Reflections of a Retired Pastor

I believe one of the struggles we have is seeing things from God’s perspective. I need to be reminded often of what God has said: “I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say, ‘My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.’” -  Isaiah 46:10 NIV We are unable to see the total picture. We barely see a step or two ahead of us. At times we might even fall into the frustration that we cannot know (or control) what’s ahead. How do we handle the “not knowing?”  Truth be known, we WANT to know. We want to know because we want to control the outcome. We question God as if He would be better off doing things our way. We act as though we know better. But God said in Isaiah, “My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.” This is the essence of sovereignty.   Our perspective will not change until we grasp the enormous truth of God’s sovereignty. When we do grasp it, it doesn’t raise questions but it answers them. Think...

  One of the blessings of spending time with my adult children is having some tremendous discussions about things that are currently effecting our world, nation, the Christian Church—you name it. Such discussions are invigorating, thought provoking, mentally stimulating and even challenging. Arriving in Tennessee last evening for a wonderful break from chemotherapy and chance to visit with the kids and enjoy the change of scenery, my son-in-law and I wasted no time drifting into such a discussion even before my daughter got home from work. (She and I have a coffee time already scheduled for our “conversation.”) Mind you, these conversations are not contentious even though we can have diverse positions and opinions. These conversations aren’t planned. We just seem to wade into a subject naturally. And most likely something profound results. I’m sure you would agree that our society is in difficult times. We are polarized and have difficulty even talking with someone on the “oth...

Two years ago today, I was diagnosed with cancer. Frankly, it’s an anniversary I wish I didn’t have, but I do. It has been quite a journey and I would like to reflect on my journey over these past two years. I apologize in advance if I repeat things I’ve previously shared.  Prominently in my mind are the things that I have learned. My initial prayer was that I could model for others how Christ-followers handle adversity. I had no idea at the time where this journey would take me. I hope that I’ve been faithful in fulfilling that prayer. The day after my colonoscopy, my devotional reading was from Psalms 34. I am convinced it was no coincidence: “I will extol the Lord at all times; his praise will always be on my lips. I will glory in the Lord; let the afflicted hear and rejoice. Glorify the Lord with me; let us exalt his name together. I sought the Lord  and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears. Those who look to him are radiant ; their faces are never covered in ...

I am unashamedly patriotic. I am grateful to have been blessed to have been born in the United States of America. I’ve been to other countries and we have so much in comparison. I stand for the flag and our national anthem. I get emotional seeing veterans parade by representing all who have served to protect our freedom in this great country. I make no apologies for that. Politics is another story. We have a representative democracy form of government which ideally is “of the people, by the people, and for the people.” We are free to engage in the process because we are afforded freedom of speech in our Constitution’s Bill of Rights. Unfortunately we have seen this process become divisive and corrupted. However that doesn’t mean that we don’t have our political positions and hopefully we vote accordingly.  There is another component to this patriotic topic that affects the Church. It is the proclamation of the Gospel message. While this topic is so large we could never handle it in...

Have you ever felt tossed about by the circumstances surrounding you? You are buffeted by life’s storms and generally feel beat up. Sound familiar? The problem with what I’ve just described is that it is metaphorical and what you might be going through is real! You don’t want to hear the metaphorical platitudes. You want to survive what’s happening in your life; you just want to get through it.  I get you. Life can be brutal at times. Tonight I am writing this on the eve of another round of chemotherapy. I know what’s coming. I know what I feel like after it’s over. On top of that, it’s the week to discuss test results and any possible adjustments to the protocol. In other words, it’s not just physical but it messes with your mind.  My mind tells me to remember the promise of God to go through it with us. Remember the three Hebrews in the fiery furnace? There was a fourth man hanging out with them. Most believe that man was Jesus. My heart tells me to lean into Jesus and trust...