Today's Word

[Judy Harder]

Today's Word for Pastors...

Revelation 21:4
He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away."
Today's Preaching Insight...

The Theology of Ecology

I have just returned from my annual, "Dear God, I can't take this anymore; please release me; let me go; I'm leaving on a jet plane, don't know when I'll be back again" break, otherwise known as a vacation. During that time from the mountains to the beach, I got reacquainted with this beautiful place called planet earth. The clean air, pristine lakes, beautiful beaches and trees from pines to palms reminded me of how good God has been to give us such a wonderful home.

It goes without saying that environmental issues have become a hot topic literally and figuratively. It doesn't matter where you go or who you listen to, it seems like everyone these days is talking about the environment, whether they are professors or professionals, actors or athletes, bureaucrats or business people. The topic is certainly relevant right here in our country; although we represent roughly 5 percent of the world's population, we generate 40 percent of its waste. The average American family produces 40 pounds of garbage every week. Every day, we dispose of approximately 200 million tons of garbage and less than a quarter of it is recycled. Only 7,000 of the 20,000 landfills that have been operating since 1978 are now in operation. Of those 7,000, more than 90 percent of those do not meet EPA regulations. Even such a thing as one leaky faucet can waste up to 50 gallons of fresh water a day, which is astounding considering the fact that only 3 percent of the world's water is fresh water. I could go on, but you get the picture.

(To read the rest of this article, click here to visit the official webpage)

Today's Extra...

Illustration: Listening

In his book Directions, author James Hamilton shares this insight about listening to God: "Before refrigerators, people used icehouses to preserve their food. Icehouses had thick walls, no windows and a tightly fitted door. In winter, when streams and lakes were frozen, large blocks of ice were cut, hauled to the icehouses and covered with sawdust. Often the ice would last well into the summer.

One man lost a valuable watch while working in an icehouse. He searched diligently for it, carefully raking through the sawdust, but didn't find it. His fellow workers also looked, but their efforts, too, proved futile. A small boy who heard about the fruitless search slipped into the icehouse during the noon hour and soon emerged with the watch. Amazed, the men asked him how he found it. I closed the door,'' the boy replied, "lay down in the sawdust, and kept very still. Soon I heard the watch ticking.'' Often the question is not whether God is speaking, but whether we are being still enough and quiet enough to hear. Yes, Jesus assures us that our heavenly Father always listens to us, but do we really listen to God? Do we follow the instructions of Psalm 46, "Be still, and know that I am God"?  (Eric S. Ritz, Sermons.com)

[Judy Harder]

Today's Word for Pastors...

Psalms 20:7
Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.
Today's Preaching Insight...

Praying in the Dark

Faced with yet another life-threatening crisis in our small missionary community in Nigeria, I poured out my grief and disillusionment as I wrote in my journal, "What do you do when you have prayed and prayed and it doesn't seem to make a bit of difference?"

There are times when prayer flows naturally and God seems so close. But on many other occasions prayer seems like a monologue. God feels distant and doesn't seem to hear. George Buttrick described it as "beating on heaven's door with bruised knuckles in the dark." We feel like we are praying in the dark.

What is it Like?

We feel Lonely. We feel we are the only person who has ever known this kind of pain or grief. People try to offer kind words but they really cannot understand our darkness.

We feel Abandoned. God seems to have left us or seems indifferent to what is happening. The Psalmist exclaimed in 10:1 "Why, O Lord, do you stand far off? Why do you hide yourself?" Elsewhere he cried out, "How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me?" (13:1).

We feel Overwhelmed by Crisis. Nothing makes any sense. We feel like victims in a cruel cosmic game, discouraged and helpless. We echo the words of Jesus in Gethsemane: "My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death" (Matthew 26:38).

(To read the rest of this article, click here to visit the official page)

Today's Extra...

Illustration: Fame, Fleeting Nature Of

Many have labeled Millard Fillmore the most obscure president in American history. Fillmore, our 13th president, succeeded to the presidency after the sudden death of Zachary Taylor. He was not nominated for a second term. There is a small cabin marking his birth in a state park, but the cabin is a reproduction and not on the site of his birth. There is a home he inhabited for four years, but it is not on the site of his property. When people meet for formal events at his grave, it often is to mock his obscurity. His grave is located in his family section of the Albany cemetery. The area is marked by a small obelisk, and there is some mention of him and his family members on the outer perimeter; but what is on the president's grave itself? No listing of his accomplishments, no date of birth or death. His grave does not even bear his name. His grave simply carries the initials of M.F. Here was a man who founded a major university; served as a state legislator and U.S. congressman, vice president and president. How quickly we forget!

[Judy Harder]

Today's Word for Pastors...

Psalm 20:7
Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.

Today's Preaching Insight...

To Those Who Have Loved and Lost

Grief is an experience common to all of us. We all lose someone we love at sometime. The difference lies in the names and circumstances of our losses. Like many of you, I too have lost a child. There's something terribly wrong with the scene of a parent standing over a child's grave. It's supposed to be the other way!

Others of you have lost a spouse or a sibling or a friend or a parent. To lose a parent is to lose the past. To lose a spouse, sibling, or friend is to lose the present. To lose a child is to lose the future. Each of us has loved and lost and, now, the grief we feel is overwhelming sometimes and persistent at all times. I believe the depth of our grief arises from the depth of our love. When we lose someone we greatly love, how can we not deeply grieve and how can that grief quickly pass? Deep grief never passes quickly and never passes completely. My loss occurred almost 20 years ago; your loss occurred this past year. Yet, our common grief persists. How should we, how can we, respond to our losses?

Here are three responses to loss that deal with the past, present, and the future of our lives. Some people respond to their loss with regret as they focus on the past. Their grief is defined by their guilt about what was but should not have been or their guilt about what should have been but was not. The words they often think and say with respect to their deceased loved one are "if only." If only I had not let him take the car that night! If only I had told her I loved her more often! If only I had done more for him! If only...

(To read the rest of this article, click here to visit the official website)

Today's Extra...

In an article in the July 26, 2003 issue of World magazine, Gene Veith points out that, "Christianity is growing at a rate that is nearly unparalleled in the history of the church. Yet this growth primarily is taking place in cultures that previously have not been Christian at all. In historically Christian societies, where for centuries upon centuries the church has thrived, Christianity seems to be fading.

"In 1900, according to statistics from the Website of the mission organization Synergos, Western Europe was home to more than 70 percent of the world's professing Christians. Today, that figure has shrunk to 28 percent. In 2025, it is projected that only about one in five of the world's Christians will be Europeans. North America had just more than one in 10 of the world's Christians at the beginning of the last century. By 2025, for all of the megachurches and church-growth techniques—which seem mainly to draw on people who already are Christians, taking them from small congregations to bigger ones—the percentage is projected to decline slightly.

"Conversely in 1900, 1.7 percent of the world's Christians lived in Africa. Today, that figure is nearly 18 percent, and it is projected by 2025 to rise to more than 25 percent. That is to say, there will be substantially more Christians in Africa than in Europe. Asia is experiencing similar growth. In 1900, it was home to 3.7 percent of the world's Christians; but by 2025, the share of Christians living in Asia is projected to equal the share in Europe, with slightly more than 20 percent. Latin America is projected to be home to less than a quarter of the world's Christians."

[Judy Harder]

Today's Word for Pastors...

Psalms 119:67-71
Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I obey your word. You are good, and what you do is good; teach me your decrees. Though the arrogant have smeared me with lies, I keep your precepts with all my heart. Their hearts are callous and unfeeling, but I delight in your law. It was good for me to be afflicted so that I might learn your decrees.

Today's Preaching Insight...

Handling Your Children And Handling Your Parents

The eye that mocks a father and scorns to obey a mother will be pecked out by the ravens of the valley and eaten by the vultures. (Proverbs 30:17)

Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. "Honor your father and mother" — this is the first commandment with a promise: "so that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth." (Ephesians 6:1-3)

Today, on Father's Day, I feel led by the Holy Spirit to address parent-child relations.

Let me make clear that I do not share with you from the authority position of one who has mastered biblical teachings in my own life as either a father or a child. But I am endeavoring to wrestle with these issues along with you. God forbid that there be any attitude of arrogance or superiority. The starting point of everything I teach and preach is that the ground is level at the foot of the cross. None of us is perfect. That's another way of saying that all have sinned. Each of us, myself included, is part of this local organization, the church, which could just as well be referred to as "sinners anonymous." We are a group of men and women of all ages who acknowledge that we are sinners and need the forgiveness provided through Jesus Christ and the help and strength of the Holy Spirit and each other to make it through one day at a time.

Once this ground rule is clearly established, that I speak as one of you, not as one separate from you, we can move on as we endeavor to confront these very important teachings of God's Word.

The message has two parts. Part one is addressed to parents. Part two is addressed to children.

(To read the rest of this article, click here to visit the official website)

Today's Extra...

Illustration: Struggle

In a recent issue of his One Minute Uplift newsletter, Rick Ezell writes: "The pages of history are lined with individuals encountering negative setbacks only to make something positive out of them. They are better for it. In many cases so are we."Thomas Edison, when a boy, received a blow on his ear which impaired his hearing. What a tragedy! Later he felt his deafness was a blessing, for it was a tool by which he was saved from distractions.

This allowed him to concentrate on his work, and out of that concentration emerged some of the greatest inventions of all times."Victor Hugo, a literary genius of France, was exiled from his country by Napoleon. What a tragedy! Out of that period of exile arose some of his most creative works. When he later returned home in triumph, he asked, 'Why was I not exiled earlier?'"Helen Keller, born blind and deaf, faced obstacle after obstacle in her life. However, on more that one occasion she confided, 'I thank God for my obstacles, for through them I have found myself, my work and my God.'"

George Frederick Handel was at a low point in his life. His money was gone, and his creditors hounded him, threatening him with imprisonment. His right side became paralyzed, and his health deteriorated. For a brief time he was tempted to give up. In the midst of the darkness he picked himself up and began to do the only thing he knew to do--write music.

Out of that despair he wrote the oratorio known as The Messiah, which many consider the greatest piece of church music in history."The fiber tying Edison, Hugo, Keller and Handel together is that these people refused to be defeated by their problems. They saw their misfortunes and bad luck not as dilemmas to destroy them, but as opportunities to grow and develop in ways that otherwise would have been impossible."

[Judy Harder]

Today's Word for Pastors...

Ephesians 4:29
Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.

Today's Preaching Insight...

Building Godly Marriages and 'God Kids'

In our culture today there is a monumental clash of opinions concerning the institution of marriage. The church needs to be aware of it; Christians need to be taking it very seriously!There are those, speaking from a purely secular point of view, who insist that human beings, over the course of many centuries, have devised different ways of organizing society.

Moreover, these different ways have quite naturally evolved; and somewhere in the process, something that we now call marriage appeared on the scene. But these people say that marriage, as it now exists, clearly is not working! They cite, of course, the high incidence of divorce; and as we all know, many people who don't divorce are locked into a marriage that is loveless and joyless. But, they cheerily add, "Don't worry about it because, as we know, over the centuries, better solutions to human dilemmas have evolved, so we can expect to see alternative lifestyles evolving! We should embrace them because they will be a marked improvement!"

A lot of people probably could not articulate this theory, but they are certainly learning to put it into practice! Divorce has become normative, multiple marriages are not at all unusual, and large numbers of people are not getting married at all—and these "improvements" are being heralded as sociological advances. Many children are being born "out" of what we used to call wedlock, and that which was regarded with disfavor not too long ago is now accepted by a large segment of our society.

(To read the rest of this article, click here to visit the official website)

Today's Extra...

Illustration: Listening

In his book Directions, author James Hamilton shares this insight about listening to God: "Before refrigerators, people used icehouses to preserve their food. Icehouses had thick walls, no windows and a tightly fitted door. In winter, when streams and lakes were frozen, large blocks of ice were cut, hauled to the icehouses and covered with sawdust. Often the ice would last well into the summer.

One man lost a valuable watch while working in an icehouse. He searched diligently for it, carefully raking through the sawdust, but didn't find it. His fellow workers also looked, but their efforts, too, proved futile. A small boy who heard about the fruitless search slipped into the icehouse during the noon hour and soon emerged with the watch.Amazed, the men asked him how he found it.I closed the door,'' the boy replied, "lay down in the sawdust, and kept very still. Soon I heard the watch ticking.''Often the question is not whether God is speaking, but whether we are being still enough and quiet enough to hear. Yes, Jesus assures us that our heavenly Father always listens to us, but do we really listen to God? Do we follow the instructions of Psalm 46, "Be still, and know that I am God"?

[Judy Harder]

Today's Word for Pastors...

Colossians 3:16
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.

Today's Preaching Insight...

Discovering Church

Matthew 16:13-18: Let's enter an imaginary time tunnel and journey back about 20 centuries. As we do, remember that in the place we find ourselves there is no United States of America. The modern civilizations of Europe, Australia and Canada, as well as other contemporary cultures do not exist. Even the nation of Israel looks completely different.

In the first century, there are no Christian traditions, and we certainly find no denominations or churches. Where we're imagining ourselves standing, no one has even heard the word church before; and the Jewish culture of the day exists in the context of a pagan Roman government that dominates the land of Israel. On top of all that, the official religious leaders of the day are proud, self-serving and corrupt. It was in such an environment that the church began.Whenever we want to understand a topic or term such as church, we should begin at the passage of primary reference. It helps to ask where the word first appeared and in what context it was used. Surprisingly, the first mention in the New Testament of the word church wasn't from the the apostle Paul. Peter didn't coin the term, nor did any of the other apostles. It was Jesus.

(To read more of this article, click here to visit the official website)

Today's Extra...

Spiritual Ledership

Oswald Sanders' great book Spiritual Leadership (Moody) may one of the most valuable books about leadership every published. He covers a variety of topics that relate to the work of church leaders and encourages leaders to lives that are effective and godly.]

[Judy Harder]

Today's Word for Pastors...

Psalms 18:46
The LORD lives! Praise be to my Rock! Exalted be God my Savior!

Today's Preaching Insight...

The Gospel that Divides

Is religion relevant? Many people apparently do not think so. They don't believe religion is necessary because they are convinced that all anyone really needs in life can be obtained through science and technology. For them, any attention given to spiritual matters is a waste of time.

Such people sometimes reluctantly concede that religion might be useful as long as it focuses on humanitarian help at the individual level and universal unity and harmony at the societal level. In their minds, under no circumstances should religion ever be allowed to polarize or divide society. Instead it should relentlessly seek the utopian goal of "world peace."Did Jesus Christ come to this earth to usher in world peace? Hardly. Hear the biblical rebuttal to this erroneous notion in Jesus' own words:

"Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I came to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. And a man's enemies will be the members of his household. He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who does not take up his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. He who has found his life will lose it, and he who has lost his life for My sake will find it."

(To read the rest of this article, click here to visit the official website)

Today's Extra...

Illustration: Vision, Perception
My face in the mirror

Isn't wrinkled or drawn.

My house isn't dirty,

The cobwebs are gone.

My garden looks lovely

And so does my lawn.

I think I might never

Put my glasses back on.

[Judy Harder]

Today's Word for Pastors...

Psalm 19:1-2

The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge.

Today's Preaching Insight...

Response to Crisis: Message at National Day of Prayer and Remembrance
No matter how hard we try, words simply cannot express the horror, the shock and the revulsion we all feel over what took place in this nation on Tuesday morning. September 11 will go down in our history as a day to remember.Today we say to those who masterminded this cruel plot, and to those who carried it out, that the spirit of this nation will not be defeated by their twisted and diabolical schemes.

Some day those responsible will be brought to justice, as President Bush and our Congress have so forcefully stated.But today, we especially come together in this service to confess our need of God. We've always needed God from the very beginning of this nation, but today we need Him especially. We're facing a new kind of enemy. We're involved in a new kind of warfare and we need the help of the Spirit of God. The Bible's words are our hope: "God is our refuge and strength, an ever present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea" (Psalm 46:1-2).But how do we understand something like this?

Why does God allow evil like this to take place? Perhaps that is what you are asking now. You may even be angry at God. I want to assure you that God understands these feelings that you may have.

(To read the rest of this article, click here to visit the official website)

Today's Extra...

Illustration: Position, Motivation

Charley, a new retiree-greeter at Wal-Mart, just couldn't seem to get to work on time.

Every day he was 5, 10, 15 minutes late...but he was a good worker--really tidy, clean-shaven, sharp-minded, a real credit to the company and obviously was good at demonstrating their "Older Person Friendly" policies.One day, the boss called him into the office for a talk. "Charley, I have to tell you: I like your work ethic, you do a bang up job; but your being late so often is quite bothersome." "Yes, I know boss, and I am working on it."

''Well good, you are a team player. That's what I like to hear. It's odd, though--your coming in late. I know you're retired from the Armed Forces. What did they say if you came in late there?"

'They said, "Good morning, Admiral, can I get you coffee, sir?'''

[Judy Harder]

Today's Word for Pastors...

Psalms 7:1
O LORD my God, I take refuge in you; save and deliver me from all who pursue me,
Today's Preaching Insight...

Living Upstairs

Gilbert K. Chesterton the British poet, essayist, novelist and journalist was dubbed "The Prince of Paradox." Chesterton was a professed Christian and he once made the spiritual observation that in the house of life many people are content to live in the cellar. In fact, they seem to assume that the cellar is the only room in the house.

I think we know exactly what he was saying. There are many who live out their lives in the dusty, musty chambers of the basement of life. They live where there is little vision of what life is really all about. But when someone becomes a Christian, they are moved upstairs to enjoy the quarters of the Heavenly Father.

Out of the life of the great Scottish preacher, George H. Morrison, there comes a story of a woman who lived in the cellar when she first went to hear him preach. He is one of the great preachers of all time. He was a great expositor of the Word. In the process, she became converted. Sometime later, someone noted that she had moved to an upstairs flat. In her well kept yard now there were flowers. A song regularly came from her little flat. When someone asked her about her move out of the cellar, she replied in her rich Scottish brogue, "Well, you can't live in a cellar and listen to George Morrison preach!"

(To read the rest of this article, click here to visit the official website)

Today's Extra...

Illustration: Position, Motivation

Charley, a new retiree-greeter at Wal-Mart, just couldn't seem to get to work on time.

Every day he was 5, 10, 15 minutes late...but he was a good worker--really tidy, clean-shaven, sharp-minded, a real credit to the company and obviously was good at demonstrating their "Older Person Friendly" policies.One day, the boss called him into the office for a talk. "Charley, I have to tell you: I like your work ethic, you do a bang up job; but your being late so often is quite bothersome." "Yes, I know boss, and I am working on it."

''Well good, you are a team player. That's what I like to hear. It's odd, though--your coming in late. I know you're retired from the Armed Forces. What did they say if you came in late there?"

'They said, "Good morning, Admiral, can I get you coffee, sir?'''

[Judy Harder]

Today's Word for Pastors...

Philippians 4:6
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

Today's Preaching Insight...

It's Not About You

We would never be guilty of making worship more about ourselves than God, would we? How many times have you left a worship service only to complain, "I didn't get anything out of it today!" We make statements that are saturated with self as if worship is all about us:

• "Why can't we sing more of the songs that I like?"

• "I don't think the preacher should talk about this or that!"• "I can't believe so-and-so didn't talk to me today!"

• "No one ever notices what I do in the church."

Here's the problem: Worship isn't about getting anything; it's about giving everything to God! The above attitudes make us idle judges of activity rather than active participants in adoration toward a holy God. Christian consumerism defines the quality of our worship by the number of ministries for people, the size and quality of our buildings, the popularity of our pastors, the style of our music and an obvious determination to make people happy. One concern emerges as primary: "What have you done for me lately?"

Unfortunately, we still fall short of making everyone happy, and God is disgusted with our obvious worship of and preoccupation with ourselves. Our efforts to be seeker-sensitive and self-sensitive have made us insensitive to the Divine Presence who is to be the focus of our worship. Or, as the apostle Paul said, we have "exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator" (Rom. 1:25, NASB).

(To read the rest of this article, click here to visit the official website) 

Today's Extra...

Reclaiming the Old Testament for Christian Preaching

Reclaiming the Old Testament for Christian Preaching (IVP Academic) is an outstanding collection of essays offering practical insights for preaching from various literary genres found in the Old Testament, including narrative, lament, poetry, prophetic material and more. The book includes work by outstanding Old Testament scholars and will be a useful tool in the hands of expository preachers.