For 40+ years, I had a job almost every Sunday. I no longer have a weekly preaching responsibility as a local preacher, but most Sundays I still have a job, an obligation to preach or teach somewhere. But over the last year, I have had a few Sundays “off”. My first task has been to …
Author Archives: bro.bobyoung
Carpe Diem
Seize the moment! How do we do that? What activity or activities represent a wise use of our time? How do we balance life? How do we establish priorities? I remember a sermon I heard a long time ago. It was based on the last few verses of Matthew 6. Seek the kingdom and his …
It’s Sunday Again: Sunday Morning Habits
It is amazing–changes in one’s life do not change one’s habits–at least not very rapidly, perhaps never. I have arisen early on Sunday for most of my life. As a youth, I was able to sleep in a little on Saturday (but not very long–there were always jobs to be done), but Sunday never! Mother …
Remembering how hard it is to forget
Forgetting is not easy. The more I try to forget, the more I remember. This difficulty of forgetting is apparently a part of the human experience and defense mechanism. When something or someone has a negative impact in my life, it is natural to try to avoid a repetition. I have been reminded of this …
It’s Sunday Again: Resurrection
On a day that celebrates resurrection, or perhaps more properly on the day that celebrates resurrection, we should stop and ask ourselves what it means to live resurrected lives. Certainly Jesus’ resurrection is the promise of our future resurrection (read 1 Corinthians 15). But Paul also reminds us that Jesus’ resurrection is already at play …
Ask the one who knows the way!
True story. Two Christian men were making visits on behalf of their church. They drove into a subdivision, successfully made their visit, and were ready to leave the subdivision, but…. The driver could not find his way out of the subdivision! He tried several times but kept driving in circles and finding himself on streets …
Spiritual GPS
I like acronyms. Through the years, I have enjoyed making them up. Now one can find long lists of acronyms on the web, acronyms for just about everything. I like it best when an acronym has a dual meaning. A number of years ago, I entered a new ministry and one of the first activities …
Living at a Special Time
I admit it–sometimes I think about strange things. Today I am thinking about the special blessing I have had to live at this particular time in history. In Bible classes, we try to think about what it would have been like to live in the time of Abraham, or Moses, or Jesus, or at some …
Legalism and Mediocrity
[Working on an article–here is a draft of my introduction. What connections have you observed between legalism and mediocrity?] The ultimate result of legalism is mediocrity—a willingness to do the minimum, a lack of motivation to go beyond that which is required. Perhaps you have seen this quote from Alexander Solzhenitsyn: “A society based on …
Choosing the good over the best
Good, better, best. The sequence of positive superlatives is not always easy for children to learn in English class. I suggest it is sometimes equally difficult for adults to learn in daily life. Paul wrote to the Philippians, praying that they might know how to discern what is best (1:11). How often do we sacrifice …