September 30, 2022

Understanding the Question is Half the Answer -Plato-

There are many vexing questions in today’s market of ideas. The mainstream media seeks to define the question in order to give you an answer that fits their agenda. Christians living in a socially free and spiritually fallen nation must become more adept at understanding the question as well as the question inside the question, not to mention the assumptions inside of both. We must become better listeners, active listeners, so we can discern the bias and manipulation that often accompanies communication. Today, so much of the news involves theological issues and ethical options that demand our attention. And so, we must learn to demand the time to think and develop the habit of thought so we can respond in a way that is both biblically accurate and culturally relevant. As John Adams told his wife, “I must study politics and war that my sons may have liberty to study mathematics and philosophy." Christians in today’s modern/postmodern world must study Ethics and Theology based on the Bible so that our freedom of thought, freedom of speech, and freedom of religious affiliation remain inviolate and inalienable rights. Do you have a lifelong learning plan in mind? Serving Him with you until He comes for us, Fred

September 23, 2022

These are times that try men’s souls. -Thomas Paine-

If you are a Christian, you are aware that we are living in times that are trying our souls. The reason is, we understand the convulsions of history. We remember the “Brown Shirts” of Hitler, the “Black shirts” of Mussolini, and the “Red Book” of Mao, all symbols of fascism and a brutal draconian power over the populace. All these movements were facilitated through the migration of meaning through mediums. We call it the Press. For many years the liberal assault - aka Woke- has been behind the scenes. But now we understand that they have captured our schools - not only universities that gave up actual education for socialistic indoctrination many years ago, but now they want our children and the complete education system including filling our elementary school libraries with moral filth. They also wish to destroy the church by convincing people that it is irrelevant and superfluous. They also want to convert people to the conclusion that the church is dangerous. Today Christianity is portrayed as mysticism or mental illness if not outright madness or a danger to a successful modern society.  Today the Black Shirts go by the name ANTIFA and PEN-America. They are free to roam the streets of Oregon and Washington as thugs or control the libraries of our children’s schools. They direct newsrooms, and board rooms, and the halls of government buildings. I am afraid we are watching the loss of our sovereignty, our solvency, our stability, and unfortunately our spirituality. The apostle Paul faced his own form of brown shirts and black shirts in the form of the Roman government, the Praetorian Guard, and the misdirected self-absorbed mob. How did Paul teach the early church to respond to its corrupt culture: Prepare for a government overthrow or provide a faithful presence immersed in prayer? "The men of Issachar understood the times in which they lived and knew what to do.” Do you? Serving Him with you until He comes for us, Fred

September 16, 2022

What is Valuable to You?

It has been said: "If you love what you do then you will never work another day of your life." I feel very fortunate because I love what I do and how I get to serve in the Body of Christ mentoring pastors and training future pastors. I also am so pleased that I get to work with colleagues that are not only skilled in their work but also spiritual in their life. As a bonus, I serve at the pleasure of the president and the provost of Grace School of Theology. I value both men, professionally and in my life personally.  What I have discovered is that the more you work for someone you value, the more you value your work. But we all must never forget that we actually and ultimately work for the King. And it is this fact that gives eternal value to our work. It is King Jesus who will one day value and evaluate our life and our work. Hear the words of sacred scripture.  Ecclesiastes 12:14- For God will bring every act to judgment, everything which is hidden, whether it is good or evil. I Peter 1:17- And if you address as Father the One who impartially judges according to each man's work, conduct yourselves in fear during the time of your stay upon earth...  2 Corinthians 5:9-10- Therefore also we have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body according to what he has done whether good or bad. Romans 14:10-  But you, why do you judge your brother? Or you again, why do you regard your          brother with contempt? For we shall all stand before          the judgment seat of God. These theological truths should cause us to see the value of the investment of our life as we realize Jesus will one day evaluate that investment. What does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?  ~Jesus~   Serving Him with you until He comes for us, Fred

September 9, 2022

A View from the Hearse

This week I have been digesting Ecclesiastes. I also attended a memorial service for an old faithful saint. Both activities cause me to consider and contemplate my life.   The prescient Mark Twain challenges us to consider that “Twenty years from now, you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do.” I may not have twenty years, but in the years I do have, I wish to do what the Lord desires for me to do.   As I ask myself, What might that be? I consider:    What does the Lord require of me; But to do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with my God.  Micah 6:8  Blessed are the….for they shall…. Matthew 5:3-11   Do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Romans 12:2   As I ask myself, Why do it?  I consider:  Ecclesiastes 12:14: For God will bring every act into judgment, everything which is hidden, whether good or evil. 2 Corinthians 5:9-10:  Therefore also we have as our ambition, whether at home or absent to be pleasing to Him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done whether good or bad.    We translate our lives as we live them out toward people, but we transform our lives as we live in the sight of Jesus. Life is a gift and a stewardship from the Lord. He desires for us to invest it wisely. Therefore, as Stephen Covey reminds us; “Anything less than a conscious commitment to the important is an unconscious commitment to the unimportant.   So, I ask myself, what is important?   Serving Him with you until He comes for us, Fred

September 2, 2022

Post Tenenbras, Lux “After Darkness, Light”

It seems that America is conflicted between its higher powers and its lower passions. It is truly a conflict for our society’s soul. One look at the moral landscape of our government or at our universities betrays the fact that something that was right is now very wrong. As James Baldwin reminds us; Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.   The Church of Jesus Christ must face the facts. The culture has changed the church more than the church has changed the culture. The spiritual has become more secular. We have trifled with the sacred and trafficked in the secular to a point where the world does not even care what we have to say.    But this truth does not mean that we are not to continue to proclaim the truth through both the music of the gospel in our lives and the message of the gospel through our lips. As Paul Achtemeier reminds us: “Cultural isolation is not to be the route taken by the Christian community. It is to live its life openly in the midst of the unbelieving world and just as openly to be prepared to explain the reason for it.” We must be committed to “flexing two muscles” at the same time: Our Convictions toward Christ and our Compassion toward people. A sense of wonder and a spirit of curiosity have the power to motivate and move people. May our lives, as we are filled by the Holy Spirit, cause people to see His wonder and develop a spirit that is curious to know Him. Always remember the insightful words of Alan Keyes, “It is not for us to calculate our victory or fear our defeat, but to do our duty and leave the rest in God’s hands.” Serving Him with you until He comes for us, Fred