As the news reports came in, my heart sank. Maybe yours did too. I was just in the D.C. metro area, and I didn’t think twice about crossing any of the massive bridges there on the East Coast. They’re part and parcel of life in or near our nation’s capital.

The Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore has collapsed, having been struck inadvertently by a cargo ship that lost power. Rescue teams are searching for survivors, including members of a construction crew who were working to repair potholes on the bridge’s roadway at the time of the disaster. The governor of Maryland and the mayor of Baltimore have separately declared a state of emergency.

This is a major catastrophe impacting a heavily traveled thoroughfare. Last year, the Key Bridge handled more than 750,000 cars and trucks, according to the Maryland Port Authority. In fact, it ranks first in the United States in terms of traffic volume. There, before our nation’s eyes, a symbol of American strength was brought down in a matter of seconds.

Suppose you were the driver of one of those vehicles on the bridge when the 948-foot-long “Dali” struck. As everything around you, and under you, began to give way, what thoughts would race through your mind?

In the Bible, only the gospel writer Luke mentions the tower of Siloam, which had collapsed and “made the news” in that day (Luke 13:4-5). More than likely, the tower was part of Jerusalem’s wall, near the more famous pool of Siloam. Jesus described the victims of that deadly disaster in a manner that is – for each of us – both sobering and stilling: “Do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others who lived in Jerusalem? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.”

The people who died in the tower collapse were no worse than anybody else. They just died. When our Lord makes a claim that sweeping in its implications, you and I better be all ears, as this world is full of (I’ll quote John Newton) “dangers, toils, and snares.”

Yet the same Jesus, at the Last Supper – with the horror of His own Cross in full view – issues an amazing call upon our lives (John 14:1): “Let not your hearts be troubled.” The word “troubled” here describes agitation and disturbance in the face of the power of death and evil. What are we to make of this quickening challenge, when unexpected death is as close to each one of us as crossing the wrong bridge on the wrong night?

If we look to the world for safety, we will soon be sorely disappointed, for safety can’t be found in even the best “safeguards” of this world. (The bridge in Baltimore is Exhibit A today.) But Jesus goes on to say, “Believe in God; believe also in me.” To “believe” in Christ means to trust in Him, which means that we’re to rely upon Him for all things. For our salvation. For our sanctification. For our protection. For our livelihood. For our relationships. For our daily bread.

First Timothy 2:5-6 assures us: “There is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Jesus Christ, who gave himself as a ransom for all …” Because Christ’s Cross wasn’t the end of the story – Hallelujah! – you and I can now look at our lives from the perspective of Christ’s victory. Consider the good news that permeates the rest of what Jesus says in John 14 (I’ll share here seven of Christ’s glorious promises to those of us who are His) …

1. We’re destined for our Father’s house, and it’s wonderful beyond our wildest dreams.

2. Jesus will make sure that we get there (our real home), exactly when we’re supposed to.

3. We don’t need a map outlining all of the future twists and turns coming our way, because the Way we’re on is straight, steady, and sure: His name is Jesus.

4. Because of the gift of the Holy Spirit, for as long as we’re still on this earth, we can expect to be used of God to do great things. (Not necessarily “great” in the eyes of the world, but great in the eyes of the only One who counts.)

5. The Spirit of truth lives in us, and He helps us – even when we can’t understand God’s plan.

6. As we rely only upon Christ, God will empower us to keep His Word. Knowing that God loves us, forever, will propel us to keep on keeping on – even when we feel like quitting. And He will never quit on us.

7. For this one, I’ll just let Jesus speak for Himself: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.”

This Holy Week, the joy should be ours to celebrate this amazing reality: Jesus is our bridge to the only safety that has ever existed! He is our bridge to the Father, our bridge to wellbeing of every stripe, and our bridge to eternal life. The seas of this life will grow stormy, to say the least, but to be in Christ is to be as safe as safe can be.

Friends, Planet Earth is in a state of emergency. Until Christ comes again, we remain in that state. The day of repentance is not tomorrow, but today. May the good news of a bloody cross and an empty tomb reignite our passion to make Christ known far and wide. Please pray with me that the Spirit of God will compel us – driving us far beyond our comfort zones – to love a lost and dying world. The time is short, friends, and Christ is our only hope in life and in death.

You heard me right: The tomb is empty!

Pastor Charles

“You don’t have to be a star, baby, to be in my show.” Did I just date myself? Thanks, Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis, Jr. – you’re making me look a little ancient here!

In all earnestness, friends, it has never been more apparent to me that I am not the star of the show. The universe does not revolve around me, and I am not the hero of the story. For goodness’ sake, I’m not even the hero of my own little story here in my own little corner of the world. No hero status for me. Nope. None. Never.

Psalm 103:14-16 issues the truthful verdict. I am just dust – yes, you read that right – and my entire life is like the grass that flourishes and flowers today, but tomorrow that grass is gone (a rather apropos word picture for the first day of spring, when folks in Middle Tennessee are already mowing). You and I have our moment on the stage of life, but it’s just that – it’s a brief moment. And, while we’re here, we need the strength of the One who gave us life and called us to be His own.

When the Lord promised Joshua, “I will not leave you or forsake you” (Joshua 1:5), He was telling Moses’ successor all that he would ever really need to know. The way forward, as both a leader and a follower, would not be easy for this man, and courage and perseverance would be required on his part – but General Joshua would never walk alone. Never. The same goes for those of us who are trusting in Jesus Christ – those of us who are, literally, in Christ. You and I never walk alone. Never.

Our God is with us – He’s always with us (Isaiah 41:10; Zephaniah 3:17; Matthew 1:23)! Knowing that, believing that, and remembering that is the key to not thinking more of ourselves than we should. The Bible refers to that kind of humility as “sober judgment” (Romans 12:3), and it tends to be in short supply in my soul when I’m not focused on God’s truth.

But, when I am focused on God’s truth, I’m perfectly content not to be the star of the show! In fact, that truth is deeply comforting. Our God is, after all, the beginning, the end, and everything in between. The created order shouts His praise. The arc of human history bends toward His sovereign grace. All of time and eternity marches toward His matchless glory! That this great God would walk with me – dust – even for a moment, ought to blow my mind. And that He would condescend to keep walking with me – forever – ought to capture my wonder for the rest of my days.

Few people on earth have lived out a broader or more self-sacrificial vision for global evangelism than Hudson Taylor, the British missionary who labored for 54 years in China for the cause of Christ. We in the contemporary church tend to look back on such a legacy with deep admiration, as we should, but you might be interested to know that Hudson Taylor wasn’t the least bit impressed with himself. These are Taylor’s own words: “It seemed to me like God looked over the whole world to find a man who was weak enough to do His work, and when He at last found me, He said, ‘He is weak enough – he’ll do.’ All God’s giants have been weak men who did great things for God because they reckoned on His being with them.”

I think Taylor was absolutely right. In the kingdom of God, weakness is a badge of honor – when it lifts our eyes off us. “They reckoned on His being with them!” God’s being with them was enough. Is it enough for us? Is it more than enough for us?

“God with us” is a diamond in our gospel treasure chest. Whatever we’re facing today, we face with a heavenly army by our side. Whatever we’ll face tomorrow, our God is already there to part the waters for our safe passage. The glory belongs to Him, and to Him alone, and not to any one of us dust bunnies. The glory is all the Lord’s. You and I don’t emanate Christ’s glory – we merely reflect it.

I am not the star. I am so not the star. Neither are you. As it should be. The Bright Morning Star (Revelation 22:16) is rightly and eternally center stage. To Christ alone be glory!

Pastor Charles

Jesus calls us sheep. There’s comfort in that moniker, considering that He’s our Shepherd. But it’s also a great wake-up call. We, just like the animals, wrote the book on distraction.

Sheep never stay focused. They’ll follow each other anywhere, and that’s rarely in the right direction. Can you relate? Sheep keep wandering and straying from the path, even when their shepherd has made the right path plain. Sheep wander off, get themselves stuck or hurt or endangered, and find themselves utterly powerless to get back on track. But, time after time, here comes the faithful shepherd!

Simply imagining that we are guilty of nothing but minding our own business, you and I tend to get a bit upset when we feel the startling yank of our Shepherd’s staff – never even realizing that we were about to go completely off the cliff. This is the true nature of sheep. And sheep we are (Psalm 100:3).

Every year, as the season of Christ’s Passion rises to the forefront of my thinking, I remember the promise of the ancient prophet. Some 700 years before Christ’s birth in Bethlehem, Isaiah would describe with undeniable precision the Cross of Christ – and the real reason behind it: “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned – every one – to his own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all” (53:6). In the ear of my soul, I don’t hear those words spoken – I hear them sung. And how gorgeous is that music to my ears!

What I’m hearing is Handel’s “Messiah.” Just in case you’re unfamiliar, “Messiah” is an English-language oratorio crafted in 1741 by the German-British Baroque composer, George Frideric Handel. Called the libretto, the powerful text included in the oratorio was compiled by Charles Jennens, from the version of the Scriptures found in the Anglican “Book of Common Prayer.”

In my humble opinion, this particular tune is masterful, because the music itself – coupled with the drawn-out lyrics of “we have t-u-u-u-u-u-u-u-u-u-u-u-u-r-ned” – sounds like sheep frolicking. Stupid and helpless sheep, in tremendous danger nearly all the time, but constantly oblivious to their true predicament.

Yes, sheep we are. You and I make our foolish choices, and then our foolish choices make us.

Enter Jesus.

His life was so extraordinary, but His appearance was ordinary, and drew no attention. Most of the powers that be regarded Him as nothing but a failure. In the ways that most people chase after the idols of comfort, power, and fame, Jesus stood alone in purity. He managed to attain none of the status symbols which normally cause our heads to turn.

And then, the organ swells. Handel drops all pretense that frolicking is endless fun. He transports us to Gethsemane, and then to Calvary. And the sounds become mysteriously ominous: “And … the Lord … hath … laid … on … Him … ON … HIM … the iniquity of us all.”

The. Iniquity. Of. Us. All.

This moment in “Messiah” is startling, to say the least. And startling is the Passion of our Christ. In fact, you and I would have been tempted to disown Him in the end, when the stakes were high for anyone willing to associate themselves with a Roman cross – widely considered to be the most shameful manner of death on Earth. He would be beaten and chastised and crushed, but the Father’s love for a lost world would be the backdrop for every awful moment of Christ’s agony. He became poor, that we might become rich (2 Corinthians 8:9). Wonder of wonders! Our Messiah was forsaken so that you and I would never, ever have to be alone. Christ died that we might live!

Handel’s moment of transition is jarring. It ought to jar us to the core of our sheep-like being. And, yet, it is strangely wonderful. What gloriously good news is this! You and I needed an absolutely sinless Savior, not someone who – like you and me – deserved to die because of their own wayward rebellion. Your sin and my sin was placed upon the back of the perfectly innocent Jesus – the only one in the universe “who knew no sin” (2 Corinthians 5:21). When we think of our Old Testament history, all of those animals that were sacrificed over all of those generations were all part of God’s plan to rescue us! All of that shed blood kept pointing to the ultimate blood-sacrifice that was coming, and none other than Jesus – “the Lamb of God” and our “Great High Priest” – was qualified to lay down His life for the sins of the world (John 1:29; Hebrews 4:14; 9:12; 1 John 2:2). Hallelujah!

Handel’s “Messiah” was first performed in Dublin, Ireland, on April 13, 1742, and in time it would become one of the most widely recognized and frequently performed choral works in the music of the Western world. If you get a chance this month, take a listen …

“All we like sheep have gone astray. We have turned every one to his own way. And the Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all.”

Pastor Charles

Today’s blog posting is not about Donald Trump. It’s about something much larger. It’s about the nature of government itself. This posting is prompted by Monday’s 9-0 ruling by the United States Supreme Court in regard to the candidacy of Mr. Trump for the Presidency of the United States.

On a personal level, I am happy to see that our nation’s highest court can agree unanimously on any subject. That signals to me that the justices were seeking to make a constitutional decision, and not a political one. For me, this is welcome news. After all, that is always the primary task before SCOTUS.

In the aftermath of the unanimous decision, the public reactions have been fast and furious. So my sole intention is to clarify a few matters that – in my opinion – are widely misunderstood. These matters touch on the important relationship between church and state, and they raise issues of fundamental significance which ought to be understood by those who are called to serve Christ within our American context. I will limit my observations to 7 key points.

1. God ordained all human government for His glory, and for our good. It is a gift from God to us to provide, among other things, order and stability for society (Romans 13:1-7). With this foundation in mind at all times, we who follow Christ should seek to be model citizens. The Scriptures make allowances for civil disobedience when the laws of earth are in direct conflict with the laws of God, as we observe in the case of Daniel’s three friends in the fiery furnace (Chapter 3), but this is the exception rather than the rule. We recognize that the true Sovereign is always our Lord, and we make it our aim to display with consistency His kindness and grace in the public square. We understand that human government is a derived and limited authority, and we are grateful for the good purposes of God in it.

2. Our fundamental rights come from God, the true Sovereign. Our rights do not come from any government, or even from the Constitution itself. The Constitution enumerates some of our freedoms, but the primary intent of the Framers was that the Constitution would prohibit the government from taking away, or even eroding, our God-given rights. This passion was carried over from the Declaration of Independence (1776): “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it …”

3. Because the freedoms of speech, religion, assembly, and the like are ordained by God, they are inherent in any reasonable understanding of human dignity. We may love our Constitution, and we may be grateful for the First Amendment, but we must be careful never to forget that the documents only articulate the higher truth: God has granted these rights to people who are made in His image. That includes all of us (Genesis 1:26-27). This principle can be seen clearly in the First Amendment itself: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” Make. No. Law. Notice what behavior is actually restricted – that of the government itself. It was the Founders’ intent to define and protect, specifically, the authority of the people.

4. If we misunderstand the proper role of government, we will look to the government to provide all kinds of things that the government is entirely incapable of providing. In fact, we will undermine the work of the church when it comes to taking care of persons whom we’re called by Christ to serve – in His name and with His love. When the government is viewed by the people as some kind of Santa Claus with unlimited resources, all kinds of social and political chaos ensue. (Like you, I’m observing this as I follow the budget-related deliberations of our Congress right now.) I think that we can safely say that the Framers of our Constitution viewed government itself as necessary but potentially dangerous (consider not just the 18^th century, but Paul’s context – the Roman Empire – when he penned Romans 13), and so they wisely built into the engine of our nation as many checks and balances as they could envision.

5. For America’s Founding Fathers, the absolute bottom line was freedom. It was “self-evident” to them that self-government – in the form of a constitutional republic – could only be perpetuated by a people who understood themselves to be self-governed. Such a system would hold accountable all of those in public leadership, and would require the people themselves to stay informed and engaged in the political process. From the very first seedlings of the new government, freedom would outpace all other concerns, and the Founders would be required to risk their lives and livelihoods to secure and preserve it. I’ll quote the first and sixth governor of post-colonial Virginia, Patrick Henry: “Is life so dear or peace so sweet as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take, but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!” This courageous and persevering spirit has made our American Experiment a beacon of light, even in corners of the earth marked by rampant political oppression, and has made our enshrined freedoms the envy of the world.

6. Freedom does not grow in a vacuum, but freedom flourishes where righteousness prevails. For every follower of Christ, this should be a sincere concern. President John Adams expressed it like this: “Public virtue cannot exist in a nation without private virtue, and public virtue is the only foundation of republics.” His predecessor in office, George Washington, used these words: “Human rights can only be assured among a virtuous people.” But Proverbs 14:34 best establishes this truth: “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people.” When the church is healthy and strong, and when the true gospel can be heard from the pulpits of our land, the nation is positioned for greatness in the eyes of our Creator. When it comes to the matter of morality, we should be concerned not only about the actions of our leaders, but about our own behavior and speech. In every season, one of our first assignments under God is to pray fervently for those who lead in our government (1 Timothy 2:1-4).

7. What we have come to know as religious liberty is a precious trust. It has been an essential component of American life and law since our very beginning. There is no other nation which has cherished this fundamental freedom to the degree that our nation has sought to protect it. And we have sought to protect it not just for Christians, but for all people. Because the ideals of religious liberty seek to protect the human conscience, religious liberty blesses even the nonreligious. A free church and a free state complement each other for the flourishing of society as a whole. We have afforded these freedoms imperfectly, as one might expect, but our efforts to allow all people to live, speak, and act according to their faith (their “sincerely held religious beliefs or practices,” to use the language of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964) has been a bulwark of America’s many contributions to the world. In this generation, as in every other, the church of our Lord Jesus Christ must be wholeheartedly committed to keeping this flame of hope alive!

That’s my take on it, and I welcome your input on any of these points. May God grant each of us His marvelous wisdom for such a time as this (James 1:5).

Pastor Charles

“The sons of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than the sons of light. And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of unrighteous wealth.”

Don’t get mad at me – Jesus said it! It’s from Luke 16:8-9, which we sometimes call the Parable of the Dishonest Manager (see 16:1-13).

I’ll now include the ninth verse in its entirety: “And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of unrighteous wealth, so that when it fails they may receive you into the eternal dwellings.” As you can see, it’s certainly not the case that adding the last phrase of that verse makes the parable easy to interpret.

In the parable, the shrewd manager learns that he’s about to be fired for mishandling his boss’s resources, so he takes some drastic actions to save his own hide. He strategically reduces the debts of his boss’s debtors. You and I might expect Jesus to impugn the selfish motives of the desperate manager, but Christ does the opposite. Via the boss’s reaction in the parable, and via His own words to His disciples, Christ commends the manager’s quick thinking and savvy leadership.

Perhaps it seems a bit odd to us to think about our perfect Lord making a positive example out of someone’s shrewd business practices, but that’s exactly what we find here. He calls us, strange as it may sound, to be faithful even in our “unrighteous wealth.” So what are we to make of all of this?

First of all, I would suggest that we’re to receive this parable as a critical reality check. By that I mean that Jesus wants us to be wise in every area of our lives. We learn from this story that a wise person understands that their season of productivity is finite in nature. It won’t last forever. The daily commute to and from the office will one day cease. The last sales pitch will one day be delivered. The placard with our name on the cubicle will one day be taken down. There will be no more corporate ladders to climb. Our final paycheck will be issued and cashed. Just like everything else about this life, our time in the workplace won’t last forever.

If we live long enough, every one of us will one day get the message from our mind or from our body (or from both): “You’re no longer able to do what you’ve been doing.” And there are, of course, multiple lesser versions of that message which may come sooner to alert us that – at a bare minimum – we can’t keep doing what we’ve been doing with the same intensity or pace. Or, even closer to the parable itself, someone may inform us that “the powers that be” have determined that it’s time for us to call it quits.

Such is life, and such moments are rarely easy. In the parable, we’re not told that the manager has reached “retirement age” or that any lucrative buyout has been offered. There’s no apparent gravy train on the horizon. We’re simply told that the man gets it: he knows that his time has come. His job is coming to an abrupt end. So I’m purposefully widening the application of the parable to include all of the situations in which you and I must be practically ingenious in the moment. In fact, you and I must rely upon the wisdom of God every day that we breathe. Thankfully, the mind of Christ is already ours in Him (1 Corinthians 2:16).

In the parable, when the manager renegotiates the contracts without permission, he is displaying a savviness that makes every debtor happy (who wouldn’t appreciate a reduced debt?) – but it also makes his boss look good. It’s even more clever than it appears at first glance, as the boss will have no choice except to accept the new terms. After all, who wants to renege on an arrangement that makes you look like the hero?

In the end, it’s the boss who gets the last laugh, as there’s no mention of the shrewd manager – no matter his quick smarts or his noteworthy wit – having salvaged his own job. By telling this story, Jesus is not condoning dishonest behavior on any level, but He is reminding us that we ought to put even more of our energy into the affairs of His Kingdom. It’s one thing to be streetwise, but are we Kingdom-wise? If worldly people draw upon street smarts to advance material prosperity, which is destined to fail at some point, all the more should God’s people draw upon God’s wisdom to promote spiritual prosperity – which is destined to succeed beyond our wildest dreams!

So there’s one more question that each one of us needs to ask ourselves today: Am I being wise about eternity? It’s so easy for us to get caught up in the false gods of materialism and power and pleasure. It is this very place in Scripture where our Lord reminds us: “No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.” Friends, there is one Way that leads to eternal life, and His name is Jesus!

The Bible says that now is the day of salvation, so we must make certain – today – that our trust is in Christ, and in Christ alone. “And He shall reign forever and ever” (Revelation 11:15). Amen.

Pastor Charles

You may never know how much people need you.

When the proverbial chips are down, your friends need to know that you will be there for them. That you will have their back. That you, even when they cannot defend themselves, will take up their cause with all of the fervor and energy that you can muster. This is the nature of true friendship, and anything less falls short of friendship.

In the words of Ecclesiastes 4:9-12: “Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up! Again, if two lie together, they keep warm, but how can one keep warm alone? And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him – a threefold cord is not quickly broken.”

If you remember Paul Simon’s “I am a rock; I am an island” from 1965, then you remember what I believe was his main point: friendship is a risky thing. Indeed it is. We’ve all been hurt and betrayed by people whom we believed were our friends. But that does not negate our need for friendship. God hardwired us to need each other. And genuine friendship is worth the risk, just as genuine love is worth the risk. Ruth and Naomi needed it. David and Jonathan needed it. Paul and Timothy needed it. You and I need it. “It is not good for the man to be alone.”

St. Augustine once quoted Cicero: “Friendship is agreement with kindliness and affection about things human and divine.” We could add to that a number of critical admonitions from the Bible about how we ought to befriend one other. “A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity” (Proverbs 17:17). You and I are to display, within the real-life context of our earthly friendships, the very love with which God has loved us … undeserved love … steady love … steadfast love … unflinching love … unfailing love … forgiving love … persevering love …

You may know that I’m a big fan of Winston Churchill. (If you ever get to London, make sure to visit the Churchill War Rooms on King Charles Street. That’s all I’ll say about that for now, but don’t forget that bit of advice. You’ll be glad you visited.) One intriguing chapter of history from that era includes the story of Harry Hopkins, who served as the U.S. Secretary of Commerce under President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and who became FDR’s most trusted adviser. Hopkins not only administered certain critical offshoots of the New Deal, but he became an expert on foreign affairs, serving as a kind of liaison between Roosevelt and the Allied leaders as World War II was taking shape.

In the course of time, Prime Minister Churchill came to highly regard Hopkins as “a flaming soul” and “a natural leader of men.” At one critical moment, when the U.S. was in the throes of deciding whether or not to get directly involved in the fight against Hitler – and our isolationist foreign policy as a whole did not lean in that direction – FDR sent Hopkins to Europe for meetings with Churchill. Churchill wisely understood that these conversations would largely determine our nation’s course of action in regard to entering the War – or not. In a very real sense, Western Civilization hung in the balance. When it was all said and done, what word of advice would President Roosevelt receive from Harry Hopkins?

If my understanding of history is accurate, Winston Churchill was on the edge of his seat as much as Churchill could ever be found on the edge of his seat! After a special dinner in Glasgow hosted by Tom Johnston, here is the summation that was offered to Churchill by Hopkins: “I suppose you wish to know what I am going to say to President Roosevelt on my return. Well, I’m going to quote you one verse from that Book of Books in the truth of which Mr. Johnston’s mother and my own Scottish mother were brought up. ‘Whither thou goest, I will go, and where though lodgest, I will lodge; thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God.’”

Historians tell us that, after the quote from Ruth 1:16, Hopkins added: “Even to the end.” Churchill was in tears, which I can assure you wasn’t an everyday occurrence, because he knew exactly what Hopkins meant. His friend was still on his side. America would be on the side of Great Britain. And the rest, as they say, is history.

Someone needs your friendship today. If you will think about your life for just a moment, you may realize that you – right now – are uniquely positioned to help someone in a way in which no one else can help. I’m urging you to be that kind of friend. The free world might not be on the line, but sometimes our “smaller” decisions reap dividends of eternal value.

Churchill nicknamed Hopkins “Lord Root of the Matter,” and the friendship between the two men never waned. May God grant each one of us the support and encouragement that we need for these tumultuous times in which we live. May He give us – and may He make us – true friends! And I am so grateful to be able to remind you, even as I pen this blog posting, that – in our Lord Jesus Christ – you and I have “a Friend who sticks closer than a brother” (Proverbs 18:24).

Pastor Charles

You are loved. Yes, you. The human soul longs to know that this is true.

From our earliest childhood memories, most of us recall a deep desire for love and acceptance. Our young and impressionable hearts would wander … and wonder … “Does Mom really like my art project?” … “Is Dad really proud of the way that I caught that ball?” To various and sundry degrees, our earthly parents nurtured us – by their actions and by their words – into various and sundry degrees of feeling loved.

When it comes to our self-identity, even if we believe that we had the “best” parents on earth, our parents were unable to instill in us a perfect knowledge of a perfect love. They may have desired deeply to give us a perfect assurance of their acceptance of us, and they may have given their most valiant effort to that end, but they did it imperfectly. That is the nature of all human love. It is always less than perfect. Because we live in a world of sin, and because we inhabit a fallen planet, our best efforts at loving others are never 100%.

If you are a parent, I know that you can relate to what I’m saying. When it comes to how well we’re doing at the task of parenting, there’s never a day that goes by that we don’t wish that we had done at least something a little differently. We may try our best to offer love and acceptance to our kids, but we don’t always succeed. Somehow, life gets in the way of love.

Maybe you’re reading this and thinking, “My parents didn’t even try.” If that is your situation, my heart goes out to you. I am so sorry for the pain that you have endured. Sadly, all of us, to one degree or another, have inherited some substantive pain when it comes to the deep-down, gut-wrenching, soul-level hunger to be loved with a perfect love.

And yet, I can still affirm, unequivocally: YOU ARE LOVED.

One of my wife’s favorite verses is Psalm 145:9, where the Bible reminds us of the unchanging character of God. Here it is: “The Lord is good to all, and His mercy is over all that He has made.”

All.

Yes, I looked it up. All means all.

When you and I recognize that the love of God, on some core level, touches all of His creatures, it forces us to decouple our blessings from our faithfulness. Said differently, we begin to realize that God simply loves us. He doesn’t love us because we’re good. (We’re not.) He doesn’t love us because we’re successful. He doesn’t love us because we’re spiritual. He doesn’t love us because of our prayers or our religious acts. He doesn’t love us because we deserve it. He just loves us. Period.

And, if you are in Christ – if you are trusting in Jesus Christ by faith – then you have tasted God’s love in the most marvelous of ways. You have been forgiven! You have been freed! You have been adopted forever into the family of our perfect Father! Now we are His sons and daughters. We are the apple of His eye. We are the joy of His heart. We are His Beloved.

In Christ, we are loved. God loved us at great cost to Himself. In fact, it cost Him everything. He gave us His Son. After declaring us His friends, Christ laid down His life for us. You and I are loved extravagantly. In Him, we really are loved with a perfect love.

Human love can be wonderful, and we all need it desperately, but the perfect love of God for us is far greater. Far, far greater.

I see it in the rising sun.
I see it in the moonlit sky.
I see it in the hope of spring.
I see it in the birds that fly.

I see it in the air I breathe.
I see it in the clouds and rain.
I see it in the whale and lamb.
I see it in the gospel plain.

I see it in the stranger’s smile.
I see it in a mother’s womb.
I see it in our daily bread.
I see it in an empty tomb.

Valentine’s Day is here. My prayer for you is that, wherever you look today, you will see the love of family and friends – and the love of God for YOU! Yes, you.

“The greatest of these is love.”

Pastor Charles

A hero has fallen.

“Justice will be fought, and the battle will rage. This big dog will fight when you rattle his cage.”

Many of us will remember with great fondness how Toby Keith worked tirelessly alongside the USO to perform live concerts for U.S. service members around the world. If my research is correct, Mr. Keith shared his greatest hits – and his magnanimous heart – with a quarter million active-duty military personnel in 17 countries. Toby performed for troops at sea. Toby performed in Afghanistan in the face of a rocket attack by the Taliban. Toby loved his country. Toby loved his craft. Toby loved people.

Last night, America lost a patriot.

You may remember that Keith became the inaugural recipient of the Country Icon Award at the People’s Choice Country Awards last September. The award was presented by his fellow Oklahoman and close friend, Blake Shelton. I believe that, though Keith had first received his stomach cancer diagnosis in 2021, it was that night at the Grand Ole Opry when he brought the wider public into his difficult journey. Adding some levity to that difficult announcement, as we would expect him to do, that’s when Keith quipped, “I bet y’all never thought you would see me in skinny jeans.”

It was that evening when we got just a glimpse into the soul of Toby Keith. As he thanked the members of his family, and as he thanked his plethora of fans, he also made it his priority to give thanks to his trustworthy God. I’m so glad that we have that testimony recorded: “I lean on my faith and I just pray and lean into it … You gotta do what you gotta do, and I don’t know how people do it without faith … that’s what I did, it was my rock.”

In another interview that took place more recently, Toby seemed to open up about his peace with God, and thus his peace with the reality of his death: “You take it for granted on the days that things are good, and you lean on it when days are bad … It has taught me to lean on it a little more every day … I was going through all the chemo, radiation, surgery, and I got to the point where I was comfortable with whatever happened … I had my brain wrapped around it, and I was in a good spot either way.”

Most of us would agree that the age of 62 is getting younger and younger, and that it’s far too young for us to feel at ease about saying a final goodbye to someone whom we admire, or someone we love. So the death of Toby Keith becomes for us yet another reminder of the brevity of this life and the nearness of eternity.

I remember an old adage from somewhere, and it still fits …

“Life is short.
Death is sure.
Sin the cause.
Christ the cure.”

You and I must be telling people the good news of Jesus! This lost world all around us is no more in need of grace than were we. I’ll remind you of Paul’s reminder to the Ephesians (2:1-3): “… you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world … among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh …” I would urge you to read that passage in its entirety, because God’s Word makes plain the simple truth that all of us are imprisoned by evil until Christ sets us free. All of us!

And then there’s the wonder of Verses 4 and 5: “But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ – by grace you have been saved!”

So, whether we’re in Music City or Minnesota or Mozambique, it’s time for us to humble ourselves and share with others this great love with which we have been loved. Not with eyes of judgmentalism. Not with eyes of scorn. Not with eyes of, “What’s wrong with you people?”

But with eyes of mercy and grace. After all, we’ve been invited to a Feast – not a funeral.

“I ain’t got a pot of gold. Girl, I ain’t even got a rainbow. But I’ve heard that love is where treasure can be found.”

Pastor Charles

Nothing has more power over you than a wrong which you hold against another.

Nothing.

It seems strange, doesn’t it? We’re holding onto the harm that has been done to us by another person. At the same time, we have no idea of the more substantial harm that we’re perpetrating against ourselves.

That’s how unforgiveness works, friends. It feels so right, but it’s oh so wrong.

We don’t like to forgive because we confuse forgiveness with justice. It may well be that the person who wronged us doesn’t “deserve” to be forgiven. That is usually the case. The person who hurt us may not care if we forgive them, and in fact may even have no concern at all that they caused us harm. There may have been no effort on their part to make amends of any kind. But justice isn’t the essence of forgiveness.

We don’t like to forgive because we confuse forgiveness with trust. It may well be that the person who wronged us – regardless of whether or not we extend forgiveness – is ineligible to be our BFF (at least for now). In fact, as a general rule for everybody, it’s harmful to relate to people outside of a context marked by healthy boundaries. Learning to apply such wisdom is part of our journey toward maturity. But trust isn’t the essence of forgiveness.

We don’t like to forgive because we confuse forgiveness with acceptance. We’re subtly or not so subtly afraid that, if we choose to forgive, then we have to be “O.K.” with the harm that was done to us. That’s simply not true. It’s very likely that the harm done to us will never be acceptable in the sense that it’s suddenly “alright with us” or morally appropriate behavior. But acceptance isn’t the essence of forgiveness.

We don’t like to forgive because we confuse forgiving with forgetting. This is commonly misunderstood, even among sincere followers of Christ. When we forgive, we may sometimes experience a “holy forgetfulness” (Jeremiah 31:34), but forgiving and forgetting are not one and the same. I would submit for your consideration today that forgiving is much more beautiful than forgetting.

To forgive is to let go. It is to die to our make-believe right to hold the offenses of others against them. It is to lay down our stubborn anger and resentment in the light of a bloody cross. A cross where my sins impaled the nails into my precious Savior. A cross where unmerited love was shouted from heaven. A cross where my forgiveness was secured forever: “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”

When it comes to the real-life outworkings of forgiveness, none of them can you and I accomplish in human strength. Genuine forgiveness simply can’t be done on our own. But, with our eyes on our risen Lord Jesus, all things are possible indeed. C.S. Lewis rightly observed: “To be Christian means to forgive the inexcusable, because God has forgiven the inexcusable in you.”

When we forgive others, as Christ has so freely forgiven us, we set ourselves free! We allow ourselves to become emotionally and spiritually healthy. We position ourselves to move forward in life in the ways in which we have felt stuck. Forgiveness is an amazing and wonderful thing. It is a rich and multifaceted blessing for all involved. It is a profound work of divine grace in us.

When the “let go” of forgiveness truly happens, more than one prisoner is set free.

“Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.” Yes, Lord. Give us ears to hear.

Pastor Charles

Who’d have thunk it?

Our 2024 Presidential ballot may look eerily similar to the one we cast in 2020. I don’t know many people who could have predicted our present political situation, or the road we took to get here. It’s been a bit of a strange one, to put it mildly.

You don’t need from me any more political commentary than what you already have available from much more reliable sources. You don’t need my best analysis of any of the issues. You don’t need me to put in my two cents, because my political opining would be worth about – well – two cents.

But what you might need from me is a little hope.

When Jesus taught us to pray to our Heavenly Father, “Deliver us from evil,” He gave us quite a gift (Matthew 6:13). I don’t think that you and I would have figured out that request on our own. We would never have known our need to prevail in the spiritual realm had our Lord not opened our eyes to the truth. That’s because we can’t see into that realm. We know it’s there, but its ways and its weapons transcend human understanding. Sometimes God gives us glimpses into the world of spiritual warfare – I think of Elisha and the chariots of fire – but most often you and I are left to pray and to trust.

In American public life, the obstacles which confront us are becoming too numerous and too colossal to count. I don’t have to tell you that. And, on top of all of our problems both foreign and domestic, we are a nation deeply divided. Divided to the point that it pains nearly all of us.

Poneros is the Greek word that gives rise to the English word “evil” in Christ’s model prayer, but this word is better translated “the evil one.” Call me an alarmist if you wish, but I see this as the explicit instruction of Jesus that you and I should pray for protection against Satan himself. I think that Christ is reminding us to ask our Father, on a regular basis, to protect us from the full fury of Satan’s assault. Our enemy is tireless in his mission: “to steal, to kill, and to destroy.” In effect, when we pray, “Deliver us from evil,” we are saying humbly to the Lord, “I want to be in Your hands – please don’t let me fall into the hands of the enemy!”

It’s so easy for us to forget who our enemy really is. I’m not sure why we forget so readily, but it seems to be an amnesia of universal proportions. Paul reminds us that “we wrestle not against flesh and blood,” but – once again – that seems to go over our head. Before you know it, after ten minutes of our favorite media outlet, we’ve landed on a new enemy – an enemy who then gets all our attention. This ought not be. I’m not claiming that we don’t have any earthly enemies – political or otherwise – but I’m simply underscoring for us our deep and fundamental need to keep our focus on the only One who can deliver us.

Let me say it like this: U.S. Presidents make horrible Messiahs. You can take that reality to the bank. They all have feet of clay. They’re all dogged by pride. They’re all manipulated by power. And I’m not saying these things because I don’t like any of our politicians. I have a few earthly heroes just like you. But my point is that every political leader is entirely human, entirely fallible, and entirely (to steal the words of the English Dissenter and Baptist scholar, Robert Robertson) “prone to wander.”

“Lord, I feel it.”

It’s not just in politics, or in politicians, is it, friends? It’s in me. I’m the one who’s “prone to leave the God I love.” When I pray as Jesus has taught me to pray, I’m also asking the Father to deliver me from the wickedness that resides in my own heart.

As far as I can tell, this is where you and I find ourselves. Right now. The proverbial ball has been teed up, and the climate is perfect for us to be filled with rage between now and November. But what a waste of time and energy that would be!

I need a new vision.

I need a vision of the One who reigns sovereignly over every nation on earth.

I need a vision of the One whose steadfast love endures forever.

I need a vision of the One whose truth is marching on.

I think that I’ll borrow Elisha’s words, and apply them to all of us: “O Lord, please open our eyes that we may see.”

Pastor Charles