Posts

Choose Charities Carefully

Image
I’m all for feeding the hungry. The Bible commands us to do that. I also agree we should be good stewards and not let food go to waste. However, that doesn’t mean we must always gorge ourselves at every meal. During my childhood, my parents exhorted my sister and me to be part of the “clean plate club” at dinnertime. When I resisted eating certain foods, my mother often said, “You should eat that. There are starving kids in Africa.” I usually replied, “Let’s send it to them.” Mom didn’t like my response. Last Sunday, I evangelized in Jacksonville, Florida. Across the street from a downtown park, I noticed a group of people offering free meals. I approached them and asked if they were part of a ministry. One of them said they were from Food Not Bombs. I figured this was an anti-war group, but didn’t question them about that. Instead, I proceeded to hand out gospel tracts to individuals eating nearby. Still, my curiosity was piqued to eventually go online to learn more about Food Not ...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Good Fight of Faith

Image
Among my favorite motion pictures are the “Rocky” franchise starring Sylvester Stallone. One thing often shown in those movies is the boxer running up stone steps toward the east entrance of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. A bronze Rocky statue now sits just beyond the first set of steps. When I went to Philadelphia last Tuesday, I climbed the steps and had my picture taken next to the statue.  An hour before after arriving at the train station, I prayed with a man who mentioned being part of a boxing club. Then I thought of 1 Timothy 6:12, which tells us to “Fight the good fight of faith.” To live for Christ is an ongoing battle. I once heard Jerry Savelle compare our spiritual walk to paddling a canoe upstream. The world will always try pushing people away from the things of God.  1 Timothy 6:12 goes on to say, “…lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.” The New Living Translation sa...
Post a Comment
Read more

Real Zeal

Image
Back in 2012, I spent a few weeks ministering in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. During that time, I got to know a man who was one of the most passionate believers I’ve ever encountered. Surprisingly, this man insisted he wasn’t zealous enough. Many times when I talked to him on the phone, he asked me to pray that he would have more zeal. I thought he was more zealous for God than me! The dictionary defines zeal as “great energy or enthusiasm in pursuit of a cause or an objective.” Worldly people think it’s wrong to be zealous about the things of God (I’ve often been labeled a “religious fanatic” when taking a public stand against sinful activities). Yet many of these individuals have no problem acting fanatical at a sporting event. Keep in mind the word “fan” is short for fanatic. Charles Spurgeon once said, “Be ye still men of might and vigour, men who serve their God with diligence and zeal.” Several verses in the Bible encourage zealousness. Here are a few of them: “Do not let your...
Post a Comment
Read more

A Visit to Lakewood Church

Image
One of the largest fellowships in the United States is Lakewood Church in Houston, Texas pastored by Joel and Victoria Osteen. Last Sunday morning, I attended one of their services for the first time. Lakewood Church meets in an arena where the Houston Rockets once played. Before going inside, I had to walk through a metal detector, plus have my backpack searched. I’m guessing increased security measures were enacted in response to a shooting that happened there two years ago. Since I arrived a half hour early for the 8:30 a.m. service, I took time to browse around. That included a huge bookstore. As expected, there were many of Pastor Joel’s books, but also some from other authors. Just before the service started, I picked a seat in the tenth row on the main floor (I could’ve sat closer but preferred an aisle seat). I also talked to an usher to make sure it was okay for me to take pictures. The arena eventually filled to about 25-30% capacity. That’s still a large crowd for an ear...
Post a Comment
Read more

Tests on the Train

Image
During the last couple of years, I’ve mostly traveled the United States by train due to Southwest Airlines adding baggage fees, and airports requiring a REAL ID (unless one is willing to pay an extra $45). One advantage to using Amtrak is you can have up to five pieces of luggage for free when going in between stations that check bags. At the time of this writing, I’m using another USA Rail Pass .  One downside of Amtrak is that their trains are frequently late. This past Monday, I was supposed to leave Saint Paul, Minnesota before 9 a.m. My train arrived over four hours later. As a result, I missed a connecting train going from Chicago to New Orleans (an Amtrak route I hadn’t taken before). That meant having to readjust my schedule.  Another inconvenience was the malfunctioning air conditioning on my train, which made me sweat in my seat for most of the journey. To add to my woes, my cell phone carrier went out of service for several hours. This was due to a nationwide ne...
Post a Comment
Read more

In His Order

Image
Over the years, I’ve become more selective regarding the kinds of churches I visit . No fellowship is perfect, and I’m careful not to adopt a critical spirit. However, I don’t want to sit through meetings void of the presence of God. I endured enough boring services at the religious institution I attended as a boy. Certainly, I won’t attend churches that affirm lifestyles that go against God’s word . I also shun fellowships that take potshots against the “ prosperity gospe l” and don’t have altar calls for salvation.  Another turnoff to me is churches giving out bulletins listing an “order of service.” It’s one thing for a pastor to have a plan of action. Many churches have a format of worship, announcements, offering, sermon, and an altar call. Some will add communion and baptisms at varying levels of frequency. However, if the pastor insists on sticking to a set schedule and doesn’t allow for sudden moves of the Holy Spirt, then it can become a dead religious meeting.  Du...
Post a Comment
Read more

A Tribute to Rick Keenan

Image
Rick, me, and Lee in 2014 Except for believers who are alive when the Lord raptures His church, every person will experience death. It’s sad when it happens to someone we know. Fortunately, there is comfort knowing we will see them again in heaven if they were saved. Last Sunday, a fellow evangelist who I worked with passed away. Back in 1998, I met Rick Keenan through Living Word Christian Center ’s evangelism ministry. Around that time, I started witnessing more on my own in addition to planned outreaches through the church. That included meeting Rick and others at the Mall of America. He advised us not to close our eyes while we prayed as a group to avoid attracting attention from security guards. During 1999, I made six trips to the Brownsville Revival in Pensacola, Florida. A couple of times, Rick invited me to live in his house while I made brief returns to Minnesota. Differences developed during my second stay there. Partially due to my missionary travels, we became estrang...
Post a Comment
Read more