The Bold Witness

When you go without rain for a couple of months, you pray for it. Then the day comes when you remember the wise old saying, "Be careful what you pray for; you just might get it." And so the rain prayed for comes, and comes, and comes. So that where one and a half inches of rain all of a sudden causes some mild flash flooding, six and a half inches of rain all of a sudden disrupts your life. I am really a water person. I like rivers and lakes and streams and ponds. I like going to the coast to play in the Gulf of Mexico. As a kid I used to love walking barefoot in the little fast moving streams of water flowing along the curb of the street after a rain. But I am not a fan of ankle deep mub in the path I have to walk to get to work or the grocery store. And I do not like walking through ankle deep puddles of water to cross the road. And I do not like the mud that ends up coming down the hill from my neighbor's yard and covering my back patio. And why can't we

One of my favorite verses from the Bible is the NIV translation of Acts 28:31. "Boldly and without hindrance he preached the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ." I try to make that the moto of my life. And, as Paul was bold in everything he did, I also try to be bold in all aspects of my life. Today was one of those days. Tuesday is a regular day off for me and I have two regular activities I paraticipate in each Tuesday. One is a small ministry group at church called From My Heart to Your Hear. The other is donating plasma. Both activities, though worthwhile, normal require very little effort on my part. But today was different. When I woke up today San Antonio was in the middle of Tropical Storm Hermine. The wind was blowing hard with gusts over 45 mph, and the rain was coming down in drops as big as my thumb. I do not own a car and, therefore, I have to walk and ride the bus everywhere I go. So traveling today required me to be bold. I could h

I recently attended a Bible Study were the subject scripture passage was Mark 6:1-8. That is the passage that tells of Jesus being rejected by the folks of his home town. The teacher reminded us that even Jesus's mother and siblings were not sure what he was up to and tried to get him to go home with them at one point. That is when Jesus declared that those who followed him were his family. And latter Jesus warned that he would devide families, and that chosing to follow him would men leaving behind one's family. I have a very close friend who is studying to be a minister, and he does not enjoy the support of his family in his pursuit. They have questioned his desire, and even suggested that he get a "real" job instead of chasing a dream. Far from being encouraging his efforts to become a minister of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, they are detractors. And thought they do not directly fight against his efforts, if one is not your friend can it not be said that pers

I am not certain why, but I sense I am entering into a new phase in my life. The way I spend my free time, the things that interest me, and the things that I am loosing interest in are all changing. The changes are slow and suptle, but I do sense a change, none the less. I suppose it is a matter of growth and maturity, especially in my fainth and understanding of scripture and Christian theology. I have been reading two seminary level text books recently. As a result of that reading and thinking, my understanding of the Word of God is deeping and growing stronger. That, in turn, is have an effect on the rest of my life. I am not sure where all this is heading at this point, but I feel quite certain that the new year will bring some changes. And some of those might be signifigant. We shall just wait to see what God has in store for me. Whatever it is, praise God!

Scripture reference: Judges 5:28-30 Natalia sat on a cushion of lamb fleece covered in purple silk at the window of her bed chamber starring anxiously through the lattice. It had been one cycle of the moon since her son, Sisera, had gone off to fight the rebellious Israelis. He should have made quick work of those weak and silly people, and have returned home by now. What could it be that has slowed his chariot? Why has the sound of its wheels not filled the air beneath her window? What has so delayed her precious son? "Oh, my lady," spoke Muriel, one of her attendants, "do not be worried. No doubt they are busy dividing the spoils. I hear the Israelis have many fine items of gold. It must be that which is delaying your son's return." "And also," spoke another of the women, "there are the fine young Israeli girls to be divided among your son's army. If they are arguing over which is the best and who has first rights, that will surely

Scripture reference: Acts 3:1-10 The pews across America are filled every Sunday with people who autonomically go to church. They do it like breathing or going to the bathroom. They do it without thought. They do it in the same way at the same time with the same mind set. It is a routine function of their life, just like eating and sleeping. These are the sort of people depicted in our reference scripture. These friends of the lame man who bring him to the same Temple gate at the same hour of every Sabbath. They do it autonomically without any conviction or faith. It is just something they have gotten used to doing. Just like so many church-goers of today. Who were these men who brought this lame man to the Temple and just left him outside the gate every week? Why did they do this? Why did they not take the man into the Temple? What, if anything, were they expecting to result from this activity? These are the same questions we could ask of people who just go to church on a