Sometimes, rather than having an entire, one-subject column burning on my heart and in my head, there are simply dozens of random thoughts on faith, fun, and foolishness begging to be heard.
And so
– It is amazing how many professing Christians love Donald Trump for being blunt and abrasive and hate preachers for the exact same reason.
– The very churchgoers who paint themselves red and scream like banshees at the college game are often the ones who nearly pass out if someone shouts “Amen” during a church service.
– Baptists are the only people I know who discuss the upcoming fitness challenge over a nice potluck dinner.
– It is sad that a pastor being faithful to his wife and his flock for 50 years normally does not even register with the media, but a scoundrel hireling who falls into sin makes primetime news.
– Along that same line, seeing old preachers encourages me. They are living proof that a young preacher can often survive his own stupidity long enough to amount to something for God.
– If some of the Calvinists I know had written ‘Jesus Loves Me,’ it would not be nearly as nice of a song. It would be hard to smile over, “Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so, but I’m not so sure about you, you may not be of the chosen few.”
– The Bible says that a merry heart doeth good like a medicine. Many Christians have been “off their medicine” for a very long time.
– No matter what denomination or persuasion you are, it is hard not to have Billy Graham come to mind when you read the words of Proverbs 16:31: “The hoary (white-haired) head is a crown of glory, if it be found in the way of righteousness.”
– When Adam and Eve sinned, they made coverings of fig leaves. If God had not come by with coats of animal skins for them, Eve would have spent the next week trying on oak, maple, poplar, banana and every other type of leaf in the garden. She then would have gone back to the fig leaf she started with.
– A dear Christian brother of mine was married for nearly 70 years when his wife passed away. That is called “keeping your vows.”
– I was once accosted by a man who opined that anyone who owns or carries a gun must not have any faith, otherwise he would simply trust God to protect him and his family. This same man locks his doors at night, has an alarm system and carries life insurance.
– Everyone in Scripture who truly got saved had a radical change in his or her behavior. People who “get religion” that leaves them wallowing in the same old sin they have been engaging in for years may have gotten emotion or comfort or peace or happiness or a great many other things, but the one thing they did not get is actual salvation.
– A friend of mine used to be an atheist, went from there to being an agnostic, then went into paganism, and now claims Christ as his Lord and Savior. I was raised in a Christian home and got saved very young. Those who are born again all go to the very same heaven. It is not where you begin that is the issue, it is where you end up at that makes all the difference.
Bo Wagner is pastor of the Cornerstone Baptist Church of Mooresboro, N.C., and the author of several books available at www.wordofhismouth.com. Contact him at 2knowhim@cbc-web.org.