Thought For the Week

Dear Friends, Today's "thought" has to do with pornography. The sad statistics are that porn is one of the biggest industries in the world, bringing in more revenue annually than the NFL, NBA and MLB combined. It's a major problem both inside and outside the Church. According to statistics, 68% of men in the church, over 50% of pastors, and 33% of women confessed to struggling with porn (a little less than the non-churched, but not by much). Pornography increases the infidelity rate by 300%, obsessive interest in it is a factor in 56% of American divorces, and 70% of pastor's polled said it adversely affected their church. Yet, given the number of people who say they struggle with it (and that's only based on those who actually admit it) only 7% of churches say they have a ministry to help people break free from it. Today's blog entry is by Tim Challies. It is written to help Christians see that looking at porn (if they have convinced themselves ot...

Dear Friends, Today's "thought" is one man's reflection on the topic of grace. And not just grace, but things we should do to make ourselves more aware of all the ways we have been the recipients of it. It comes to you from Barnabas Piper (who lives in the Nashville area with his wife and two daughters, and works as the brand manager for Ministry Grid. You can follow Barnabas on Twitter @BarnabasPiper ). His words are simply a reminder that we should never let grace stop amazing us. Never let grace become too commonplace. Never allow ourselves to stop being awed by it or grateful for it. In fact, he offers ways we can train ourselves to recognize it, so as to make use we never stop being overwhelmed by the fact that we receive it. Enjoy. Over-the-Top Grace  God is over the top. Really. He goes too far, in every direction, including dimensions we can’t even fathom. His grace is just too much. By definition...

Dear Friends, Today's "thought" deals with something many of us find hard to do -- be content to live in the present moment! Those who are more spontaneous in nature are surely better at this, but long-term planners will surely struggle big-time. I once had a professor who encouraged us (as seminarians) to have a five, ten, and fifteen year plan (or strategy) for the ministry. One that included all the steps detailing how we would get there. Since I'm one of those people who tends to be more spontaneous, and enjoys 'living in the present' more than having my whole life planned out ahead of time, a fifteen year plan would be far more difficult for me to do. Plus, there's something inside me that says, "If we have a detailed 15 year plan laid out ahead of time, doesn't that take all the adventure (fun/mystery?) out of life?" And doesn't it risk violating a few verses of Scripture? (Like Prov. 16:9, Matthew 6:25-34, James 4:13-17 an...

Dear Friends, Time and time again I feel drawn to send out 'thoughts' on prayer. That's because we can never know enough about it, or be reminded enough to engage in it. There are so many benefits that come to the person who will set aside the time to pray. Today's selection comes from a book by Bruce Bickel and Stan Jantz entitled: "God is in the Small Stuff - And It All Matters." It has to do with giving God time. Though I trust many (or most) of you already pray, there is still a place for going back to reconsider the basics. Enjoy. Giving God Time "Be still in the presence of the Lord, and wait patiently for Him to act." Psalm 37:7 "If there is one thing we need in the midst of our busy, loud, and nervous lives, it's the inner peace and quiet and assurance that only God can give. It's the only way to see God's ...

Dear Friends, Although last week was Holy Week, or Easter Week, I did not send out a "thought" having to do with Easter last Tuesday. Nor did it have any relation to Maundy Thursday or Good Friday! Yet, this week, I will go against the grain of our culture (and the church calendar) and offer you some very insightful thoughts on Easter and Jesus' resurrection. It's a risk, I know, because we live in a culture that tends to "move on to the next thing" almost before the previous celebration has ended!   Instead of celebrating "The 12 days of Christmas" (which run from December 25 to January 6, the traditional day for celebrating the arrival of the wise men with their gifts) we pack the camels and wise men into our celebration of Christmas and tend to shift our attention to the soon coming celebration of New Year's. For some people this shift happens shortly after the presents have been opened and the family meal is finishe...

Dear Friends, I know it's Holy Week and most of you were probably expecting an Easter "thought." But it will not be. Not this year anyway! Instead, I wanted to send out a thought that has to do with prayer. Expectant prayer. Believing prayer. Earnest prayer. Prayer that actually anticipates that it will receive what is asked for. Prayer that is offered not only believing God is able, but also willing. Not simply that God can (which we all know), but that He will (which some often doubt). I know (since some have told me) that some believers consider the second part -- the conviction that He will -- as being a bit presumptuous, or contrary to a humble posture before God. But if I read the words of Jesus correctly, it seems to be an attitude He wants us as God's children to have when praying to Him who is our Father. Today's selection happens to be from Tim Challies, and is entitled "Expecting Results." Enjoy. "When you pray, petitionin...

Dear Friends, I like stories. True stories. And not always stories that have a happy ending. In fact, I have gained much solace from stories that were very sad (like this one), but were helpful because they were about real people, struggling with raw emotions, and real issues, in an imperfect and fallen world where our ultimate hope must rest elsewhere. This morning I read a story I've read before. It's one I have even shared from the pulpit before. And I know that many of you (like me) have already heard as well. But then I thought, "Maybe some do not know it." And if you happen to be one, you need to read on! I pass this story along for you. For those who have not heard the story behind the writing of the hymn, "It Is Well With My Soul" by Horatio Spafford. Because once you know the story behind it, it's hard to ever sing it again in the same way. And even if you already know it, it is always helpful to pause and think once again about a...