Kingdom Matters

I have been studying the book of Romans for several months.    I am taking a class with Bible Study Fellowship.    (Check out  https://www.bsfinternational.org/  and learn about this group which has offered classes for children and adults for some 65 years.    They are based in San Antonio and I only learned about them last Summer.)    The material for each class has been used for many years and is very, very good.    I highly recommend that you find a class near you and get involved. I have also been taking a online class offered by Udemy.    ( www.udemy.com ).    The class is taught by N.T. Wright and source material includes the new  Paul For Everyone  commentary written by N.T. Wright and the new translation of the New Testament,  The Kingdom New Testament , again written by N.T. Wright.    I find the Bible Study Fellowship study guides and lectures to be a good and nec...

Trust in God I join millions of people who have gone before in the following convictions: “I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.  I believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our LORD, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried; he descended to the dead. On the third day He rose again!  He ascended into heaven, he is seated at the right hand of the Father, and he will come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic (universal) church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.”   (These words are from the Apostle's Creed.  I believe they are true because I find evidence of their truth in the Bible.  I appreciate the effort made by the many believers who worked to summarize "what we believe" centuries ago so it could be mor...

These words by Frederick Buechner seem even more timely today then when he first published them in 1988. "ENEMY Cain hated Abel for standing higher in God's esteem than he felt he himself did, so he killed him. King Saul hated David for stealing the hearts of the people with his winning ways and  tried to kill him every chance he got. Saul of Tarsus hated the followers of Jesus because he thought they were blasphemers and heretics and made a career of rounding them up so they could be stoned to death like Stephen. By and large most of us don't have enemies like that anymore, and in a way it's a pity. It would be pleasant to think it's because we're more civilized nowadays, but maybe it's only because we're less honest, open, brave. We tend to avoid fiery outbursts for fear of what they may touch off both in ourselves and the ones we burst out at. We smolder instead. If people hurt us or cheat us or stand for things we abominate, we're less a...

This is one of the best books I have ever read.  Our congregation is spending 31 weeks reading "The Story" and concentrating on the overall story of God's dealing with mankind.  This book is a wonderful, brief, easy to read explanation of what God had planned for us from the beginning of time.  The author uses a unique technique to provide additional understanding:  At the end of each chapter he responds to questions raised by an imaginary couple who are "reading" along with you. Click on this link to go to the book in Amazon:     God's Shalom Project You will be blessed by reading this book.

The statement, "Human beings are only animals."  does not and has never rung with TRUTH.  But why not?  How can we describe that which makes us different from the animals? Walker Percy wrote this observation:  "Chickens have no myths, but man always knows or thinks he knows what is under the earth and above the earth, and what is holding the earth up."  This quote is actually from an introduction Percy wrote to a manual for Louisiana State University's mental-health services.  His subject had to do with mental-health therapy.  The Chicken analogy shines the spotlight of thought on how ridiculous it would be to imagine using therapy on Chickens, or fish, or animals of any kind.  They have no language by which they could understand "story" or "myths" or any other similar concepts which we humans take for granted. From earliest times humans have been able to communicate in symbols representing concepts.  Words, pictures and objects repr...

Charles Kingsley wrote:  "One good man, one man who does not put on his religion once a week with his Sunday coat, but wears it for his working dress, and lets the thought of God grow into him, and through him, till everything he says and does becomes religious, that man is worth a thousand sermons -- he is a living Gospel -- he comes in the spirit and power of Elias -- he is the image of God. And men see his good works, and admire them in spite of themselves, and see that they are God-like, and that God's grace is no dream, but that the Holy Spirit is still among men, and that all nobleness and manliness is His gift, His stamp, His picture: and so they get a glimpse of God again in His saints and heroes, and glorify their Father who is in heaven."  He must have known Dave Simpson. I have known no better man.

I have stumbled across a new favorite Bible translation.  It is the New English Translation with Notes.  I downloaded it into my " Olive Tree " app on both my Iphone and my Ipad.  The New International Version Study Bible is also loaded in Olive Tree and for a while I used the NET with the NIV notes.  This is also a great combination.  But, I did not fully appreciate the value of the notes that come with the NET.  The notes explain the translators' word choices.  They even tell you the Greek and Hebrew words found in some of the different manuscripts, and how they have been translated in other verses. The reason I gave the notes closer examination is the words used in the first verse of my favorite Psalm.  I love the 40th Psalm.  In the NIV it begins, "I waited patiently for the Lord, he turned to me and heard my cry..."  The NET reads:  " I relied completely on the   Lord ,  and he turned toward me and heard my cry for...

One of my favorite movies of all time is The Outlaw Josey Wales.  And Clint Eastwood's (Josey Wale's) dialogue with Will Sampson (Ten Bears) may be my favorite movie conversation of all time.  Kind of reminds me of Deuteronomy 30:11-20: "11  Now what I am commanding you today is not too difficult for you or beyond your reach.  12  It is not up in heaven, so that you have to ask, “Who will ascend into heaven  to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey it?”  13  Nor is it beyond the sea,  so that you have to ask, “Who will cross the sea to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey it?”  14  No, the word is very near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart so you may obey it. 15  See, I set before you today life  and prosperity,  death  and destruction.  16  For I command you today to love  the  Lord  your God, to walk in obedience to him, and to keep his commands, decrees an...

Jason Bybee grew up at the College Hills church in Lebanon. He served as our Intern/Youth Minister during a most challenging summer for our Youth Ministry. He more than equaled the challenge of stepping in for a penitent, but disgraced Youth Minister. I learned to deeply appreciate Jason then, especially because my son was one of the kids being ministered to. Since then, he has faithfully served in Kingsport, TN and now at Mayfair in Huntsville, AL. I try not to miss any of his lessons on their web site and am always blessed by what I hear. Through listening for Jason I have also grown to love Gary Bradley. Mayfair has a unique situation with a seasoned and solid Gary Bradley taking the lead and building a most effective ministry team with a younger but equally solid Jason. Grab this opportunity to hear what I am talking about. Click on this link:   Mayfair  and select lessons that will bless your life. May God continue to use His family at Mayfair to bless all who w...

"Om" is a mantra often suggested by teachers of Eastern religions.  Just sit cross-legged, meditate on as little content as possible and say "Om".  The objective is to be one with "Brahman" for the Indian influenced portion of the world and "nothing" for the remainder of Asia. Westerners like us don't find either "Brahman" or "nothing" very appealing ... for the most part.  The only real attraction to these religions is the lack of boundaries and rules.  When the God you are drawn to includes a code of conduct many people look for another god. You may not notice too many of the people you know being drawn to Eastern religions.  But you probably will notice a few showing interest in ideas that are expressed in conversations, books or authors suggested by Oprah Winfrey.  Or maybe they are just watching the dramas, "reality shows" or situation comedies which push the boundaries and code of conduct suggested by ...

Below you will find a portion of a letter composed by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in August of 1963. It is a remarkable document. Dr. King wrote with such kindness and patience, yet still was able to defend his reasons for peaceful, non-violent demonstrations.  He wrote the letter in response to a newspaper article he was given.  The article was a "Call for Unity" penned by a group of 5 Christian ministers, inexplicably seeking to make a "Christian Case" against the civil rights movement. Here are some of the powerful words Dr. King wrote from jail...: But more basically, I am in Birmingham because injustice is here.  Just as the prophets of the eighth century B.C. left their villages and carried their “thus saith the Lord” far beyond the boundaries of their home towns, and just as the Apostle Paul left his village of Tarsus and carried the gospel of Jesus Christ to the far corners of the Greco-Roman world, so am I compelled to carry the gospel of freedom beyon...

Books are such a joy!  I've been thinking lately about how books and friends lead me to other friends and books.  The pleasure I find in reading good books is enhanced when I can share a new find with a friend who appreciates a particular author or genre.  And, I appreciate new books and authors suggested by friends who think of me when they read, and pass them along. Here is what I think is an interesting path.  When Max Lucado began to be published I could not wait for his subsequent books:   On the Anvil  and  No Wonder They Call Him the Savior  were such treasures that I have given countless copies away over the years.  But, soon after they were published I began this path which has been a thrill to travel.  I grew up in the Church of Christ and tended to read authors who were also members of the Church of Christ.  But back at the time I was reading these books I noticed that not only did Lucado quote from authors outside our...

H. David Wright is a marvelously talented realist.  Check out  this example  of his work and explore the other prints and information about him.  His subject and his passion is history.  He has indicated that his paintings and prints have a story to tell - and do they ever tell it well.  He paints "heroes".  We stand on the shoulders of the heroes who have gone before us and need to be grateful to them.  We also need to know as much as we can about their mistakes and successes.  It is pointless for us to repeat their mistakes.  It is admirable to emulate their successes. Be good to yourself

Robert Bruce Williams was a college professor in New Jersey. He had a hobby and a talent for writing hymns during the late 20th century that sounded like they were written in the 18th or 19th. Mr. Williams wrote the following hymn and sent it to Dr. Jerry Rushford at Pepperdine University: Come O Lord in Radiant Glory Come O Lord in Radiant Glory Let Your splendor shine anew Reaffirm the ancient story Still as fresh as morning dew Lord of mercy Lord of goodness Lead us to a vision clear Lead us to a vision clear Bring accord of lasting vigor To all people in this hour Make our sons and daughters eager For Your guiding light and power Lord of mercy Lord of goodness Grant to us Your guiding light Grant to us Your guiding light. - Robert Bruce Williams Sing to the tune of "CWM RHONDA" by John Hughes, 1873-1932 (see "Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah" by William Williams, 1717-1791) Notice some words in the song for a moment. " Reaffirm...

When God defeated the prophets of Baal through his prophet Elijah, Elijah must have been elated beyond all imagination. But, when Jezebel put out a contract on him he ran from one end of the country to the other. He went to a cave on Mt. Sinai. God met him there and asked him what was the matter. Here is his answer:  "I have been very zealous for the LORD God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, broken down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too." The victory over Baal's prophets is forgotten. Elijah's focus is consumed by Jezebel's threat. He has run from one end of the country to the other to escape and to seek understanding. He is overwhelmed. God puts on quite a show for Elijah. He sends storms and earthquakes, followed by a gentle whisper. Then he asks him again to tell him what is the matter. Elijah's answer was the same as before. God does not explain...

Odd that a word that is used to describe the poorest of the poor has such richness at its core. You will be blessed if you take the time to explore this word. It labels all sorts of groups who have made it their mission to be a real blessing to those who need it most. They provide not only housing, food, clothing - but more importantly companionship, community and love. And, when we manage to apply the word to ourselves we find that we are most useful to God when we recognize our own ineptitude and his Power. Pop

Seeing all the gardens around made me think of my mother today. She was always looking for a way to teach me to work and was not afraid to show the way. When I was 7 or 8 she told me one spring day, "It's time we spaded up the garden." We took our shovels and spaded up the garden. It took days to get the ground all broken up with our shovels, forks, hoes and rakes. This became one of our annual traditions for a few years. Then when I was about 12 a marvelous person came by for a visit. He was a elderly black man with a team of mules and a wagon with a plow. He offered to break up the ground in our garden plot for a small fee. (Where had this man and his mules been for 4 years??!) His mules had marvelous feet, too. They must have been descended from Clydesdales. Anyway, we no longer spaded up the garden. All we had to do was hoe, fork, rake, plant, water, weed, apply pest control (DDT in all likelihood) and pick. My mother was not done even with all that - she ca...

My dear friend Dave Simpson and I have been asked to lead a Sunday School Class on "Christian Evidences." We welcome this opportunity, but Dave and I have only one syllabus. We have taught classes on "Who We Are and How We Got This Way," "How We Got the Bible" and on "Hymn Stories" in the last couple of years. But, really at the heart of these classes is THE Story. You see, we believe that God has a STORY for all mankind. He has revealed that tale in various ways through many mediums and people. But, if all of the myths and biases could be striped away a basic and essential true story would be revealed. That is the story we want to tell. The first clear awareness of a kernel of this Story came to me on January 13, 1971. As I held a little 6 pound, 6 ounce bundle of JOY I knew I had something to tell her. That something had been passed down to me by all who had gone before me. And, the message was not just for her, but for her brother and the...

When my dad died in 1989 there was one photograph in his wallet. It was a picture of him in the uniform of a Army private in 1944 along with my mother and my older sister. The love a good father has for his firstborn child is not diminished by time, distance, or even rebellion. My sister made many bad choices from my parent's perspective. But my dad never, ever quit loving her. She made one final bad choice after marrying for the upteenth time and appearing to have her life together. She took her own life at the age of 36. But my dad never, ever quit loving her. When I was little I thought my dad was perfect. I remember when I was about 5 or 6 asking my mother, "Is Daddy God?" She was a little flummoxed by the audacity of such a question, even from a small fry, and pointed out a flaw or two as evidence that he was not Divine. But you know, no matter what choices we make, our Heavenly Father never stops loving us. Just like my dad. Be good to yourselve...

If this doesn't light your fire your wood may be a little damp.   Holy Highway There's a road called the holy highway that once was a desert land. Very soon you'll hear the sound of a holy marching band and. Everlasting joy upon them, there's a remnant strong and true. We bring the song back to Zion; we bring the praise back to you. Chorus: We exalt You, God Almighty, You are worthy to be praised. Let all nations bow before You, Holy Ancient of all days. There's a road called the holy highway, where the people dance and shout. For the enemy is running with confusion all about. Raise our banners in the victory; raise them high His word is true. We bring our song back to Zion, we bring the praise back to you. Repeat Chorus: We exalt You, God Almighty, You are worthy to be praised. Let all nations bow before You, Holy Ancient of all days. Tag: Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty. Holy, holy holy is the Lord. Halelujah, halelujah, halelujah. We bring the song back ...

Who wrote Hebrews? God did – through His Spirit and through a most interesting human author. Intriguing mystery debated for centuries. Barnabus was first documented. Luke, Clement of Rome, Jude, Apollos, Philip, Silvanus, Aquila and Priscilla have all been suggested. Roman Catholic Church supported Paul as author from 400 to 1600. Why not Paul? Images, theological motifs and terms not found elsewhere in Paul’s writings – concept of Jesus as Great High Priest for example. 169 Greek words used only in Hebrews and not in remainder of N.T. OT quotations introduced differently than the way Paul does in all other writings: “It is written … “ versus “He says … “ 2:3 – author depicts himself as having received the gospel from original witnesses commissioned by the Lord – not personally from Jesus. Author not identified. Who then??? Clues given by the book:: Mystery author was a dynamic preacher, trained in OT, familiar with Jewish Synagogue and techniques of interpretatio...

As I was reading today it occurred to me that Hebrews can be viewed as the Keystone book in all the Bible. The writer begins by reminding us of the various revelations from God since the beginning of time. God has been sharing His story with us in bits and pieces illustrated in the lives of people who were drawn to Him. But, 2000 years ago God stopped the shadowy efforts revealed in the Old Testament and revealed Himself in His SON!! The Hebrew writer goes on and on about how the SON is superior to Angels, OT priests, and prophets. He invites us to join the SON in a relationship which great saints such as Abraham, Moses and David could only catch a glimmer of. Hebrews challenges us to change our view from a worrysome preoccupation with the visible world around us to a "city whose builder and maker is God." This is going to be fun!! Pop

Okay my young friends, you will find  this  amusing. I'm turning 60 this month and don't understand why I already identify with these folks. Be good to yourselves, Pop

Reading blogs is often more of a joy than trying to write them. My friend Donnie Hall has written a classic that deserves wide circulation. He calls it a  Letter to Paden. I call it a classic analogy. Read it for yourself and you will call this a blessed day. Be good to yourself. Pop

I get a thrill out of finding blogs of friends who I did not know were blogging. "A Christmas Story ...  is such a blog. I knew Donnie as a brilliant programmer, talented musician and fine Christian father. Now I find out he wrote very thoughtful and interesting blogs. He also had a link on one of his blogs to that of one of his friends, Amy Grant, (not that one another one). I don't know Amy but I'm sure she won't mind my putting the target of Donnie's link here. It is a paraphrase of Psalm 23 written from God's point of view: Psalm 23 I  am your shepherd. You will never have need of anything that  I  want for you. If you will trust Me, and really allow Me to be the shepherd of your life,  I  will give to you such great peace of mind that it will be like lying in the cool green grass of the springtime meadow. And as you learn to deepen your love and trust, a quietness will come over your soul, like a serene, calm lake. It will be a time of great...

I share this experience with you dear reader, to save you the trouble of doing the same idiot things and suffering the consequences. As you will see, the ordeal itself allows me the time to compose this narrative for your edification. Lucky you. The first dumb thing I did was decide I had walked by the new bathroom vanity too many times and should try to install it myself.  Broken rule # 1 - always pay a pro to do it, you cannot afford the costs of doing it yourself. Before I could install the new vanity I had to pry the old one off the cabinet onto which it was glued. I managed to loosen it enough to get the edge of a crowbar under it and was trying to loosen it more when the crowbar slipped and the vanity caught the end of my middle index finger between it and the cabinet. Broken rules # 2-4 - if you are going to insert a finger where it might get smashed, pick one on the left hand (lefty's can ignore this) - don't insert your finger into a place where it might get smash...

Comparing Jesus' prayer for unity in John 17 to the reality of division among Christian denominations is really discouraging. For most of my Christian life I have struggled to understand why the answer to this prayer appears to be "No." I know many will disagree, but I have concluded that there must be much more unity than appears to be the case. Much of the disagreement among Christians is over silly,  insignificant  things. (Is God showing us the absurdity of our fusses by  flauting  Sunnis and Shites in our daily headlines?) Yet, gatherings such as Promise Keepers, Fellowship of Christian  Athletes and almost any Christian Music concert demonstrate a remarkable level of agreement on the basic essentials of Christianity. Could it be that God regards the vast majority of our denominational differences as absurd and unimportant? I have many friends who are members of different denominations. They are all sincere, serious students of the Bible who fully in...

I recently helped teach a class on the history of our church. As usual, the teacher learns more than the students. The classes I have been in, and even taught myself on the subject have concentrated on our history in the USA. The Church of Christ, Disciples of Christ and the Christian Church share a common heritage. "Americans" like James O'Kelly, Barton W. Stone and Alexander Campbell are studied because they independently arrived at the conclusion that we should leave all "man made creeds" and follow the teachings of scripture alone in all things. Phrases like "Speak where the Bible Speaks, be silent where it is silent" became our "creed". Because of this heritage, we have often considered unimportant the history that occurred before Campbell, Stone and O'Kelly. Since Scripture is our guide, why worry about the history between this enlightened notion and the days of Jesus? Well this time I decided to concentrate more on the earlier...

My mother died in 1991. I still miss her. When I think about her I often remember the stories she used to tell about her parents and brothers. Her stories reflected a time when she was a child herself. Here is one of my favorites: Coony was a pet coon my mother and her brothers bottle fed. Coony's mother was killed in a successful coon hunt and my grandfather, "Papa," rescued him and brought him home. Coony quickly grew to a large, healthy size and embraced his adoption into the family, appearing to think of himself as another one of the kids. No one prevented him from roaming about the house and yard as he pleased. He played with my mother and her brothers and even followed them to the fields. Papa would let him follow him to the barn each morning to milk and trained him to stand on his back legs and drink milk squirted in his direction. The trouble began when he got into my grandmother's (Mama) butter churn. She caught him one morning with the lid of the butter...