Life is filled with special events and unique experiences. A special Sunday, a special speaker, a touching encounter, an overwhelming sense of commitment. Spiritual high points give us hope and encouragement. Yet the reality of the routines of life is this: the greatest challenge of Christianity is to know God’s presence and power in the …
Author Archives: bro.bobyoung
It’s Sunday Again:Hearing God
I was struck yesterday by a simple thought from my Bible reading: the sheep hear the voice of their shepherd, recognize his voice, and follow his voice. Three simple thoughts jumped out at me from my reading in John 10. First, as a follower of the Good Shepherd, I must hear his voice. Jesus speaks. …
Giving Thanks in Difficult Days
The Thanksgiving weekend is past. Today is “recovery” day. Most in our nation will return to some version of normalcy. For some, this Thanksgiving has been another traumatic holiday in a string of downturns and challenges. Normal is full of trouble. For others, the holiday was better than normal (or at least better than in …
Why Christian?
I am thinking about why we Christians do what we do. Why do some who claim to be Christians not do the things generally associated with Christianity? Why are some involved and others inactive? Such a big question requires more space than I have today. But my thinking led me to consider the following question: …
It’s Sunday Again: A High Standard
We have either failed to see or have ignored the high standard of Christianity. Either way, we have demeaned and diminished discipleship. We have developed a contemporary version of Christianity that demands little. Jesus’ words about counting the cost, denying self, cross bearing, and putting Jesus first–above parents, possessions, prestige, have little meaning in today’s …
Discipleship: Following Jesus
I reflected and remembered former days as Ken Short described his childhood experiences—trying to follow his father through the drifted snow, carefully trying to walk in the exact footsteps, but sometimes failing because his legs were too short and his father’s strides were too long. It is not easy to follow exactly in another’s footsteps. …
It’s Sunday Again: Home
As I write this morning, I am amazed again at our shrinking world. In our global village, travel is easier than ever and communication is instantaneous in many places on this globe. It is hard to believe that yesterday morning we were eating breakfast in Central America and visiting with Maribel, our waitress at the …
Yield: Where He leads, I will follow
I have sung the song for years, “Where he leads I’ll follow….” Easy to sing, difficult to do. Where is God leading you? What does God want from you today? What will we do today that affirms that we are faithful followers? I remember an illustration I have used since my early preaching years. Paul …
Less than Comfortable
It makes me a bit uncomfortable to admit it, but the idea of walking with Jesus sometimes makes me uncomfortable. His presence in my life can be quite demanding, even overwhelming. It is tempting (and easy) to run from the full implications of his presence. It is tempting to settle for a watered down version …
What would you do differently?
You have likely heard the question, “What would you do differently if you knew you had a limited time to live?” Various answers have been given. One answer heard fairly frequently is, “Nothing would be different. I would just keep doing what I always do.” Today is the first official day of my “retirement” from …