Dear Church Family – I’ve noticed a troubling trend over the last 10 to 20 years.  It’s the trend of public speakers and authors, even Christian preachers, using profanity and coarse language.  The trend is noticeable enough that it caught the attention of the New York Times, which in turn caught the attention of World magazine online, which in turn caught my attention this week.  Ruth Graham (not Billy’s wife) is a religion writer for the New York Times.  Last year she wrote

Dear Church Family – The holiday season is here.  I’ve been thinking lately about preparing for the holidays deeper than baking and buying.  Keep Thanksgiving close to Christmas. In the rush and press of Christmas, it’s important to keep a thankful spirit—thankful for all the gifts Christ has given us. Keep Halloween far from Christmas Halloween is about wearing masks, Christmas is about being open and honest. Halloween is about getting for yourself, Christmas is about giving

Dear Church Family –  We’re really looking forward to Thursday and a significant day of Thanksgiving. Our Emmaus Thanksgiving service is always a special and heart-felt time as we share our offerings of Thanksgiving with our church family, and as we welcome international students from around the world.  What has God given you this past year that you could thank Him for at Thursday’s service?             Perhaps how God has provided for you             Or protected you Maybe s

Dear Church Family – I’ve been reading  The 7 Resolutions , by Karl Clauson.  I had to pause over this paragraph: “Being a disciple or follower of Christ is not a name to claim, a class to take, or rules to follow.  It’s a total and complete surrender of your life to the One who makes all things new.  It’s courageous, honest, brutal, countercultural, and above all, humble.” Surrender to Christ is a choice God gives us.  We’re not drafted or coerced.  The Bible even uses the l

Dear Church Family – Good news!  We’ve been hearing reports in the last few months about greater spiritual interest in our culture—college ministries growing in leaps and bounds, Bible sales soaring, more conversations on faith, and morality, and purpose being initiated by unbelievers.  The headlong pursuit of self that has driven our culture is leaving people empty and wondering and hungry for spiritual guidance from a trusted source. It's a great time to be alive and to be

Dear Church Family – I’ve been thinking the last two days about “making the most of every opportunity” (Eph 5:16).  I was challenged by an article I came across online about making the most of our casual conversations, not just settling for, “How are you doing?” and “Fine.”  I finished the article with an epiphany: ·       ask people about their joy, ·       and be ready to share some of your joy.  I tried it out this morning at the Dentist’s office.              Hygienist:  

Dear Church Family – Getting reliable news in our information age is a challenge.  Tucker Carlson has been a respected conservative political commentator.  His show, Tucker Carlson Tonight , on Fox News has been one of the highest rated cable news shows in American history.  But lately Tucker Carlson has taken a troubling turn.  World magazine reports that Carlson has noticeably softened toward Islam and has even retracted some former statements against Islam.  He has lately

Dear Church Family – Good news this week from the Vatican.  Well, sort of good news. Tuesday, the Vatican released a 20-page paper saying that Catholics are often confused about Mary, the mother of Jesus.  The paper states that Mary should not be referred to as a “Co-redemptrix” with Christ, nor should she be called the “Mediatrix of all graces.”  These titles, the paper says, tend to eclipse Christ’s work as the sole intermediary between God and man.  It affirms that Mary do

Dear Church Family – When Richard Nixon was President of the United States, and would walk into a cabinet meeting, Secretary of State, Henry Kissinger would say, “Mr. President, the decisions you make today will change the course of history.” It’s true.  It’s true of you and me.  The decisions we make today will change the course of history—for ourselves, our families, our community, our church, our friends and neighbors. Even little decisions make a big difference.  In his b

Dear Church Family – How Christians relate to the culture around us is a huge issue in America.  It has divided churches and families and challenged us to love without accommodation and stand for truth without rancor.  It’s not easy.  It never has been. The culture of the Roman Empire in the 1 st  century where the church was birthed was no better than modern American culture and, in fact, may have been worse. In the 6 th  century B.C. the prophet Daniel described a time when

Dear Church Family – Thanks for a great day in church this past Sunday!  We talked about the sense of powerlessness that many American Christians feel, and yet, the reality of God’s incomparably great power for us who believe! Because of the depth and breadth of God’s Word, there is always more to be said than we can digest well in one sermon.  So, here’s some of the things I left out Sunday . Joe Stowell wrote (in a daily devotional book that Judith and I have been reading l

Dear Church Family – “Most of the good in the world is done by ordinary people with an extraordinary commitment.” “Life is made of a few extraordinary moments, a whole lot of ordinary days.” What should ordinary Christians do on ordinary days to make an extraordinary difference? How can we make the most of our ordinary days? The war drags on in Ukraine.  Christians face severe persecution with significant increases reported in North Korea, Nigeria, and India.  Here in America