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Like Father, Like Son?

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One day following a church meeting, an elderly female friend brought up a question while we ate lunch. Her late husband was a pastor, but their son had no interest in becoming one. She questioned if the call to preach can be hereditary. I immediately thought of father-son ministry teams like Billy and Franklin Graham, John and Joel Osteen , John and Matthew Hagee, and others whose churches I attended. Some renowned preachers have a family legacy. For instance, Perry Stone hails from four generations of ministers. Kenneth E. Hagin had seen his son and grandson preach. Unfortunately, the latter was recently removed from his position at Rhema Bible Church due to misconduct (I pray Craig Hagin repents and is restored). It’s natural for some boys to follow in their fathers’ footsteps when it comes to their careers. However, that wasn’t the case for me. My father was an interior decorator, but that never piqued my interest. Instead, I worked as a disc jockey , plus various sales jobs bef...
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On God’s Time

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One sign we are living in the last days is an increasing number of people not keeping their promises. While we might think of individuals who dishonor their marriage vows or refuse to pay their bills, another way people break promises is not being punctual. The dictionary defines punctual as “happening or doing something at the agreed or proper time.” If we tell someone we’ll pick him up in five minutes, we shouldn’t purposely arrive 30 minutes later. I have a friend who has a weakness in this area. At least he apologizes when showing up late. On the other hand, I’ve dealt with people who frequently dawdle and don’t think it’s a big deal. What they are saying by their actions is, “My time is more valuable than your time.” Some cultures don’t value punctuality as much as others. While ministering in Germany, I noticed the Germans themselves were often on time, but a lot of the migrants there weren’t. One night I had to wait around for an Asian man I was staying with who took extra t...
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RAM Rant

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Have you noticed a recent surge in the prices of some electronic products? There’s a reason for that. RAM prices have skyrocketed because of increasing Artificial Intelligence consumption. According to ZDNet.com, “AI data centers will mop up 70% of all memory chips produced this year.” I first noticed signs of that a few weeks ago. Before the end of last year, I thought of buying a 5 TB external hard drive from Western Digital. A 4 TB drive I’ve had for over four years still worked, but figured it would be wise to get another one for backing up my computer files. External hard drives eventually quit working. Due to a temporary decrease in donations for my ministry, I’ve decided to wait. Then in March of this year, I felt it was time to purchase that extra hard drive. However, the prices on the Western Digital website were higher than before. Therefore, I opted to buy a 4 TB hard drive on sale at Best Buy. Back then, the electronics store sold that for $139 plus tax (I previously bou...
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Offending God and Man

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For the past few days, the media been filled with reports about baseball players taking a stand against gay activism. A minor league team in York, Pennsylvania planned a “Pride Night” this past Thursday. However, a few of their players refused to wear uniforms with rainbow designs on their sleeves. As a result, team officials decided to forfeit the game. Then there was the San Francisco Giants’ “Pride Night” game against the Chicago Cubs on June 12th. Most of the players wore caps with a rainbow-colored “SF” logo. One pitcher opted to wear a cap with the usual orange logo. Three others inscribed “Gen 9:12-16” next to the rainbow-colored logo. Pitcher Landen Roupp told reporters, “It's just about God’s covenant and a promise that He makes to us — His faithfulness and His mercy.” A Major League Baseball official stated that “…writing on the cap violates our rules, and consistent with normal practice, we have warned the players about future violations.” Yet in 2020, MLB allowed pitch...
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A Grand Old Flag

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June 14th is a memorable day for me for three reasons. I still recall it being the birthday of a girl I had a strong crush on in my teens . It’s also the birthday of the president of the United States ( Donald Trump turns 80 today). Last but not least, it was on this day in 1777 that the Stars and Stripes was officially adopted as the American flag. Although Flag Day is not an official federal holiday like Independence Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas, it’s often listed in calendars.  Other countries have similar holidays on different days. Religious groups like the Jehovah’s Witnesses oppose saluting flags or even saying the pledge of allegiance. They view these things as acts of worship or idolatry. I disagree. One can participate in patriotic acts like standing for The Star Spangled Banner without making it an idol. Scripture talks about respecting the government as long as they don’t pressure us into doing things that violate the laws of God: “Render therefore to Caesar...
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Stay In Your Lane

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This past Wednesday, I went with a friend for a drive to Zion, Illinois. This city near the Wisconsin border was founded at the beginning of the 20th century by a preacher named John Alexander Dowie. Originally from Scotland, Dowie had a powerful ministry based in Chicago where God used him mightily in the gifts of healing. However, he wanted to establish Zion as a totally Christian-based society. Possession of tobacco, liquor, and swine's flesh were prohibited within city limits. As Dowie focused on overseeing this new city, his ministry declined, and suffered financial problems before passing away at 59. Roberts Liardon’s book “God’s Generals” details Dowie’s life as well as other preachers whose ministries didn’t end well. One of whom was William Branham. He had gifts in healing and prophecy, but desired to become a teacher. Branham wasn’t knowledgeable enough in the Word. As a result, he drifted into proclaiming unbiblical doctrines such as rejecting the existence of an eterna...
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Do You Wear Your Christianity?

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One time while I was hanging out in a park, a group of believers showed up for a picnic wearing T-shirts stating, “These are my church clothes.” I’ve noticed other Christian apparel with clever sayings such as “My boss is a Jewish carpenter.” Over the years, people have given me shirts with various Christian sayings. One of them had a drawing of an open Bible with the words, “When all else fails...read the instructions.” Another one I used to own showed a red cross and the words “This shirt is illegal in 52 countries.” It’s a reminder that many nations forbid open declaration of Christianity. Last year, a friend gave me a hoodie with lyrics from the worship song “Way Maker.” I liked the artwork, but eventually passed that hoodie on to another friend. I was in the midst of downsizing and already owned a hoodie. The one I kept has two side pockets instead of one in the middle. There are reasons why I usually shy away from wearing Christian clothing. It’s not because I’m ashamed of the...
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