Editorials

Thoughts by Pastor Art and Others

Christians believe that Jesus Christ is very much alive today. Two thousand years ago he was born of the Virgin Mary, lived on this earth for 33 years, died on the cross as a sacrifice for our sins, after three days in the tomb AROSE FROM THE DEAD, showed…

My mind drifts back over half a century to Christmas in Rothenburg o.d.T. 1962. Our family had only recently arrived in Germany—father, mother and one young son. Yet another boy was born in this fabled, medieval, walled city soon after our arrival. We were now a family of four facing our first Christmas in Deutschland.

I enjoy teaching God's Word, but I love even more the process of discovery that classes require of me. For me this process always includes "WOW moments," similar to that of a brilliant sunrise or an amazing rainbow. It is like the discovery of a $20 bill in your suit jacket you had totally forgotten about.

It has been said that marriage can either be the nearest thing to heaven on earth, or its extreme opposite. I ran across some papers I've used in the past when conducting marriage workshops or when counseling couples wanting to be married. This particular paper I pulled from my notes is a list of rules to follow if you want to create an environment for a happy and lasting marriage.

The loyalty of a faithful friend becomes a glimpse of God's closeness during tough times, a reminder that we are not forgotten, abandoned, unneeded. Friends who heal sooth the pain of loneliness. They may not understand the literal drama and tension of our immediate experience, but…

The Los Angeles system of freeways, rapid transit lanes, and side roads is very busy and can be very dangerous. An understatement! Hundreds of thousands of cars, pick-up trucks, and huge 80-thousand pound 18 wheeler diesel trucks prowl six traffic lanes on each side of the freeway day and night. At 55 to 65 miles per hour…

Located against the San Gabriel Mountains in Southern California stands a Christian university founded in 1899. Today Azusa Pacific University (APU), with over 11,000 students, is on the cutting edge of preparing students in the Christian faith and stressing the value of a Christian worldview.

All around the world we ring in a New Year—2012. It is a year of both concern and hope. Things might go very well or…

Christmas Day is almost upon us once again. And with its coming all kinds of things flood our minds from shopping, decorating and religious observance. I am struck by the difference there is between Christians and…

Psalm 100 is the premier psalm of praise in the Psalter. Every line is packed with beauty and meaning. It is the Word of the LORD! As we approach the Advent Season, the celebration of Jesus' birth, I would like to give praise to God for three major gifts of God in my life—and perhaps in yours as well…

In these days, even young adults are thinking about retirement. How will they finance perhaps 20 years of retirement? One should begin to think about that at a young age.

In the book of Genesis God asked Cain, "Where is your brother Abel?" Cain responded with some irritation, "I don't know. Am I my brother's keeper?" (Genesis 4:9).

As have many of you, I watched with great interest as the tragic and sordid details of the saga of the Tucson shooting unfolded. I watched the memorial service for the six victims held in the basketball stadium at the University of Arizona. But the question that comes to my mind when I hear of some dastardly deed like this, is…

If I could make several important wishes for the people of the world in the New Year, what might they be? Of course, I would have to make my wishes in the context of my Christian faith. But I have an idea that people of other faiths, or even no faith at all, would be happy to embrace these wishes. They are common aspirations of humankind.

In our world population of almost seven billion people in 2010, the Christian faith is the largest religion (33%), followed by Muslims (21%), Hindus (13%) and Buddhists (6%). There are 2.1 billion people in the world who claim the Christian faith.

Recently I was officiating at a funeral. During the homily, I shared a concept that I have held to for many years: People too often allow concerns over what other people think about them to interfere with their lives.

Some are saying that we are living in a time of unparalleled economic uncertainty. Predictions of full market recovery are either bleak or very long term. Markets have been reeling, national debt is seemingly unmanageable and the personal impact is…

Sunday, April 11, was Holocaust Remembrance Day. My wife and I listened to the Focus on the Family radio program as David Faber recounted his harrowing experiences as a Jewish teenager in Nazi-occupied Poland.

"The church" is not a building, but rather a group of Christian believers who meet together for several reasons. Some groups are large and some are small. The size often meets the preferences and needs of individual believers. But regardless of the size…

I am a Christian believer. You might wonder, why. There are many reasons. I was born into a Christian family. From my earliest days, my parents and my church taught me the basic facts of the Christian faith. I grew up in a nation that is mostly Christian. I have studied the Bible from childhood. But all of this was not enough.

I awoke this morning and began to think about salvation and the wonder of it all. Then the Holy Spirit reminded me that this very day, February 17, 2010 was the anniversary of my salvation 59 years ago. I was surprised. Could it be? I checked the calendar and sure enough. Today, as I write, is my spiritual birthday!

Well, here we go again! The banner headline reads, "Darwin could only dream of finding this!" What is "this?" It's Ardi, short for a 4.4 million-year-old Ardipithecus Ramidus. By the way, Ardi is female and about four feet tall. The fossil remains of Ardi were found in the northern regions of Ethiopia in the Awash Region. Paleoanthropologists have been working in the Afar area for more than forty years.

Focus on the Family's ministry to clergy families began in 1992. I had been the pastor to Dr. and Mrs. Dobson in Southern California. One night we were at dinner with our wives, and Dr. Dobson looked across the table at me and said…

"Religious people are just weak individuals who can't deal with life's problems so they need a crutch called God! They don't want to be responsible for their actions." Have you ever heard a statement like this before? I have.

When was the last time you checked your suit of armor? Does it still fit, or is it too small? Have you kept it in good condition - smooth and shining; or is it rusted and pitted? "What suit of armor?" you ask. "I don't have an old, antique, medieval, sheet metal shell at the top of my stairs like in the movies!" While few of us have the medieval version in our homes, we all have access to a spiritual suit of armor needed in our ongoing, daily battle against Satan.

I live my life in the expectancy of the ah-ha moment! A familiar Bible verse comes alive—ah-ha. A pastor's phrase percolates in my brain—ah-ha. Intimacy and transparency bloom in my fellowship/study group—ah-ha. Within the confines of these Christian activities and the obvious presence of the Holy Spirit, I expect, even presume, that God will reveal Himself.

Jesus Christ is God in the flesh! He came to this earth some 2,000 years ago to undo the effects of the fall (Genesis 3). He spoke as no man ever did. He performed mighty miracles—even the raising of the dead. But the stupendous thing about Jesus was the claim he made. He claimed to be one with the Father. And that is why the Jewish religious leadership crucified him.

A New Year has begun. We have just come through the holidays, most of us gasping and glad that it's finally over. So many things to do jam-packed into so little time. Some of us recognized that this last month were holy days and took advantage of the inner peace God desires for us. Most of us, however, got caught up in the frenzy of shopping, baking, decorating, gift exchanges, traveling, family. Too many "have to's" and "shoulds," not enough "want to's" and "did's."

How shall we approach Christmas this year? The whole world is in an economic meltdown. There are still wars going on in Iraq and Afghanistan. There is dire poverty in third world countries - especially in Africa and India. Of course, parts of the world (countries where Islam, Buddhism and Hinduism dominate) do not observe Christmas. In any case, the star over Bethlehem still shines brightly for many.

Some are saying that we are living in a time of unparalleled economic uncertainty. Predictions of full market recovery are either bleak or very long term. Markets have been reeling, national debt is seemingly unmanageable and the personal impact is quickly being felt by everyone.

The whole world is aware that the Americans are having a presidential election in November 2008. The two main candidates are Barack Obama (age 47) and John McCain (age 72). Both are United States senators. For the last two years, at least, they have been running hard for the presidency.

Sixteen days in August 2008 were dedicated to the celebration of sport with some 200 countries of planet Earth participating. The host country, China, spent 40 Billion dollars to create the Olympic Village with spectacular venues and to host the Olympics. They did a splendid job.

Chronic illness affects nearly one out of every two Americans (133 million people). Impossible you say? 96% of all chronic illness is invisible: no canes, wheelchairs, or other paraphernalia. So despite the hundreds of people you might see in a day, every other person is suffering from some…

The past several months have been filled with visits to the hospital for the Roots family. It all began with the birth of our first grandchild, Alyssa Grace. Due to complications during birth, she was kept in the ICN (Intensive Care Nursery) for nine days, hooked up to electrodes and an IV (intravenous). She came home in early December and has done beautifully. We enjoy her so much!

Leadership is the process of influencing others to accomplish desired objectives. Leadership involves relationships as well as self-development. Different people have said that everything rises or falls on leadership. Why? Because leadership is critical to the life of any organization.

Every May we celebrate Mother's Day. It is a time to tell Mom we love her and how special she is. Many give her flowers and take her out to Sunday dinner. If one lives a distance from Mother, a phone call is made. Moms wait for the phone to ring on this special day. Sometimes at church, a flower is given to all the Mothers on Mother's Day. In the past, the men used to wear a red carnation on the lapel of their coat if Mom was still living—a white carnation if she had…

It is hard to find a new church! Yes, I know, there are plenty of them around—all shapes and sizes, stripes and colors. But to find the right one, well, that is the real challenge. I have known some Christian people who recently moved to a new community. Having lived in their previous community for a number of years, they were quite comfortable and settled into a church life.

Valentine's Day is here—February 14^th. Everyone gets ready for the big day—cards, flowers, chocolates, special dinners. All this is for people we love: mom, dad, brother, sister, girl friend, boy friend, wife, husband, grandkids. It's kind of a cool thing. Once a year we say, I love you! But wait! Maybe that isn't so cool-to say it only once a year. We need to say this to those close to us often…

This list of things desired as essential was found in Old St. Paul's Church, Baltimore, and was dated 1692. In the struggle for peace in our lives, the advice has relevance for us even today. We know it as: THE DESIDERATA Go placidly among the noise and haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence. As far as possible, without surrender, be on good terms with all persons. Speak your truth quietly and clearly…

Some years ago I had the privilege of visiting Bethlehem. I went directly to the Church of the Nativity. Descending a flight of stairs I reached a lower level. There the traditional place where Jesus was born is marked with a silver star. Was this the exact place of his birth? How could I know for sure? I couldn't. However, it really didn't matter to me. I…

There's only so much nonsense any society can tolerate before we either Wake up from our lethargy, or we simply collapse for want of a backbone. I'm referring to several news items that have surfaced this past week wherein our liberties are challenged and thwarted. Allow me to list a few of these for you…

Do you know any real live atheists? I don't, right now at least. Actually, the statistics show that most people believe in God. Granted, they may define "God" a little differently, nevertheless, they believe in a "Higher Power". However, there are atheists out there. I, for one, believe in God—the God of the Bible. In the Bible God has revealed himself as one God in Three Persons (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit)…

Have you ever thought to yourself, why am I sitting here in church. There has to be a very good reason to go to church week after week. Why am I here? As a pastor for many years, I tried to help my congregation to understand the main reasons, why it was important for each of them to sit in the pew. It doesn't matter whether the church is traditional or contemporary or…

How saddened we were to hear of the death of Luciano Pavarotti: 1935 - 2007. Dead in his hometown of Modena, Italy at the age of 71, losing his battle with pancreatic cancer. Certainly all lovers of opera mourn his loss. He has been characterized by many as the greatest tenor since Enrico Caruso.

How tragic it is that our world is plagued by war. In my lifetime I have felt the impact of four great conflicts: World War II, Korea, Vietnam, and now Iraq. Besides these four major wars, there have been countless minor conflicts, which are not minor at all in that they have taken human lives. Whether the wars have been major or minor, they have been started by the acts of wicked men. Other nations have had to step in and stop the aggression of evil.