Last Words
I will never forget the last moment of communication I had with my Grandma, Betty Czarnecki, as she lay on her deathbed. I had just finished singing, “It is Well with My Soul” at her bedside, and she looked up at me with those sparkling eyes, and although she was unable to speak she gently squeezed my hand two times, as if to say, “Thank you, I love you…and I know it is well with my soul.” And it was finally well with her soul, because just before her final stroke she had placed her trust in Jesus Christ as her personal Savior.
Perhaps you recall the final words or last wishes of your grandfather, grandma, mother, father, or uncle. And just like my moment with my Grandma, those last words or moments have been forever emblazoned on your mind and in your heart.
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Carrot Christianity
Does behavior “A” always result in “B” – every time? Is Christianity just a cause and effect cycle? Does God keep the carrot of heaven’s hope or hell’s punishment out in front of our noses so that we behave properly? Does God say, “If you behave correctly, you’ll be safe and get what you want! So you better be a nice person, give money to the church, and not have sex before marriage!” Or is there something more?
To be honest, a lot of preaching in today’s culture resembles a man dangling a carrot in front of a donkey’s nose – “Just keep going – the carrot is your cause!”
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Death at Church
The beautiful sunshine of spring was gently cascading across the landscape as our little son, Hudson, and I drove across town to worship Christ with the Evangel church family at this year’s Good Friday service. We sang cheerily as we turned northward onto Telegraph road, just a couple miles south of our church campus.
Suddenly the ominous, startling sound of an ambulance rang through our eardrums. Hudson fearfully grasped for my hand as a large EMS vehicle raced past us at breakneck speed. I wondered what we might find up ahead, but I never imagined the scene would be so shocking…
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Reality Check.
Sometimes we need a good reality check. The rich culture we live in (yes, we are filthy rich in comparison to 90% of the world) is constantly promulgating the idea that the apex of life is achieving a state of financial independence so that one can enjoy constant ease and recreation.
Is there something wrong with ease and recreation? No, certainly there is place for balanced ease and recreation in the life of a Christ-follower. However, if we focus our mind’s attention and heart’s affection on getting to a place of capitalistic nirvana, we will slowly let our guard down and begin to choose what is expedient for ourselves rather than what is effectual for the mission of God.
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Steve Jobs vs. Jesus
And too be totally honest, we are still enjoying the smooth, simple sailing of the Apple orchard. However, just as soon as we jumped on-board we began to hear rumblings that Steve Jobs was ill – very ill; that the company could be headed for demise; and that the snarling pack of competitors was nipping at Apple’s heels. Prophetic voices from PC think tanks announced dire predictions, sometimes with obvious dereliction. But nevertheless, it seemed they had a point: a few bad mistakes conjoined with the death of the immensely creative and charismatic leader, Steve Jobs, could lead to great collapse. Steve Jobs was the face of Apple. He was the leader of every launch. He was always ahead of the pack. But he soon would be gone.
And rather quickly, he did depart. Gone forever.
