The Word and the Work: Thoughts on Preaching, Pastoring, and the Christian Life

 On Thursday January 9 th , 2023 House Bill 1174 was filed in the Arkansas House of Representatives. This bill would provide equal protection for unborn children under Arkansas law without exception or compromise. Most would have believed that the Arkansas based Family Council headed by Jerry Cox would have been rushing to support this bill filed by Rep. Richard Womack. Instead, they have come out and publicly opposed HB 1174 in an article on their website citing some reasons why they would oppose equal protection under the law for the unborn in Arkansas. Cox’s first listed reason is that before the Roe decision in 1973 women were not prosecuted for having abortions in Arkansas. It is interesting for Cox to bring this point up, because it was the unequal punishment for the woman having an abortion in Texas the Supreme Court pointed to as being problematic in the Roe decision. Also, the past is not what defines what is needed in the present and future. We are to obey Christ as

  Autism and Gospel Communication I do not claim to be an expert on autism. I am not even an expert on the individual that lives in my home who is autistic. What I do see as a father and a pastor is a great need for Christian parents and churches to be better equipped to try to have spiritual conversations with those in their lives that might be affected by autism. This is no simple task and it is something that needs a great deal of thought, research, and prayer. What I want to offer are some basics about having spiritual (and other) conversations with people who are diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). There is no one size fits all approach to autism because it is so diverse in the way it impacts people, but hopefully this will be a start for someone who is grasping for help and finding no resources to help. I know that there are people at different places on the autism spectrum for which some of these principles may not be as applicable. However, it is my prayer

          Acts 2:42 (NKJV)   And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers.          Gathering with God's people is a great privilege given to us by God.  More than that, we are commanded as God's people to gather for the express purpose of praising God corporately.  I have said many times that worship is the thing that God has used in my life above all else to minister to me in days of difficulty.  When we come together and worship the Lord for who He is and what He has done in our lives it places our worldly troubles into proper perspective.  We recognize as we worship that there is a God in Heaven who is sovereign over all things, who has a plan that is beyond our comprehension, and who is completely holy and good.  Worship fixes our eyes on the things above so that we can walk properly through our lives here in this world.  Worship brings us encouragement, conviction, and healing if we come to God in

There are two times a year I get reflective.  One is at New Year's time.  The second is on my birthday.  Perhaps this is true for everyone, but I always find myself in the midst of self-assessment at these times.  Luckily my birthday is in June so that makes for a nice time of reflection every six months.   Recently, I have begun to doubt the value of reflection in my life for a couple of reasons.  Reflection almost inevitably leads to regret.  Regretting things that were done or things that were not done.  This is not necessarily wrong if done properly but the truth is that most of us do not do  it properly.  What do I mean?  The type of reflection that most of us engage in is inherently self-centered.  We linger long in thought over our missed opportunities or perhaps wrong that has been done to us.  That is not the way God calls us to live. It is right and proper to think upon what we have done if we have unconfessed sin in our lives or wrongs that we need to make right with

There are times in our life and in our walk with Christ when things just seem to be sideways.  Some call it a desert experience, a dry spell, or just feeling distance from God.  One of my favorite preachers talks about being "dry as cracker juice".  Here is the problem with being in that place.  When we are not in a place where we feel immersed in the living water offered by Christ through the power of His Holy Spirit we, like other dry things, are in danger of crumbling. It happens to all of us.  There is an old preaching illustration about an older couple riding down the road in an old pickup with a bench seat.  As the man drove his wife, who was seated against the passenger door said "honey, whenever we were younger and rode down the road in this old truck we always sat a lot closer together". The man, with his hands on the steering wheel said "Honey, I am not the one who has moved". This is a picture of us with God.  When we feel distance, it is beca

Today is April Fool's Day.  However, it is also the beginning of Autism Awareness month.  A couple of years ago I wrote a blog post titled The Gospel and Autism: A Father's Fear.  You can find that post here .  I relayed in that post many of the things that we were dealing with as a family, and how I had struggled with the ability of my son to mentally access the Gospel.  I would be lying to you if I said I still do not harbor some of those fears from time to time.  In the last six months I have begun to put together the very beginnings of a writing project that may end up being book length or it may just be essay length.  Either way it seeks to explore even deeper these concerns that I have because I know that I cannot be the only one that has them.  In the passing of almost 2 years I have learned some things about my son, about myself, and about God.  First, my son is amazing.  This 6 year old is largely taking life by storm.  He has his quirks, intricacies, and challen