las Vegas, have recently taken a toll on the people and resources of our country. Some, having a sense that there may be a god or force “out there”, do wonder WHY such a cluster of events have been…

On September 23, 2017 the rapture did not occur, millions did not die, Revelation 12 was not fulfilled, and the world as we know it did not come to an end.  And yet, prior to that date the internet was buzzing with multiple people prophesying of wonderful or terrible events that would take place on…

It is not new news to believers that the folks around us need to hear the good news about Jesus.  There is, however, some bad news that is attached to the good news, but is hardly ever talked about. Simply put, the bad news is that if a person does not embrace the good news…

Up until now, the heated debate has been over the matter of abortion; the termination of pregnancy before birth takes place. Abortion is seen by so many as part of a woman’s “right”; that is, she ought not be saddled with an unwanted baby. Now it seems that another step could be taken soon. Professor…

I for one am thankful for the men and women in Washington DC who are faithful followers of the Lord Jesus Christ.  I do believe that they make a difference in slowing down the spiritual and moral decay that now characterizes our culture.  These are the ones who speak out for the sanctity of marriage…