May 7, 2013

Our pastoral intern, Nate Eldridge, wrote today’s LM. You can contact Nate at eldridge4@integrity.com

As many of you know, the end of October brought life altering news for Cheryl and me. After getting settled into our new responsibilities as Pastoral Intern and getting to know the dear people with whom God has allowed us to minister, we were confronted with a new adventure – we are going to have a baby! At first, this news brought mixed feelings to my heart. While I was excited to know that I was going to be a daddy, I also knew that our lives would forever be changed. From the moment we received confirmation of the pregnancy, I was filled with many anxious feelings of uncertainty and inadequacy. How could I be a father of a child that depends on me for everything? In that moment of weakness, I was reminded that our Heavenly Father cares for us. David’s words in Psalm 139 echoed in my heart. Read more

April 29, 2013

This is a big week for our family. Tuesday morning, Brenda, Emily, Jeffery, and I head to Greenville, SC, to watch our older son, Michael, graduate with a Bachelor of Music degree in Oboe Performance from Bob Jones University. We sent him away a boy; he returns a man. We are very proud of the godly man he has become. For some time now I’ve been saying, “Michael will make two men very happy – the senior pastor who hires him and his father-in-law.” Neither man is known to us, but they are out there somewhere. Read more

April 16, 2013

Today’s headlines blare Murdered at the Marathon, Terror at the Finishing Line, Chaos in Boston, and Massacre at the Marathon. Observers added their opinions, “Senseless, horrific, crazy.” Others asked, “What would possess a person to do such a thing?” We sorrow at all the mayhem, injuries, and loss and pray for those suffering from the sin perpetrated against them. Further, we mourn deeply when the bloodbath takes a young life. Read more

April 10, 2013

Every year Camp Chetek in western Wisconsin invites pastors to “The Pastor’s Toolbox.” The camp is very kind to host this free event where they assist pastors. This year’s workshop featured Dr. Bob Jones, chancellor of Bob Jones University, and the past president of BJU when I was an undergrad and graduate student.  Nate Eldridge and I benefitted greatly from the five preaching sessions and the interaction with other pastors. We may have occasion to share with you the more serious ideas we discussed. What follows are a few less serious matters. I hope they bring a smile to your face. Read more

March 26, 2013

Today is the next battle in the cultural wars. Beginning this morning, the Supreme Court of the United States heard arguments for and against California’s Proposition 8; the voter enacted state law that limited marriage to one man, one woman couples. You will remember a ballot measure attempting to define marriage in Minnesota failed last November. No matter what the SCOTUS decides in the weeks or months ahead, it seems only a matter of time before the government of the United States recognizes so-called marriages between homosexuals as equal to marriages between heterosexual partners. Read more

March 19, 2013

Disclaimer: this Lunchtime Musing is not about basketball. Although I will make a basketball mention at the beginning, non-basketball aficionados can continue to read without irritation. Read more

March 12, 2013

When Benedict XVI resigned from the office of the pope, he opened the door for the 266th man to enter and assume the position as head of the Roman Catholic Church. Earlier today, 115 cardinals of the church secluded themselves inside the Sistine Chapel in Rome, their task: select the next Bishop of Rome. They do this in private so that no one can influence the outcome, and they do this in seclusion so that the job actually gets done. Read more

February 26, 2013

The late winter storms that have pummeled the plain states and other parts of the Midwest. The sun is getting higher in the sky, the days are getting longer, and sometime around Memorial Day most of the snow and ice will be gone from Minnesota. We are moving away from winter, and I could not be happier. Read more

February 19, 2013

Time for a pop quiz: how many stated values do we have in our church ministry?  Do you have an answer?  If so, what are those values? Read more

February 12, 2013

Chris Jones played football at Simley High School in Inver Grove Heights before pursuing the more serious matters of biblical and theological studies at Northwestern College.   You can reach Chris at jones737.cj@gmail.com Read more

February 5, 2013

This last Sunday the Honorable Mark Dayton, governor of the great state of Minnesota, ordered state flags be flown at half-staff.  We fly the flags in this position to mourn the loss of life.  Recently in our state, flags waved mid-mast for fallen police officers and in recognition of the murders at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown. Connecticut.  Governor Dayton’s decree honored an event now 70 years old. Read more

January 29, 2013

Earlier this morning, my grandmother passed into the presence of her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  Her life was long, her illness brief.  She leaves 5 children and 16 grandchildren along with their spouses, and to my best memory, 43 great-grandchildren. Though her body was so frail in the days before her death, her heart was filled with the love of Christ that overflowed to every one of us.  Her Lord loved her, and she, in turn, loved others. Read more

January 22, 2013

When President Franklin D. Roosevelt lamented December 7, 1941 as a “date which will live in infamy,” he portrayed the United States of America as an innocent victim of an unprovoked attack. He called the assault on the sailors aboard ships docked in Pearl Harbor a “dastardly” attack.  The Japanese killed 2,400 American sailors and soldiers on that dreadful day that plunged the United States into World War II. Read more

January 15, 2013

I grew up in a church setting where evangelism was driven by events.  We had Watermelon Sunday and Popsicle Sunday.  Old Fashioned Sunday encouraged attendees to dress in pilgrim attire while Western Sunday meant to come with your cowboy boots on.  That was a challenge growing up in Chicago, there weren’t a lot of us who wore cowboy boots with regularity.  Circus Sunday was a big hit.  We actually had elephants in our church parking lot.  I don’t know who owned the elephants or how they got to our church.  I do know my dad and his friends still get a big laugh as they joke about my dad following the elephants, scoop shovel in hand.  The thinking was, “Have an event, invite your friends, give the gospel, and see what happens.” Read more

January 8, 2013

The text came early in the evening on December 31, 2012. “Happy New Year…What is your ‘spiritual dream’ for 2013?”  Spiritual dream? I have a hard enough time remembering my dreams from the night before and now my pastor friend wants to know my spiritual dream? Who asked him to ask me that question anyway?  I certainly didn’t.  Yet the question does have value for me, and I’m glad that he asked. Read more

December 31, 2012

I took off a good portion of 2012 from my weekly writing.  I don’t know if you missed it, but I did.  So, look for a Lunchtime Musing every Tuesday around the lunch hour.  I intend the musing to be something you can read in a brief break at your work or during the lunch hour at home that will help you to think biblically as you go through your work week.  If there is a topic or question that you have that you think would be a good musing, pass it along to me. Read more