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This is my last article in the Lord’s Prayer series. The traditional Lord’s prayer ends with the benediction, “Yours is the kingdom, and the power and the glory, forever, amen.” This is the declaration, “Yours is the kingdom”. The kingdom of God is where God is always obeyed and God’s will is always followed. Full and perfect obedience to God, for now, only exists in heaven. But because of Jesus, as Christians, by faith we can choose obedience to God. Through the Lord’s prayer, we pray that God’s kingdom would expand into earth as it is pe...
Each article I have been walking through the Lord's Prayer phrase by phrase. Rather than a rote prayer, the Lord's Prayer is an outline of how we can learn how to pray, on our own, following the example of Jesus Christ. Anytime you visit the ocean, there are always warning signs before entering the beach. Especially on the West coast there are signs warning against what are called "sneaker waves." A sneaker wave is one that is unusually larger or more powerful than the normal surf that is...
In each article, I have been walking through the Lord's Prayer phrase by phrase. Rather than a rote prayer, the Lord's Prayer is an outline of how we can learn how to pray, on our own, following the example of Jesus Christ. Matthew 6:12 directs us to our need for forgiveness and our need to forgive others, "Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors." Prayer flows out of a relationship with our Father in heaven. This relationship has been established because of Jesus Christ, and...
In his book, "Praying the Lord's Prayer," author Elmer Towns tells the story of a salesman who attended one of his Bible classes. The salesman worked in the appliance section of the local department store and was known for always wearing a straw hat. Everyone simply knew this man as the tall man wearing the straw hat. Most people assumed he always wore the hat because he was bald but that's not why he wore the hat. The man in the straw hat loved to talk to people and was a very good salesman....
I read a story about a frequent airline traveler who commented about observing exemplary service on a regular flight. On this occasion, the flight attendants were absolutely fantastic. The traveler noted that the flight crew was the most attentive, responsive flight crew he had ever seen. So, toward the end of the flight, he stopped one of the flight crew members and said, "Excuse me, I don't mean to bother you, but I fly a lot and I have never seen a flight crew like this. You are the most...
In order to teach us how to pray, Jesus gave us the Lord's Prayer to serve as an outline to guide our own prayers. Not only does the Lord's Prayer teach us elements of prayer to incorporate, we also see a Biblical worldview to change our thinking. Within a Biblical worldview, there are only the kingdom of the world and the kingdom of God. The arrival of Jesus into our world inaugurated the spiritual Kingdom of God with Jesus as king. We choose the kingdom of God when Jesus is ruler over our...
In the 1985 movie version of "Anne of Green Gables," as an orphan, young Anne is mistakenly placed with Marilla and Matthew Cuthbert. Marilla is a kind, but stern lady, but also has a deep faith in the Lord. Young Anne has no Christian upbringing, which is of great concern to Marilla. So the first night Anne is taught to pray. She gives it a try: "I'll do my best. Dear gracious heavenly Father, I thank you for everything. As for the things I especially want, they're so numerous it would take a...
I find great encouragement from the Lord's Prayer to give shape to my own prayers. Rather than just a rote prayer, Jesus gave us the Lord's Prayer as an outline to teach us how we should pray. When we pray through the Lord's Prayer, phrase by phrase, we understand how God is leading us to pray. The opening phrase, "Our Father in heaven" is a powerful reminder and truth of the personal access we have to God through our prayers. During the Apollo space missions to the moon, there were long, uncomf...
Our country has gone through a very troubling year to say the least. The anticipation of the recent election defined as much of 2020 as has the coronavirus. Everything that has taken place this year has caused many sleepless nights and anxiety. A large part of the uncertainty hinged on the outcome of the recent election. The results of elections are also described in terms of who won or lost, or what issue won or lost. The elections end up being about sides, and what side ends up winning in the...
Within our culture is a wide range of sources that claim to give wisdom, guidance and instruction. Many sadly choose to look to daily horoscopes to give insight into what might happen that day and wisdom for how to live. I read an article a while back that states: "NASA reveals you've had the wrong Zodiac sign all your life." Apparently, NASA quietly reminded the world that there are in fact 13 constellations in the original zodiac and not 12. The article actually blames the ancient...
My favorite online used bookstore recently shared about the all kinds of treasures that have been found left inside used books. Over the years, as they have sorted and cataloged used books, they have discovered a wide variety of items left hidden in the pages of used books. The biggest treasure was a bundle of 40 $1,000 bills. Also found was a Mickey Mantle rookie baseball card, a marriage certificate from 1879, a diamond ring and a baby's tooth. None of these interesting and valuable objects...
Years ago, the movie Castaway came out, in which Tom Hanks played a FedEx worker whose company plane went down, stranding him on a desert island for years. Not long after that FedEx ran a Super Bowl commercial that spoofed the movie "Castaway." Looking like a man who had been stranded on an island, the FedEx employee in the commercial goes up to the door of a suburban home, package in hand. When the lady comes to the door he explains that he survived five years on a desert island and during that...
The place of King Herod within the Christmas story is intertwined with the history of the Magi. The Lord used the Magi to reveal the birth of Jesus to outsiders from a faraway place. The response of the Magi was then authentic worship of Jesus as King and Messiah. Matthew 2:7-8 (NIV) "Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. He sent them to Bethlehem and said, "Go and make a careful search for the child. As soon as you find him, report to...
Looking back at the summer Olympics in 2016…there are so many questions about why are there so many ties in swimming? Going back several decades, there have been many instances in ties. Even in Rio, in 2016, there was a three-way tie for a silver medal. The question is…in our day and age, why isn’t there better measuring technology to avoid so many swimming ties. But the issue did not come down to the need for better timing systems…but the need for better pools. It turns out that there is a pretty big allowance for structural differe...
Concerts are a major industry and there are countless stories of music artists that list out lavish demands that concert promoters are required to take care of before the rock star will agree to come. One of the most notorious requirements came from the rock band Van Halen. Each of Van Halen’s contracts insisted that a bowl of M&M’s be provided backstage. However, every single brown M&M needed to be removed from the bowl. If the band arrived and saw that the bowl had any brown M&M’s in it, then they were free to cancel the concert and recei...
I received an email from one of my favorite online bookstores where I especially like to order Bibles from. The opening of the message certainly caught my attention: “Shop our selection of slightly imperfect” That really doesn’t give me a lot of confidence buying Bibles from a “slightly imperfect” discount sale. Now…I know what they mean…this is sort of a Bible bookstore version of a “scratch & dent” sale. I’m sure these Bibles don’t have the book of Romans missing, or the first 11 chapters of Genesis. Probably the cover might be blemished or...
It’s fascinating to look back over the decades at what couples dressed like. Every era over the past century had common fashions and trends that help us know what period history a couple lived in. What makes it possible to identify past eras is that couples looked just like everyone else around them. In relationships, and in marriage, the Bible actually gives us fashion advice to NOT treat others exactly as the world around does. This truth is seen in Colossians chapter 3. First, “Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hea...
This December I look forward to speaking for four Sundays about the original songs of Christmas. These four songs, contained in the first two chapters of Luke, poetically proclaim the Good News of Jesus. These first four songs of Christmas come from Mary, Zechariah (father of John the Baptist), the angels speaking to the shepherds and a man named Simeon. Together, these songs show us the expectation and wonder of the announcement and arrivals of Jesus Christ. In December, we traditionally observe the four weeks leading up to Christmas as the...
This past month our family traveled back to Washington to celebrate my parents’ 50th wedding anniversary. We had a wonderful visit with my parents, along with my brother and family traveling from Florida. The occasion of 50 years of marriage together was truly a time of celebration and thanksgiving. As my parents looked back over their years together, they were full of gratitude for the years they have shared and all the blessings received. Furthermore, all those who are close with my parents have experienced the example and demonstration of w...
There is an ancient story in the Bible that speaks of hurt and hopelessness. This story is timeless as there are many around us who are hurting, suffering, and without hope…yet those around are unaware. The Old Testament tells about a woman named Hannah in 1 Samuel. Hannah was unable to bear a child. This is a still a heartache for many women today. Especially in Hannah’s day not being able to bear children was a source of shame to not be able to have heirs to pass on property and wealth. Hannah had a loving husband Elkanah who saw that somethi...
