Cow or Sheep?
In general, cows are driven and sheep are led. Sheep are not easily driven, and when attempted to do so they will often scatter in every which direction. Sheep will follow their masters voice and go wherever he guides them. On the other hand, when trying to lead a herd of cows they will look at you dumbfounded. They will gaze at you wondering what you’re up to and will for the most part move in a desired direction when prodded or driven. Cattle are usually driven by force, while sheep will naturally respond to a vocal command and follow. You lead sheep and you drive cattle. Jesus made it clear that we are to be likened to sheep, not cattle.
Are you driven like a cow or led like a sheep? For me personally, my first few decades in the Christian faith were lived as a cow. It was a difficult life filled with ambiguity, skepticism, and doubt as I wandered in and out of the faith. It wasn’t until I discovered the life of the sheep that lifted me up and out of the pit. The sheep’s life was always there calling me to tap into it. And finally, when I embraced its reality, I immediately sprang to life and was filled with joy, peace, and faith. As for the cow that remains an ever-present reality in my life, he is now largely overshadowed by the sheep-led life. If you are living the cow’s life as I once did for many years, I pray that the sheep’s life will become a reality for you as well.
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“Good fences make good neighbors”
The proverb "Good fences make good neighbors” comes to us from Robert Frost’s poem “Mending Wall”. It’s setting takes place between two adjoining New England farm owners who embark on a venture to mend a stone wall between their properties. The poem is vague with ambiguity as to its true meaning as the narrator engages his neighbor with the question of the necessity of the wall in light of his adage “good fences make good neighbors”. We are tempted to take sides with one of the neighbors as the poem explores boundaries that can serve to either join or separate us. Some contend that the saying “good fences make good neighbors” conveys to us a message other than its actual meaning because it is meant to be taken figuratively. As the author uses irony to stress the point that fences do not make good neighbors, the poem is actually in defense of not putting up fences or walls that indeed do separate us from our neighbors. His point is that fences or walls alienate us rather than bring us together. The irony in my short story here is that a real physical fence actually did bring my neighbor and myself together once again as friendly neighbors. But, a far greater lesson was learned about what it truly means to be a good neighbor.
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Rescued
Have you ever been rescued from a perilous situation? Some of us have and it definitely can be a life defining moment for each us. Personally, I have had a few opportunities to do the rescuing and I know how rewarding an event like that can be. Even so, there was a time in my own life when I needed a rescue and I didn't quite realize it. My spiritual life was in shambles and I seriously doubted whether I was even a Christian at all.
My first rescue opportunity involved a young boy. I was in attendance at a birthday party for my best friend. I was ten. It was a pool party and we were all having a blast. Soon, we were called out of the pool and into the house for gifts and cake. Feeling a bit chilly, I made my way back to the pool to retrieve my t-shirt. And to my shock, I saw a young boy just a few years younger than myself floating in the pool. His arms were stretched out wide, his eyes closed, and his cheeks puckered up full of air. He was completely still just floating there with only the hair on the top of his head above the water and his feet just inches from touching the bottom.
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The Christian Witness
With the rise of secularism and other religious belief systems, people’s worldviews are drastically changing. In today’s society, Christians are being viewed more and more as offensive, intolerant, and even irrelevant. Evangelism is seen by many to be extremist as well as a threat to others. It is becoming much more difficult to have conversations with the outside world. The perception for many Christians today is that they are becoming marginalized in the practice of their faith in the communities around them. Thus, leaving them feeling overwhelmed, misunderstood, and immobilized as they are labeled as hypocritical, judgmental, and even bigoted.
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The Gospel
The word “gospel” is used in so many different ways in our conversation today. As well, within Christianity it is used rather loosely, and the result is a general confusion as to what it really means. So, what is the meaning of the Gospel as found in the Bible? Let us begin with the words of St. Paul in 1 Corinthians 15:1-4 NIV. “Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.”
The Gospel is fixed in history and revealed to us alone in the Holy Scriptures. It is found in an event that occurred at a point in time in history and recorded in the Bible. The Gospel is all about what happened one day a few thousand years ago immediately outside the city walls of Jerusalem on a hill called Calvary in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. It’s the Good News of God sending His son to be crucified on the cross, die for the sins of the world, be in a tomb for three days, and rise from the dead. The Gospel is Christ’s work specifically in His overcoming sin, death, the devil, and ultimately the Law. Jesus is“the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world”John 1:29 NIV.Let us reiterate, the Gospel is the sole work of God in the death and resurrection of His son Jesus Christ to save sinners. That’s it, nothing more!
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The True Meaning of Christmas
Listen everyone to a true story that was written long ago of a man who came to establish His Kingdom and save the people from their troubles. He came not as you’d expect with a robe, riches, and a crown. Rather, He was born into a simple family where Joseph the husband of Mary was a common tradesman.
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"It's the Bible, you get credit for trying!"
Do we get credit for trying or for making a strong effort? Can we earn God's favor by our works or good deeds? Many seem to think that if they just try their best with earnestness and sincerity God will surely have favor on them, save them from their sin, and grant them eternal life. Nothing could be further from the truth. This is an age-old lie that has been around for centuries.
If you remember seeing the movie "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest",we catch a glimpse of this false idea that we can somehow put forth a good effort and God will be pleased with us. In the scene titled "Divine Providence", the two characters Pintel and Ragetti, while serving under Jack Sparrow, are adrift in a rowboat on the high seas. As Pintel rows the boat, Ragetti is thumbing through the pages of a Bible acting like he’s actually reading it.
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In Short Supply!
Insults and attacks upon Christianity have been around for many years. Throughout the centuries, the Christian faith has been under fire by those seeking to test or even discredit its truth claims. Today, there appears to exist another growing force that is at work undermining the Christian faith. The grandeur and majesty that so naturally emanates from Christianity appears to be in short supply. This absence of the transcendence and gravity of God felt within Christian circles has seemed to stimulate a lack of interest, a shortage of confidence in, and even a skepticism of the Christianity we see portrayed on tv, heard on the radio, discovered on the internet, and even experienced in our churches.
Is this trend an influence coming from external sources or is it something going on inside our churches? Rather than speculate on a variety of theories and thought, I will cut right to the chase. I have seen over the past several years significant changes in the way we do church today. As well, we can all testify as to how our culture has been undergoing rapid changes. Fads and trends come and go at breakneck speeds and new ideologies, belief systems, and worldviews are popping up on every street corner. So, what does this have to do with it? Well, today churches are faced with the ever-growing challenges of how to bring these folks from out there and into their congregations. As well, they are faced with the task of keeping those already there on board.
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It is for freedom that Christ has set us free
One dictionary defines Liberty as “freedom from control, interference, obligation, restriction, or hampering conditions” Liberty is an idea that has become a true reality for so many. Yet, for others they have not come to experience its profoundness in their lives. Though there are always forces, influences, and causes that rally and work against people living lives unbridled by the coercion of another person, entity, or substance, many pursue freedom like hidden treasure.
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