Following The Son

Memorial Day weekend has passed, college students are home, schools are letting out, and vacations will soon be under way. It's summer! Once summer hits many folks head to the shore. Whether it's Jones or Orchard Beach, the Hamptons, the Jersey Shore, Ocean City, or a trip to the islands we love to head to the ocean when the weather gets warm. 2,000 years ago, following Jesus' resurrection, He took a trip to the shore. It was on the beach one morning that Jesus would challenge His disciples to continue to follow Him, as he restored Peter with the charge of, “ feed my sheep." (John 21:17) In fact, it was during a camping trip that the children of Israel experienced the presence of God in Exodus, it was a boat ride that would take Jonah back to fulfill God's call, a trip to the mountain would result in God's Word being given through Moses, and some unplanned time on the islands would result in the Gospel being preached to the people of Malta and John...

“Dad! Something is in the fireplace! I think it’s a squirrel!” I was in my office and answered my phone to hear my son express these words to me.  “I’ll be right there.” (That’s what Dads do. They come rescue their families from ravenous predators). I arrived and walked in already wondering how I would catch a squirrel. I remembered Clark Griswold having to catch a squirrel in National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation. He was going to catch it in a blanket and hit it with a hammer. I figured I’d leave the hammer part out, and go with more of a catch and release method.  I shined the flashlight in to discover a bird making all the racket.  “Bring me a blanket.” My son returned with the blanket/bird catcher. I gently opened the fireplace doors and reached in and trapped the bird. I wrapped him up, carried him outside, and released him. He flew off with incredible speed, but then the most unusual thing happened. From up in the sky he turned around an...

For many of us Memorial Day weekend means we get a day off. The true meaning of the day is to remember those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice for our country. Men and Women have given their lives so that we would have the right to gather and worship freely. On a wall at the VA War Memorial a flag hangs that was made in a Japanese POW camp during WWII. A good friend of my grandfather, Denny Landrum, is one of the prisoners who gathered scraps of fabric over time and secretly stitched the flag together inside the walls of their prison. I visited the memorial a few years ago and took the picture you see above. Not everyone made it out of the prison camp. That's something we must never forget. Memorial Day also serves as a fitting time to remember the sacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus left everything, and more than just giving His life, He also became our sin so that we might freely worship. In worship the communion table helps us to remember this. Communio...

A man in the Phoenix area went on a date last year with a woman he met online. One date. He then concluded she wasn’t the one he was looking for, but her thoughts toward him weren’t the same.  So she texted him. 65,000 times. That’s not an exaggeration. That’s the number the police discovered once they had concluded their investigation. That’s taking, “blowing up” someone’s phone to a whole other level. When asked in a TV interview if she thought that was excessive she replied, “Love is excessive.” I’m not going to disagree with her last statement, but I would definitely recommend other ways of showing it.  I’m so glad when I need to talk to God I don’t need to pray like that. Jesus described talking to Father like this, “ When you pray, don't babble on and on as people of other religions do. They think their prayers are answered merely by repeating their words again and again.” Matthew 6:7 Aren’t you glad you don’t have to ask God things 65,00...

Michael Rotondo is 30 years old. This week a judge ordered him to leave his parents home after they sued him to evict him. Seems the little fellow still doesn’t have a job, and pays no rent. When I visited my son’s place recently I discovered his children are exactly the same. Neither of them works, and both do little other than make messes around the house. Even though they pay no rent they can be incredibly demanding. The difference is they’re cute. Josiah is 2 years and 3 months. Isabella recently hit the 6 month mark. When you’re a baby you don’t have to contribute much, because you have the cuteness factor. No one gets upset with a 9 month old for spending too much time laying around. The story changes as you get older. A teenager who lays around, and doesn’t help can anger a parent. You know why? They’re not cute anymore. A 30 year old laying around playing games? The cute factor is long gone. It’s not that you can’t look good when you’re 30. It’s just that it inv...

In Acts 4 first century believers became known for their incredible generosity. In fact, we read that no one had need because the believers had all things in common. That doesn’t mean they were communists. The account of Ananias and Saphira selling their property let’s us know people still had personal possessions. Yet, there is a clear picture of believers giving sacrificially to meet one another’s needs. I've heard it said that we're never more like Jesus than when we are giving.  When I first left Bible College to go into ministry we were so broke. Just before I left the campus the school cook called me. He said he had a frozen turkey left over from the semester and wanted to know if I wanted it. You better believe I did. We packed that turkey up with our few possessions, and drove off for New Jersey. After unpacking Sarai put the turkey in the oven, and we ate turkey every night for more than a week. Just as it was running out a knock came on our door one eveni...

The faithfulness of God is truly amazing. Our God who is the same yesterday, today, and forever never leaves us and never forsakes us. (Hebrews 13:8/Deuteronomy 31:6).  He keep his promises (Deuteronomy 7:9), loves us always (Jeremiah 31:3), and his grace abounds (Romans 5:17). He's a friend who sticks closer than a brother (John 15:15, Proverbs 18:24), calls us his own (I John 3:1), and holds us in the palm of his hands (John 10:28). In fact, he engraves our new names on his hand (Isaiah 49:16). Think about that. I have an uncle who had his wife's name tattooed on his arm. Things didn't turn out so well though, and later he had the word "void" tattooed over her name. God loves you so much he had your name tattooed on his hand, and you can be assured that void will never be written across it. He's never letting go of you. Many years ago I sat my then 3 year old son down and talked to him about how we were moving. I told him how we ...

If you've ever seen the movie, "Planes, Trains, and Automobiles" with Steve Martin and John Candy, you'll understand a little of how I felt once when traveling. I was in Buffalo and needed to get home. I was bumped off of my first flight and then told there are no more flights to NYC tonight. The only plane coming to the northeast was to Philadelphia so I took it. And the journey began. From the Philly airport there is a train that will take you downtown to catch another train north. This first train is $8.00 and cash only. That’s right. I was like, “Is it 1984? Did my plane travel back in time? Cash only?” I had no cash on me and there were no ATMs in the area. I was told I would have to walk to another terminal. Instead I walked to a taxi stand and took a cab downtown to the 30th St. Station. Somehow taxis have the technology necessary to pay with a card, but Philly airport trains aren’t there yet. From the 30th St. Station I took the SEPTA to Trenton wh...

You steer where you stare. It’s an old expression, and I’m not sure who first said it. There’s definitely a lot of truth to it. I once heard a man tell a story of being in a funeral procession. He said he knew where the cemetery was, but he just fixed his focus on the car in front of him. When he turned to enter the cemetery he realized he had followed the wrong funeral procession when he left the funeral home. Without thinking he ended up where he stared. It happens not only in driving. We also do it in life. Whatever our primary focus is on is the direction we steer our lives in. The author of Hebrews knew this to be the case, and wrote these words. “ Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Hebrews 12:2 When Abraham and Lot decided to part ways Lot didn’t only travel to the lush fields he had chosen. We also find this pa...

When I was growing up there were a lot of days where it seemed like a good idea to run away. I'm so glad my Mom never did 😁 . I already wrote one blog about Mom’s this week, but one just doesn’t seem like enough. Paul told Timothy that those who preach and teach are worthy of double honor. I know he was speaking of church elders at the time, but more of us are won and discipled by our mothers than probably anyone else. So here’s a few more thoughts. Tomorrow is Mother's Day. There are a lot of Mom's in the Bible. There's Eve, the first Mom. There's Sarah, the oldest Mom. Jochebed, would risk her life to save her baby boy, Moses. Hannah, would pray for a child, and then give Samuel to God's service in the Temple. We can't forget Naomi, who lost her sons young, but would become a Mother to her daughter in law, and there were Mom's that went out of their way to get their children to Jesus so He could bless them. When I think of Mom's f...

As we stood on the stage in the chapel of Valley Forge Christian College I watched my wife hand our firstborn son to Sister Smith. It was dedication day. To the best of our knowledge our son is the only child to have ever been dedicated during a chapel service at the college. Sister Smith was the College President's wife. I don't remember much of anything that was said that day, but there was one thing I never forgot. She looked at Sarai and told her, if your child come's to know Christ at a young age it will largely be because of your influence on his life. She was right. In Paul's letter to Timothy he writes, " I am reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also." II Timothy 1:5. The impacts our Mom's have on us is profound. Mother’s Day will soon be upon us. To all the Mom's out there I say, "Thank you!" Thanks for putting up with a...

" There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens:" Ecclesiastes 3:1 Sometimes when things change it really seems like it would be better to stay the same. Have you been around long enough to remember, New Coke? What a blunder that was. How about the Mustang II? You may need to google those examples. Sometimes a company’s attempt to improve on something can really backfire. One thing that always stays the same in life is that there will always be change. Most of us don't like it though. Life is easier if everything stays the same. Yet, children grow up and move away, companies transfer jobs to other locations, tragically loved ones die, and so much more that disrupts the routine flow of life. Times of change can always bring about fear and uncertainty, but, “ we have this hope as an anchor," Hebrews 6:19 “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever." Hebrews 13:8 In the storms of life we hav...

I got busy. Really busy. For the past few days my life was a bit of a whirlwind. I received a call requesting I come preach at a church in Silver Springs, MD. The church has an interim pastor right now, and his wife’s brother had died. I was already busy with some things, but now had flights, travel time, and preparation added to the list. When I get busy I know it’s time to prioritize, because I never want what seems urgent to come before what matters most. For me this meant I went a few days without writing this blog. I didn’t want to do this. I generally write a new one every day. However, I knew the weekend’s Sunday services on a short notice were where my time was most needed. This was one of those “ out of season” (II Timothy 4:2) moments. My mind kept going back to the blog, because I really enjoy writing it. Yet when my thoughts lingered on it I would remind myself to focus on what was most important. As I look back here’s what stayed on my list of things to do ...

Snow? In a lot of the northern states the white stuff continued to fall throughout April this year. Rather unexpected for this late in the year. As recent as last week some cities experienced significant accumulation, and it snowed in upstate New York this past weekend. I’ve heard people say things like, “we don’t know what to expect.” Life has a way of doing that to us as well. Just when you think you know what to expect something unpredictable happens. The car breaks down on the way to work. The baby throws up on their new outfit as you’re about to walk out the door. Your classmate who was supposed to do a presentation with you gets sick on the day of the presentation. The company downsizes and you get laid off. Just when you think you’ve got it all together things can so quickly come unraveled. It’s good to know that, “ Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever.” Hebrews 13:8.  Life won’t always be the same, but Jesus will be.  H...