Musings from My Sun Porch

                 Ephesians 2:10 tells us that God has prepared, in advance, certain good works for each of us to do.   Why then, do we often fear that we are inadequate or unprepared to do what He calls us to do?   We should recognize that He knows exactly who we are and what we are capable of accomplishing.             This thought was driven home to me recently when I read the book of Judges.   As the angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon, his first words were, “The Lord is with you, mighty warrior” (Judges 6: 12b NIV84).   He was about to call Gideon to lead His troops into battle, but if you consider where Gideon was and what he was doing, when the angel appeared, the thought of Gideon as a “mighty warrior” is almost laughable.               When the angel appeared, Gideon was in a wine press tryin...

                 I am currently doing a study of the Gospel of John with some friends.   One of the things that has disturbed me as we have read through the first 12 chapters is the number of people who believed but were afraid to say so (John 7: 13).   Especially disturbing is John 12: 42 – 43, which reads, “Yet at the same time many even among the leaders believed in him.  But because of the Pharisees they would not confess their faith for fear they would be put out of the synagogue; for they loved praise from men more than praise from God” (NIV84).             Today, people all over the world are faced with danger if they confess their allegiance to Christ.   Consider Ahmad whose brother tried to kill him because he left Islam for Christianity.   By standing firm in his belief, Ahmad’s brother also became a Christian.   Ahmad is not alone.   Se...

                 I just completed three weeks of Boot Camp for 55+!   If I said that it was not difficult, I would be lying.   If I said that it was not challenging, I would be lying.   If I said that it was not invigorating, I would be lying, and if I said that I didn’t enjoy it, I would be lying.   Any kind of strenuous workout is both difficult and invigorating at the same time.   While I felt stretched to the limit, when it was finished for the day, I felt renewed energy despite the sore muscles.               In many ways, Bible Study is like Boot Camp.   At Boot Camp, we had coaches who carefully guided us to keep us on track and showed us exactly how to do the various exercises.   In Bible Study, teachers do the same to help us better understand the Scripture.   Our Boot Camp coaches were carefully selected to ensure that they had...

                 As the day dawned that Friday morning some 2000-plus years ago, I’m sure that the Pharisees and Religious Leaders could almost smell victory.   For three years they had struggled to stop the One who challenged their authority and often made them look like fools.   Now, He had acknowledged to them that He is the Son of God—blasphemy in their eyes (Matthew 26: 63 – 66).   It was time to end His nonsense once and for all.   The only thing standing in their way was the Roman government.   The Jewish leaders only had to convince the Roman governor, Pilate, that this man was worthy of death, and then the victory would be complete—or so they thought.             Those men had been educated in the Jewish law and should have known all the prophecies that God had given over thousands of years concerning the Messiah.   Unfortunately for them, the...

                 This is Holy Week, or what some refer to as Passover Week.   It is the time between Palm Sunday, when the crowds welcomed Jesus into Jerusalem, and Resurrection Sunday when Christ rose from the dead.   The days between those two Sundays were filled with many noteworthy events.               On Monday, Jesus cleared the money changers and various markets from the Temple.   More important than the cleansing was His declaration that “My House will be called a House of Prayer” (Matthew 21: 13 NIV84).             Tuesday was the day that He had a final confrontation with the Pharisees and Religious Leaders.   He knew what they were planning, and He took one last opportunity to show them the error of their ways.   As educated men, they should have recognized the Messiah when He stood b...

                 In my last post, I talked about the fact that we have unlimited access to the Creator of the Universe.   We don’t need a special invitation or have a fear of punishment.   We can talk to Him anytime, and the best part is that He listens.   However, His response to us may depend on how we approach Him.             First and foremost, remember that you are talking to the God of all gods and the Lord of Lords.   Come before Him with reverence and awe.   Jesus began the Lord’s Prayer with “Father, hallowed it be your name” (Luke 11: 2 NIV84).   Hallowed means holy.   Never forget that God is a holy God.   The Lord, Himself said through the Psalmist, “Be still and know that I am God” (Psalm 46: 10 NIV84).   Begin by knowing Who you are talking to.             Next, you ...

Have you ever met or talked to someone powerful or famous? The closest that I ever got to having a conversation with a celebrity was many years ago on my birthday.   At that time, the Christian speaker and writer, Liz Curtis Higgs, still worked at WHAS radio station as a disc jockey.   She often called people to wish them a “happy birthday” on the air.   One year, my staff conspired behind my back to convince her that I should be the “one”.   Imagine my surprise when my Secretary told me that Liz Curtis Higgs was on the phone.   It was an interesting conversation and brought a lot of smiles, but it was not the norm. It’s not easy to contact someone famous for a variety of reasons.   You can’t just show up at the White House and say that you want to speak to the President.   You can’t call up your favorite celebrity and invite them to dinner.   Surprisingly, in some cultures, even attempting to contact someone powerful could lead to imprisonment ...

                 I’ve been reading and studying God’s Word for most of my life.   I’ve been teaching Bible Studies since I was in college—many, many years ago.   Yet, I must admit that there are still many verses that I don’t understand.   Over the years, I’ve had times when verses that I’ve read over and over suddenly come to life as the Holy Spirit guides me to a new revelation.   Still, I am confident that when I get to Heaven, I’ll have questions about the thousands of verses that I still don’t understand.             While we all have verses that we don’t understand, I wonder if we all have verses that we don’t like.   I’m not talking about those verses that convict us, or, in our stubbornness, we don’t want to obey. I’m talking about those verses that tear at our hearts as we consider who God is and what He has done for us. Here are a few of mine. ...

                 In my last blog post, I talked about what the Lord requires of us—to fear Him, to walk in His ways, to love Him, and to obey His commandments.   We should be able to realize that all those things are for our good since His ways are so much better than ours.   Sadly, many people prefer to do their own thing rather than submit to God.             God went on to tell the Israelites , “See, I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse—the blessing if you obey the commands of the Lord your God that I am giving you today; the curse if you disobey the commands of the Lord your God and turn from the way that I command you today by following other gods, which you have not known (Deuteronomy 11:26-28 NIV84).             So, how does that apply to us as Christians?   How do our lives and future ch...