Archives for January 2020

But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.(2 Corinthians 3:18, NKJV) How many times have we heard this phrase, "Please be patient, God is not finished with me yet." Even as an octogenarian, I recognize I am a work in progress! During my e...

Dear Precious Saints of MBC, I trust you are doing well and looking forward to this Sunday.January 22, 1973, is the day that our Supreme Court gave their decision in Roe v. Wade, which made abortion a legal option. This past week marked the 47th anniversary of that sad and tragic decision. Many people who were already born celebrated that heinous decision as a victory for...

One of the most popular falsehoods of our times is that we can do whatever we want without ever being held accountable for what we have done. That is a lie! It is a lie that I can do as I please and become spiritual later. It is a lie, wrote the Scotsman's John Brown, "that a man may attain ultimate happiness without living a spiritual life." Make no mistake about it -...

As Christians living in the western world, are we aware of what happens outside of our western culture? Do we understand what it means to be a christian in the rest of the world?...

Dear Precious Saints of MBC, I trust you are doing well and looking forward to this Sunday with Matt Wilder. During these first few weeks of the New Year I've been suggesting some New Year challenges. The first challenge was to move from being a victim of circumstances to being a learner about life. Two weeks ago I suggested the challenge of mastering a gos...

Everyone seems to be interested in spirituality these days, but no one seems to agree on what it means. Both outside and inside the church there is widespread confusion. Inside the church people find their spirituality in private, contemplative devotion and begin to practice those disciplines. Others find spirituality in the context of public worship that includes ancien...

That Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. (Ephesians 3:17a, NKJV) This was not just another beautiful conference grounds in rural Massachusetts when I attended an Inter-Varsity Christian Fellowship Bible Conference in the 1950s. I didn't know at the time, but this conference was different. The speaker introduced us to a booklet by Boyd Munger titled My Heart Chr...

The thought must have crossed King David's mind as he stood at the door of the windowless room and stared at a dark corner, in the direction of the woman he had robbed. He listened to the rhythmic rocking of one in deep mourning. Her disheveled hair - beautiful dark brown curls - haphazardly draped around her shoulders and face.Her tears running down in torrents, carving...

Matt Wilder of Adam's Road will be with us for a morning of Piano Music through some of the highlights of the Gospel of John and presenting the Gospel of Jesus Christ from some of the Epistles of Paul. Matt will be sharing his testimony of how he came to know Jesus Christ as his personal Lord and Savior....

For God loves a cheerful giver. (2 Corinthians 9:7b, NKJV) Are we good stewards of what God has given us? Throughout my life I've received good financial advice. In particular from my father; He had a degree in business and he made sure I understood and practiced sound economic principles. I grew up in the Great Depression when money and just about everything else was sca...

Following the all-important passage about life in the Spirit, Paul begins his final chapter with a focus on the practical. In it, he says nothing about signs and wonders, and he does not go into detail about spiritual gifts. He talks about how the community of faith operates when the Spirit is leading. Life in the Spirit involves healthy relationships within the body o...

Dear Precious Saints of MBC, I trust you are doing well and looking forward to the New Year. Last week I wrote about the challenge in 2020 of moving from being a victim of circumstances to learning about life. Let me give you another challenge for the New Year:Master and then share the gospel. Every believer needs to be able to clearly and concisely p...

For this reason I left you in Crete, that you should set in order the things that are lacking, and appoint elders in every city as I commanded you. (Titus 1:5, NKJV) Why do we think we can do everything ourselves? Do we not trust our team members? As the Engineering Design and Analysis Supervisor in the solid propulsion industry, I realized I couldn't do projects includin...

Dear Precious Saints of MBC, I trust you are doing well and looking forward to the New Year. Every year brings with it challenges and difficulties. 2020 will be no different. One of the most important lessons to learn is that when hard times come, be a student, not a victim. Sadly, some people go through life as professional victims, always talking about how th...

Before we move on to the final chapter of the book of Galatians, we need to look at the last 3 verses of chapter 5. Paul has reminded his Christian readers that all of us are engaged in mortal combat with the flesh. The desires of the regenerate nature are waging war against the passions of the sinful nature. In this war there can be no truce. Paul closes out this sectio...