Serve by Design

Recently, during our Sunday morning Bible study group, we were dealing with a challenging paragraph from Luke’s Sermon on the Plain. The text included a short passage of three verses on Jesus’ statements of woe (Luke 6:24-26). The teaching was characteristically paradoxical in nature. The kind of challenge that often has the best of Bible students shaking their heads. One of our class members confessed aloud to everyone gathered around the table, “Hey! I don’t know about you, but I’m going to need some help with this one!” Image credit: istock.com Monique and I love to watch episodes of The Chosen on television. We like the vividly fresh way that the producers and actors depict the life of Jesus. Sometimes these creative writers take liberties with the literal accounts of Scripture (like a paraphrase would do!), but we have found that the end-product usually captures the essence of what the Bible is teaching. One memorable, thought-provoking, and entertaining scene (obviously extra-...

Lately, I have been blessed to hear stories about a new excitement for God’s Word! One of our college grandsons started a Bible study with his close friends. They meet online weekly and discuss some weighty subjects relevant to today’s young men like how to live the Christian life, confront doubt. and deal with temptation. Our granddaughter has just completed a summer service project in discipleship, worship planning, and faith sharing with young adults from her peer group who are in the eighteen to twenty-something age range. Image: freepik.com Last Saturday, I participated in a refreshing training event for our church’s small group leaders. I met a delightful young couple who lead a new group. They are excited about reading the book of James and discussing the topics of faith, listening, and service; using speech responsibly; dealing with adversity; and the impact of bold praying. Their intention was to study a chapter each session, but they have slowed down to just a few verses to g...

Last Sunday, Monique and I were guests in another church. I preached at a pastor friend’s retirement celebration service. We also attended a small group study for seniors before worship. It was a blessing to look around the table during that Sunday School class and see so many open Bibles and even a few digital tablets placed in front of those participants. While they used a denominational booklet as the curriculum, the Bible was still their primary focus during the lesson. "By your words I can see where I'm going." Clip Art: stock.adobe.com The Message: Psalm 119:105a I have heard two good sermons lately where the subject of the Bible has come up. One was at our church recently during the Iron Sharpens Iron conference. It looked to me that the crowd was at full capacity on the ground floor and balcony that accommodates well over a thousand people not counting the platform musicians. There were ninety churches represented, and forty-eight of those churches brought ten ...

In a recent article, I mentioned buying a bread cutting guide for my daughter. It was inexpensive, but much appreciated. She immediately texted back her gratitude with this exclamation, “Best gift ever!” That may seem to be a little over the top until you try your hand in processing several loaves of crusty sourdough bread with just a cutting board and bread knife! If you desire uniformity and you want the slices to be even, you need a guide to accomplish the task! A guide for perfect bread slicing! I confess to being a perfectionist and so does my bread-making daughter. She cares enough about what her loaves look like to put a heart at the top of the loaf as a sign of pride and affection. Since her married name, Hartman, has the sound of “heart” in it, this final decorative touch becomes the perfect seal of approval! As human beings, we can speak of perfection only in relative terms. Only God is perfect in every way! That’s why He gives us His Word, the Bible, to be our guidebook. W...

I grew up in a small rural town culture where raccoons were hunted for sport. My dad and our next door neighbor, Jim, had highly trained dogs that were bred to detect the scent and movements of raccoons. The guys and their hounds would hunt their prey in the evening hours throughout river bottoms, fields and creeks, and heavily wooded areas around Vandalia. As an adolescent, I was fascinated by the whole matter and wanted to accompany the hunters each time I could. But what I loved even more was the gathering the next morning at the local eatery, affectionately known as “Road Kill.” Photo Credit: Alan Alquist unsplash.com I relished hearing the morning recap of the night's events in that setting! The laughter was captivating along with the good-natured bantering. I leaned forward to take in every detail and description of the dogs competing to pick up the scent and follow the trail as their owners trudged over “hill and dale” to keep up with them!   The incredible stories shar...

I was disappointed this week to see our nation's highest elected leader using the Bible as a prop on national television. It came about during the recent protests over the senseless death of another African American male at the hands of law enforcement officers. The setting for what seemed to be nothing more than a photo-op was the historic St. John's Episcopal Church in Washington, D.C., one block from the White House. This church has been a place of worship for many American Presidents throughout its 200-year history. An Interacted and Used  Bible! The Bible is the Word of God! It is God's written revelation of Himself and His saving plan for the world. But the Bible is not a prop or a political ploy! A "prop" by definition is a "theatrical property, something to be used for a media production or theatrical play." To use the Bible in this manner or way is a misuse of this blessed and life-changing gift of God. I received a picture and comment...

During January, many Christians think about their spiritual lives and make resolutions to read the Word of God more faithfully each day. Some of that reading is done by reading the "whole of the Word" through a systematic read-the-Bible-through plan. This gives the reader a broad view of the biblical message. The simplest way to read the Bible in one year is to read two chapters from the Old Testament and one chapter from the New Testament each day. By the end of the year, you will have read through all sixty-six books. Another way to read the Bible is in "small bites" by using a devotional booklet or tablet app like Our Daily Bread . This shorter plan gives us a manageable, daily portion of nourishment in the Word. Both reading plans are good and balanced. They give us daily exposure to the inspiration and instruction of God's Holy Word. One resolution you may not often hear is the plan in the New Year to read the Bible... aloud! Yes! There is incredible val...

A few years ago, I was mentoring a new adult Bible study teacher and suggested that we meet each week for an hour to go over the lesson. At first, my friend protested that while he welcomed this one-on-one time with me, he thought I did not have the time to spend with him in this way. I quickly told him that this kind of partnership in study would be just as helpful to me. And so, the Tuesday, 1:00 PM "Study Session" was born. Today, there are four or five of us that weekly commit to this preparation time to get us ready for our Sunday teaching responsibilities. What do we get out this study time? Several things come to mind... 1. This study session disciplines us to study our lessons earlier in the week to allow the truths of the passage under consideration to season for insights and application. There is nothing worse than procrastinating in our preparation and spending late Saturday night cramming or getting up early Sunday morning with panic setting in just hours befo...

Leon Kilbreth, “Mr. Sunday School” to many of us serving in educational ministry in the midwest, shared a surprising statement years ago: “90% of teaching is the life and personality of the teacher!” He did not want any of the conference attendees to misunderstand. Kilbreth wasn’t saying that we only teach the Bible 10% of the time in our lessons. Instead, he was emphasizing by hyperbole that the Bible others see and hear comes from the life and personality of the teacher. If we aren’t “practicing what we are teaching,” we aren’t completely teaching the Bible. We may be sharing some useful truths, but we aren’t teaching with maximum influence. Who doesn't love a surprise?! Bernice Littleford of the First Baptist Church in Vandalia was my fifth and sixth grade Sunday School department director and teacher. She had a winsome spirit about her. Mrs. Littleford cared about older children. She was an experienced parent. When I was in seventh grade, her son, Jim would be my basket...