We Know Who Holds The New Year

No matter what this New Year holds, we know the One who holds the New Year. We can trust Him to care for us as the pages of the calendar turn from day to day, as the hands of the clock tick from minute to minute, as our hearts beat moment by moment. Blessings – Bob

The Constitution and a Question of Citizenship

The US Constitution protects the right of free speech; but it does not give me the right to yell "fire" in an theater when there is no fire. 

But beyond that, for the professing church, unless we live as citizens of heaven first and foremost, (Philippians 3:20, Hebrews Chapter 11, 1 Peter 1:1; 2:4 - 12), we will lose our focus on the Gospel and the testimony of Jesus. 

Political distractions are more dangerous to the church than bullets and bombs; bombs and bullets can only kill our bodies, but political polarization can warp our souls and debilitate our witness. When the church departs from the mission to bring others to Jesus by substituting political agendas, it loses its identity. 

Advent Irony

Isn't it ironic that during Advent there are professing Christians advocating that we kill those opposed to the Gospel? We were all enemies at one time,even when we were enemies Christ died for us - ought we not to seek the grace to emulate Him? We used to be encouraged to carry Bibles, now we are encouraged to carry weapons. And we can't even engage in a reasoned dialogue on the issue. 

The next time someone talks to me about Bonhoeffer I'm going to ask, "Have you read the Cost of Discipleship?" I wonder what he would think to know that some professing Christians use him as justification for vitriol and animus saying, "Bonhoeffer opposed Hitler, we should oppose so and so." Bonhoeffer was a bit more complicated than many would have us believe. 

I have been a student of history since a child and I can't think of one good thing that ever came from the professing church taking up weapons - it is a repudiation of our identification with the Lamb slain - we are saying, "Our Shepherd cannot protect us. We reject the call to know the koinonia of His sufferings."

We should equip our people to lay down their lives, not to take the lives of others.