A Word for Today — Solid Foundation

September 28, 2018 By Leave a Comment

SOLID FOUNDATION

READ ISAIAH 18:1 THROUGH 20:6; 2 CORINTHIANS 13:1–14

Drive through American suburbia and witness the abundance of architectural home styles on display, from Colonials to modern McMansions. Each variety offers its own unique look and approach to living areas, bedrooms, and the like, but they all shelter humans from the elements and share one nonnegotiable feature—a foundation (a strong, solid base of support) without which they would collapse into rubble.

For we cannot do anything against the truth, but only for the truth (2 Corinthians 13:8).

Christians may disagree on details here and there, but there are lines that cannot be crossed without collapsing our faith into meaninglessness. Unwavering truths are the foundation of our lives in Christ—the truth of the gospel, God’s Word, Christ’s divinity, and His resurrection. Take any of those foundational truths away, and we’re left homeless in this broken world. Make God’s truth the foundation of your life, and make your home in Him. 

Challenge for Today: Lovingly speak truth to someone.

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Filed Under: Columns

Pastor Rick Warren: God Remains Patient with Our World

September 28, 2018 By Leave a Comment

By Rick Warren

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”The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise to return, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to perish, so he is giving more time for everyone to repent” (2 Peter 3:9 NLT).

History is moving toward a climax. Why doesn’t God just shut the earth down now? Because he wants to demonstrate his grace.The Bible says in 2 Peter 3:9, “The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise to return, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to perish, so he is giving more time for everyone to repent” (NLT).

God puts up with all the grief that he sees on this planet because he’s being patient. And he’s waiting for more of us to step across the line and start a relationship with him.

When somebody comes to you and says, “I can’t believe in a God who would stand by and watch people suffer,” here’s what you say: “I don’t believe in that kind of God, either. God isn’t that kind of God. In fact, you have no idea how much it hurts God when he sees all the sin on Earth. It hurts him more than anybody else! It grieves him when he sees what his creation is doing to each other.”

I believe in a God who one day is going to stop evil dead in its tracks. There’s going to be an accounting. One day he’s going to judge all evildoers, and he’s going to bring those in his family to live with him forever in a perfect place.

If you’ve never turned your life over to Jesus, I am confident you received today’s devotion because God wants you to hear this message. Jesus says in John 10:10 that he came to give us a full and abundant life, but we will only find that life by following him.

Are you ready to invite Jesus into your heart?
Are you ready to receive God’s gift of grace to you? It’s a simple prayer that will tell God you accept the gift of Jesus.

Prayer:

“Dear God, I’m scared, but I want to get to know you. I don’t understand it all, but I thank you that you love me. I thank you that you were with me, even when I didn’t recognize it. I thank you that you are for me—that you didn’t send Jesus to condemn me but to save me.

“I admit that I never even realized I needed a Savior, but today I want to receive the gift of your Son. I ask you to save me from my past, my regrets, my mistakes, my sins, my habits, my hurts, and my hang-ups. I need you to take away the stress and fill me with your love. I need to be at peace with you, and I need you to put your peace in my heart.

“I ask you to save me for your purpose. I want to know why you put me on this planet. And I want to fulfill what you created me to do. I want to learn to love you and trust you and have a relationship with you. I pray this in the name of Jesus, amen.”

Talk It Over

If you prayed that prayer, please write and tell me at Rick@PastorRick.com. I’d love to send you some materials as you begin your journey with Jesus.

Give hope, prayer, and encouragement below. Post a comment & talk about it.

Filed Under: Columns

Kavanaugh vs. Ford showdown is no way to confirm a Supreme Court justice

September 28, 2018 By Leave a Comment

Until two weeks ago, President Donald Trump’s nomination of Judge Brett Kavanaugh to a seat on the U.S. Supreme Court seemed a sure thing. He ably handled more than 1,200 questions put to him by members of the Senate Judiciary Committee. He demonstrated even to his adversaries a masterful command of constitutional jurisprudence. The FBI had completed six background investigations of Kavanaugh throughout his career in government, and it found no blemishes.

Here’s a link to the editorial at Fox News.

Filed Under: Columns

If Kavanaugh’s nomination can be derailed by allegations without evidence then no one is safe

September 27, 2018 By Leave a Comment

Senate Democrats seeking to derail Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh’s Supreme Court nomination knew they had a problem. In other prominent cases of the #MeToo era, multiple victims had come forward to corroborate each other’s stories and present a pattern of predatory behavior. But in Kavanaugh’s case, not only was there no corroboration for Christine Blasey Ford’s accusations, no other women had come forward to accuse him of misconduct.

Here’s a link to the editorial at Fox News.

Filed Under: Columns

A Word for Today — Jimmy Russell

September 27, 2018 By Leave a Comment

BROKENHEARTED

READ ISAIAH 15:1 THROUGH 17:14; 2 CORINTHIANS 12:1–21

Discipline is one of the most important responsibilities of parenthood, but it’s generally the one parents hate the most. Of course, children have to learn there are unpleasant consequences to selfish, dangerous behavior. But no parents enjoy seeing their children miserable, even if it’s the children’s own fault, and even if it’s a learning experience.

The pagan cultures had to face the consequences of rejecting God. This brought God no joy. 

So I weep, as Jazer weeps, for the vines of Sibmah. Heshbon and Elealeh, I drench you with tears! The shouts of joy over your ripened fruit and over your harvests have been stilled (Isaiah 16:9).

Still today, people reject God and reap the consequences. God responds with sadness. God loves every human being on this planet, and it breaks His heart to see even one of them reject Him. Show that same love to those who don’t know God. Lead them away from disaster and toward a gracious and forgiving God.

Prayer Suggestion: Lord, give me Your broken heart for the lost.

Filed Under: Columns

Pastor Rick Warren: Use Your Money to Invest in Character, not Comfort

September 27, 2018 By Leave a Comment

By Rick Warren

”Grow in spiritual strength and become better acquainted with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18 TLB).

God wants you to grow up spiritually and become more like Jesus Christ. How do you do that? By taking some of your money and investing it in yourself and your personal growth.The Bible says in 2 Peter 3:18, “Grow in spiritual strength and become better acquainted with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (TLB).

You grow in spiritual strength by using your money to develop skills and educate yourself, to become a better leader, a better speaker, a better prayer, or just a better person.

I hate to tell you this, but you’re not taking your car to heaven with you. You’re not taking your condo or your couch or your clothes or your china to heaven.

But you are going to take your character. It may be tempting to use your money to invest in comfort, but God wants you to use your money to invest in something that’s going to heaven: your character.

That means anytime you use your money to buy a Christian book that helps you grow, you’ve invested in what I call God’s “Growth Fund.” Anytime you use some of your money to pay for a retreat or a conference that helps you improve your life, you’ve invested in the Growth Fund. Anytime you spend money on a class that helps makes you more of what God wants you to be, God smiles and says that’s a good use of money.

I’ll never forget when I bought my first Bible. I was a teenager and I thought, “This is the most important book to me, so I’m going to get the best one I can find.” I did a little research and found one that I like called the Thompson Chain Reference Bible. Then I said, “I want a binding that lasts, so I’m going to get it in the nicest leather I can find.” It costs me 60 bucks to buy that Bible—two months of my allowance. I gave up two months’ worth of snacks and movies and stuff like that, but I got a really cool Bible that I knew I could use for the rest of my life.

I still have that Bible. It’s my most treasured possession because I’ve been through it so many times and underlined and marked it all up.

The Bible says, “Why spend your money on something that is not real food? . . . Listen closely to me, and you will eat what is good; your soul will enjoy the rich food that satisfies” (Isaiah 55:2 NCV).

You can spend your money on “junk food” or “soul food.” Choose to spend your money on food for your soul that helps you grow spiritually.

Talk It Over

  • How does our society try to convince you that your comfort is more important than your character?
  • Why does “soul food” spiritually satisfy more than “junk food”?
  • What is a comfort item that you can give up so that you have more money to invest in your character?

Give hope, prayer, and encouragement below. Post a comment & talk about it.

Filed Under: Columns

How many teenagers have to die before the message is heard?

September 27, 2018 By Leave a Comment

(Editor’s Note: The column was written on March 6, 2006 — more than 12 years ago. However more than a decade later the point remains the same regarding teenage drivers.  This should be required reading for all students taking driver’s ed. Hope you enjoy!)     JM

By Jim Muir

I don’t know Logan Paris, but in a sense I do know him.

This time last week Logan was an 18-year-old senior at Lawrenceville High School. He was handsome, popular, a gifted athlete with loads of friends and was well-respected and loved by faculty, students and the Lawrenceville community.

Fast forward the calendar one week and those same friends and faculty members will gather tonight at the Lawrenceville High School gymnasium to attend Logan’s funeral. Tragically ironic, Logan’s body will lie in state on the same hardwood court where he spent a great deal of his time exciting Indians’ fans during the past four years.

Logan died last Sunday after a Jeep he was riding in overturned on a rural road. The details of the crash are ones we’ve all heard before in virtually every county throughout the state. Four teenagers, an inexperienced driver, nobody with a seatbelt on, alcohol-related, vehicle leaves roadway, driver overcorrects, vehicle skids and overturns, passengers ejected, dead on arrival.

I first heard about the accident earlier this week on IllinoisHighSchoolSports.com, a popular website and forum for sports junkies. The thread was entitled “Lawrenceville tragedy” and I read through more than 160 posts where individuals, many were teammates and friends, expressed their sorrow about the death. Hollow words we’ve heard and all used before — ‘tragic,’ ‘senseless,’ ‘horrible’ and ‘sad’ — were used to describe the death of 18-year-old youth with a promising future.

Many of the posts had photos attached and one in particular caught my attention. There was Logan, in his bright red Lawrenceville uniform, number 21, soaring high into the air for a lay up and another of him with a towel around his neck and wearing a wide grin in a group shot with players and cheerleaders. I studied the photos and imagined that both will probably end in a prominent place in the high school gym.

I also realized as I studied the photos that Logan Paris, a young man I don’t know but do know, is now frozen in time. Those same teammates and cheerleaders will attend a prom later this spring and then in May they’ll graduate and embark on a college career or a job. Many will move away, some will stay in Lawrenceville and work and raise a family and their children will attend school there. And while these things are happening, Logan Paris, because of one tragic mistake, will always be 18 years old.

As I stated earlier I didn’t know Logan Paris but I do know this story all too well. I’ve written about it and I’ve received one of those middle-of-the-night phone calls that still makes me shudder and say ‘there but for the grace of God goes I.’

These stories always leave me with the same question: how do you convince know-it-all teenagers that in one careless, unthinking moment their life can end? I can’t answer that question; you can’t answer that question and neither can Logan Paris’ parents.

How many more godforsaken white crosses standing alongside a godforsaken country road do teenagers have to see to understand the definition of mortality? And despite what Nike wants to bombard kids with about ‘No Fear’ there has to be some fear in life, some understanding that with every action there will be a consequence. Otherwise we’ll continue to see more grief stricken teenagers pouring out their hearts on a website before filing past a friend’s casket.

A few years ago I wrote about two separate accidents during a one week span that claimed the life of two Southern Illinois teenagers. That column prompted John Hughes, a longtime friend and Southern Illinois police officer, to fire off an e-mail to me.

I saved Hughes comments and they are certainly worth sharing again. From the comments Hughes made, it was plain he was frustrated and just needed to vent a little about the deaths of the two teenage girls.

Hughes wrote:

“I do this (police work) every day and have for 17 years, and I still can’t get used to kids dying in car crashes. After I heard about these accidents I thought about how many times I’ve stopped kids and tried to explain to them about driving safely, only to find out later that they continued doing the same things. On many occasions, after I’ve stopped a teenager the parents will come in and “beef” at me or even complain to my chief for stopping their child. In most instances they say I stopped their kid for no reason and was only picking on them. We worry about sending kids off to war, but accept them being killed on our roads. I just don’t get it! Somehow we have got to educate parents because simple traffic tickets aren’t getting the job done. How many kids have to die behind the wheel of a car before we get the message? Hope you can do something with this. Sign me a tired old cop.”

I understand Hughes’ frustration. As a columnist, there are days when my fingers fly across the keyboard and the words flow freely and easily and I feel strong and confident and I know that what I wrote was good. There are other days — days when I can’t seem to escape from the image of a casket sitting in the middle of a high school basketball floor — when I feel tired and unnecessary and wonder if I’ve ever written anything that mattered.

Thanks for taking the time this morning to listen to a tired old cop and an equally tired old writer.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Filed Under: Columns

Walter Wendler: The Squeeze

September 26, 2018 By Leave a Comment

The Squeeze

The birthrate in America has been on the decline. In 2016, with slightly less than 60 births per 1000 women, a historic low was realized. This marks universities. Those most affected by decreasing birthrates will be regional campuses like West Texas A&M University.  Institutions not among the elite private or the flagship public institutions will struggle for new students according to the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center.

Walter V. Wendler

Added to the sheer decrease in the number of students is a downward trend in college preparedness according to the National Assessment Governing Board, confirmed by the National ACT.  Declines in readiness are apparent in English and math, while reading and science have seen slight increases.  Variation occurs based on race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status and geography. Too frequently, finger pointing follows these findings. Some suggest our education standards have collapsed and blame families and high schools.  There is a measure of truth in these laments, but universities must recognize a changing “feedstock.”

Nathan D. Grawe, of Carleton College in Minnesota, confirms these impacts on enrollment in regional universities.  A limited number of states will see growth in college attendance. California and South Carolina will grow, and some remain relatively unchanged, Texas and Florida are examples. Grawe predicts an impending decline nationally of 15% of college age, college ready, students.

A complicating factor to this challenging news for most universities is the dramatically increasing cost of college attendance, and the debt that follows crippling personal and community economic and cultural prosperity.   The causes of the cost/debt debacle are debated to death inconclusively.  The problem is especially pervasive in the U.S.  The Atlantic catalogs a number of issues.  Only Luxembourg spends more per college student than America. The seemingly risk free student loans, increased spending on intercollegiate athletics, four-star dormitories, free flowing cappuccino, and a fountain of frills in college life are blamed. Careful assessment shows that the higher costs are usually associated with personnel and core services. U.S. institutions spend twice what Finland, Sweden and Germany spend on essential academic services.

Indebtedness and the legitimate fear of it drives students to find other avenues to approach career and life aspirations.  An increasing number of prestigious corporations do not require a college education.  Google, Penguin Random House, Hilton, Apple and IBM among others find ways to separate the grain from the chaff absent a traditional BA or a BS.

Texas has become a battleground for neighboring states to recruit college students. Tuition discounts, scholarships, comparative in-state tuition pricing structures, and a host of other attractions make responsiveness to in-state populations vitally important.

Elite private and state flagship universities are immunized for their attractiveness to qualified students, and family ability to pay the going rates for such educational experiences. The workhorses of American higher education that serve over half of the enrolled students, regional campuses such as West Texas A&M University, are in the jaws of the vice.

There are positive courses of action. First among them is for regional universities to reject envy of “big brother – big sister” campuses. Focus, distinctiveness, careful attention to efficiencies, and ultimate value in the relationship between what students pay and what pragmatic utility follows the walk across the stage.  Institutions that over promise and under deliver on educational value will suffer.

Campus responses to declining enrollments and increasing costs are not uniform across the nation. For example in Ohio, the graduating high school population in the next 15 years is predicted to drop by 12%.  College enrollment declines are expected to follow that trend. This will affect the 13 public colleges and universities in Ohio. In addition, international student enrollment is decreasing. Combined, these effects have less effect on flagships like Ohio State University, but a significantly greater impact on institutions like the University of Cincinnati according to Caroline Miller, the vice provost at Cincinnati.

Similar circumstances are fermenting in Virginia’s public institutions.  The challenges are manifest in different ways for on-campus and online enrollment. Surprisingly, Liberty University the private behemoth, has maintained steady on-campus enrollment of about 15,000 students but has seen a significant drop of 5,000 students in online registrants bringing to 75,000 — down from 80,000 students — Liberty’s total university enrollment.

In addition, some highly regarded, historically effective public flagships are challenged. The University of Mississippi, known for deep traditions in university life on its Oxford campus and exceptional academic programs last year lost almost 2% of its enrollment.

These forces suggest that regional institutions, and even a few major public and private universities, must attend to their mission and make the college experience responsive to the needs of their students, and distinctive to the region in which the campus resides.

Absent these actions, the squeeze may become a choke, and drain the life out of some institutions if the facts of the current college calculus are disregarded or ignored.

Filed Under: Columns

Your Daily Prayer: A Prayer for Missing Peace

September 26, 2018 By Leave a Comment

Your Daily Prayer Devotional Banner

A Prayer for Missing Peace
By Mary Southerland

“And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”  – Philippians 4:7, NIV

I know people who would give every penny they have and every possession they own for an hour of peace. In fact, I have been in that place myself. The difference is that the Prince of Peace is my God and because He lives in my heart, so does peace. Yes, sometimes I allow the stressors of life to crowd in and try to smother that peace. I am so thankful that the peace of God is eternal and beyond human understanding.

As you face the storms of life, face them with God at your side – knowing that He is Lord of the rocking boat and Keeper of the waves. He rides upon the storm clouds of life, flinging peace into the tempest-filled heart.  God is Peace. And when we know Him as our Lord and have made Him the boss of our lives – we will know Peace.

Make a list of every “storm” you are facing today. Surrender each one to God, asking Him to fill its place in your life with His peace. Now, choose to walk in that peace today. When you are tempted to slip back under the crashing waves, remember that the storm now belongs to your Father.

Father God, my heart is filled with chaos and confusion. I feel as if I am drowning in my circumstances and my heart is filled with fear and confusion. I really need the strength and peace that only You can give. Right now, I choose to rest in You.

In Jesus’ Name I pray,

Amen.

Editor’s Note: Content taken from the Girlfriends in God devotional, How to Find Your Missing Peace, written by Mary Southerland. You can read the piece in full here. All rights reserved. 

Filed Under: Columns

Pastor Rick Warren: Use Your Resources to Encourage God’s Family

September 26, 2018 By Leave a Comment

By Rick Warren

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”Love one another with mutual affection” (Romans 12:10 NRSV).

God wants you to invest in other people in God’s family. This is what I call the “Mutual Fund.”The Bible says in Romans 12:10, “Love one another with mutual affection” (NRSV).

How do you invest in this Mutual Fund? By using some of your money to encourage fellowship, to build relationships, and to demonstrate love.

Anytime you give your money to God, it draws you closer to God. Anytime you give your money to someone, it draws you closer to that person. When you give money to people in your small group or invest in your small group, you grow closer to them. Anytime you write a note of encouragement, you’ve invested in the Mutual Fund. Anytime you prepare or buy a meal and take it to somebody who’s sick, you’ve just invested in the Mutual Fund.

Anytime you open up your home to your small group and you provide refreshments and that costs you, you’ve just invested in the Mutual Fund. Anytime you provide a babysitter for somebody who needs to go to a conference or retreat, you’ve invested in the Mutual Fund. When another believer is discouraged and needs somebody to talk to and you take that person out to lunch and pay for the meal, you just invested in the Mutual Fund.

You can give to God, and God says that’s storing up treasure in heaven. But you can also give to other people. God says that when you do that as an act of love, it’s like banking it in heaven. Anytime you use your funds to show love to somebody else in the family of God, you’re investing in the Mutual Fund.

Why should you do this? Why should you give to encourage fellowship? The Bible says, “This service you do not only helps the needs of God’s people, it also brings many more thanks to God. It is a proof of your faith. Many people will praise God because you obey the Good News of Christ—the gospel you say you believe—and because you freely share with them and with all others” (2 Corinthians 9:12-13 NCV).

You can give without loving, but you cannot love without giving.

Filed Under: Columns
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