Timothy's Thoughts

O il is an interesting thing. A single drop in just the right spot can make a huge difference to the world. I’ve been riding my bicycle recently. My bike is over ten years old and has seen better days. I replaced the cables last year, but they’re starting to rust again. I recently had to replace the tires. The latest problem was a squeaky wheel. Everything seemed fine while I was riding, but when I would come to a stop, it would make a noise loud enough that the neighbors would look up from what they were doing. A little oil and the problem went away. Once more, I feel more comfortable about waiting to buy a new bicycle. Sometimes we feel unimportant. We look around us at people who seem to be doing more, accomplishing more, making more money, and we wonder why we aren’t them. The things we do go unnoticed while the things they do are awarded with high praise. We need to learn to be like that drop of oil. A small thing done in the right place and in the right time can change the worl...

I t worries me that so many people assume that the people who provide the most platitudes are the most spiritual. How often have we seen people going through a tough time and someone tells them, “God will see you through.” Or we ask someone how they are doing and they say something like, “God’s been good to me.” We walk away thinking, “That person is unashamed of his faith.” Until recently, I hadn’t given it much thought. These people used phrases that I normally don’t, but if they’re comfortable with it, what’s wrong with it? Then in Sunday School I heard someone talking about people some of these people being much more spiritual than most of us. “I don’t think I could ever reach that level of spirituality.” And I began to realize that people are measuring spirituality by personality rather than faith. While it is true that “God will see you through” and “God’s been good to me,” the words are weak if they don’t have specific meaning behind them. In reading the Bible, we find that ...

L ike most people in the United States, I’ve been trying to lose weight. How much weight? I don’t know. I haven’t stepped on the scales. But I’ve been having some success. I’ve noticed my clothes fitting better and I was feeling pretty good about it. Well, I was until I pulled one particular pair of jeans out of the closet. The tag says they are the same size as I wear every day, but when I put them on, they didn’t fit. I could fasten them, which is better than the last time I tried them, but they still don’t fit. Funny how a pair of jeans can change you outlook. Our expectations flavor how we feel about things. I put those jeans on with the expectation that they would fit, since I had accomplished so much. When they didn’t, I felt like I hadn’t accomplished anything. I think the same goes for authors. An author writes a book and feels a great sense of accomplishment. It takes a lot of time and effort to write a book. When you finish one, you feel great. Then the author sends it out ...

NOTE: In order to discuss the topic, the following contains some language that is improper in polite conversation. A recent discussion got me thinking about the use of profanity in Christian writing. The discussion was on Steve Laube’s blog and it was triggered by an article by Rachel Held Evans . To put it simply, Rachel Held Evans doesn’t like it that Christian bookstores, like Lifeway, are removing books and movies from their shelves because of profanity in the material. It has been common practice for a long time for Christian bookstores to be selective about the literature they sell. And more than a few kids have had the experience of their Christian parents washing their mouths out with soap. The question is, which is right? Is the long held assumption that we shouldn’t use profanity correct or is there some basis for Rachel Held Evans’ crusade for profanity in Christian literature. The only way to answer this is to go to the Bible. Without it, it becomes a matter of person...

M oney is like water. It only has real power when it is in motion. I grew up near the Mississippi River, but I also grew up near a swamp. The swamp just sits there and grows stale. The Mississippi River is constantly flowing with millions of gallons of water. One might wander where all that water comes from. It comes from a bunch of smaller rivers and streams, which are fed by rain water. And rain comes from clouds which come from the ocean evaporating. But the ocean is filled by rivers like the Mississippi. You’ve heard it all before. It is just one big cycle. And so it is with money. Big corporations pay their workers, who go out and buy things from store owners, who buy things from big corporations. We use terms like trickle up economics and trickle down economics to address the question of whether money flows from companies to the people or from the people to the companies. Usually, we are asking the question of whether it would be better to give corporations money or to give...

The Kingdom of Heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal till the whole was leavened. – Matthew 13:33 J esus spent a great deal of time talking about “the Kingdom of Heaven”. This is one of the shortest stories he told about it. You might ask what “the Kingdom of Heaven” is. The best I can tell, the Kingdom of Heaven is closely related to what many people call “the church” today. It seems to be all the Christians in the entire world. This is different from what Jesus called the church or the assembly, which is a local body that assembles together for worship and service. Even so, “the Kingdom” includes us. In the Bible leaven is symbolic of some evil. It is the nature of sin to start small and grow into something big. The same is true of leaven. In this case, we see a small amount leavening three measures of meal. The Jews Jesus was speaking to would have recognized the three measures as being the amount needed for the feast of unleavened brea...

T hese days it is in vogue to wear any old thing to church. At some point people decided that it would be good to dress down for church because we don’t want other people feeling uncomfortable. After all, we aren’t supposed to be trying to impress other people by what we wear to church anyway. It is God we are to worship. It sounds good, but I don’t think that argument holds water. First, I’m a guy and I don’t spend a lot of time trying to impress people with what I wear. I’m sure some people do, but I don’t think dressing down will change people’s desire to impress those around them. If it isn’t with their clothes, they’ll find something else for that purpose. Second, how many people do you know of that will refuse to go to church because the people dress too fancy? I’ve heard people use that excuse, but I’ve also seen people with very little come to church anyway. But here’s what really gets me. If a person were invited to the White House, no matter which party’s candidate were...