Connecting the Gospel Dots
I stood at the back of the church, trying to process what I had just heard. For forty-five minutes, the speaker talked about Noah and the ark, quoting obscure historical facts, detailing ancient shipbuilding techniques, and even providing mathematical calculations for how many animals could fit in each compartment.
What he never mentioned? Sin. Judgment. Salvation. God's mercy. Not once.
The congregation filed out with polite smiles and murmured "good message" comments, but I noticed the confusion in their eyes. They had received information without application, facts without faith direction.
I am continually baffled and frustrated by what passes for preaching these days. It seems many preachers are so afraid of offending others that they dance around the truth and never present the whole gospel.
When Judgment Clouds Our Vision
Have you ever been quick to judge someone, only to later discover a whole backstory you never knew? I've been guilty of this too often. This tendency of the human heart recently hit me afresh when I re-examined the story of Moses striking the rock at Kadesh.
Like many believers, I've often viewed this account through a simplistic lens. God said, "Speak to the rock," but Moses struck it instead, and punishment ensued. An open-and-shut case of disobedience, right?
However, as I dug a little deeper into the passage this morning, something was revealed. Standing once again at Kadesh after forty years of wilderness wandering, Moses wasn't merely facing another water crisis; he was standing at the epicenter of Israel's greatest failure.
Imagine what must have raced through Moses' 120-year-old mind. Here he was, back at the scene of the crime, so to speak.
The Great Tissue Disaster
The moment I opened the dryer door, I knew I was in for a big mess. Someone (and I won't say who to protect the guilty party) left tissues in the pocket of his jeans...again. I stood there, mouth agape, staring at what looked like a winter wonderland inside my dryer. Only this wasn't the magical kind of snow that brings joy and merriment. This was the "I-now-have-to-spend-an-hour-picking-tiny-bits-of-tissue-from-every-single-item-of-clothing" kind.
I don't know when you last ran a load of laundry that contained tissues, but the result is quite a mess. It's truly amazing how a few small tissues can affect every single garment in that load of laundry. Not a single item came away without at least some bits of tissue clinging to them. T-shirts, jeans, socks? Yup, it was all decorated with white specks that resembled dandruff gone wild. Obviously, I was not pleased.
When Giants Block Your Promised Land
Have you ever felt utterly deflated when facing an impossible situation? I admit I've felt that way numerous times. I know God is good. I know He can handle every problem. Yet, when negative circumstances surround me and deadlines loom before me, my faith grows weak, and my mind begins to doubt. When that happens, I often open my Bible to Numbers 13.
"And Caleb stilled the people before Moses, and said, Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it" (Numbers 13:30).
What courage! While ten spies spread fear about giants and walled cities, Joshua and Caleb saw the same challenges but reached a dramatically different conclusion. The Bible specifically mentions they had "another spirit" (Numbers 14:24). In modern terms, they had a different attitude, a different perspective.
What about you? What giants are you facing today?
Finding God’s Rhythm in Ministry
I sat on the edge of my bed this morning, staring at my planner with its mile-long to-do list. Bible study to prepare, blog posts to write, ladies' retreat sessions to plan, Holiday Bible Club to coordinate, missionary reports due... My heart ached with the weight of it all while my body protested with its usual chorus of pain.
"Lord," I whispered, "I don't think I can do this anymore."
Have you felt caught between these two realities? On one side, there's the undeniable truth that souls hang in the balance—real people who will spend eternity somewhere. On the other, there are the physical, emotional, and spiritual limitations of our humanity.
This tension is as old as ministry itself.