Ironworks

            Does almost count? There are a good amount of people that would think so. If you have ever had employees that you have managed, you would be familiar with this idea first hand. Over the years, I had many employees that were almost on time. Perhaps the most telling was a young man who worked for me whom we will call Pete. Pete was one of my line cooks who was scheduled quite often to open. I enjoyed working with Pete, he was a hard worker, and fun to be around. When it came to opening, the company policy was that there must be at least two employees present to enter the building. Pete would not show up on time, but was consistently 5-10 minutes late. He would even at times say, “I almost made it on time.” I tried all sorts of approaches to getting him to show up on time, but he rarely was there at 8, if ever. Our conversations usually ended with “sure boss, I’ll try.” I suppose he was almost persuaded. However, does almost count? Why do ...

         Can a Christian celebrate a secular Christmas? This is a good question and one that deserves an honest answer. This week I read the following, “If you don’t talk about Jesus at Christmas time, you miss Jesus. If you do not sing those scriptural songs focusing on Jesus, you miss Jesus. You might have grown up in a church where “Christmas” was a “Jesus-free” day.” These were some accusations leveled against some brethren by a well-known preacher in our brotherhood. In this article, I wish to set the record straight on how it is rather simple to celebrate a secular Christmas and it not be a “Jesus-free” day. I contend that no day is “Jesus free” for a New Testament Christian.            First, this brother accuses the church “of not knowing what to do with Christmas. They celebrate it in their homes, but avoid it at all costs in church.” I contend that the preachers who preach the whole counsel of God know what to do with...

                  A brother once shared the results of a Swiss study on factors in children’s attendance of religious services. The study showed that two-thirds of all children will attend religious services at least sporadically if their father attends regularly. Two-thirds will not attend religious services if their father never attends. Why is this that a father has such a great influence? We cannot deny the results but perhaps we can better understand.            Have you ever looked at a child and said, “he looks like his dad.” it is pretty easy to tell if we can look at a man’s son and see the physical likeness? We might also notice the family resemblance in a child's mannerisms. Also, one tell-tale sign of a father is a child's attitude. Fathers love hearing about the good qualities that are seen in their children. It is a sense of great joy when the good is seen. One thing I know is that ...

            It is ironic when individuals who claim to be in resistance maintain the very thing they say they are so ardently against. Can you imagine if you say you are resisting, yet your behavior reflects the opposite? This is evident in the world, and it is no less hypocritical when Christians display this behavior.  Resist the Source of Wars (James 4:1-3) The average person finds it difficult to resist the source of their detriment. The source of wars/fights among the brethren has the same source. James writes that pleasures are the source of these missiles of treachery. The Greek word hēdonōn, where we get the word hedonism, signifies that the origin of troubles is simply a desire that is of a sensual nature. When we sin against the Lord and one another the origin is our desire for our pleasures and our motivations over the will of God. We lust, kill, covet, fight, and war and yet we cannot obtain the very thing we say we want. How is it p...

  A true mirror does not lie. It is not a broken mirror that distorts the reflection of the one who gazes into it. It is not a fun house mirror that distorts our height or width. It is not a mirror that is to be looked at from diagonally above, which makes it seem like it has disappeared. A true mirror is intended for one to stand in front of and look into, reflecting a true image. The Bible is the truest of mirrors. James recorded, "For if any one is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a mirror: for he beholdeth himself, and goeth away, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. But he that looketh into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and so continueth, being not a hearer that forgetteth but a doer that worketh, this man shall be blessed in his doing."  (James 1:23-25) The Bible is a mirror of the soul. When we look into the Bible, we each learn to look for the needs of our souls. When we look into the Wo...