Mom Teaching Sunday School: Yesterday my mom started teaching a Sunday school class in her local church. I wish that I could attend. She has always been a student of the Word. Also, after going through hell over the past three years, she has come out on the other side better, not bitter. Isn’t that the choice that faces us all when trying to find a way through darkness? Will I grow, become more Christlike, be more humble, and have more compassion? Or, will I be a bitter and cynical person? The latter can be such a strong temptation.
Following Hunches: Recently I bought a book for 50 cents at the library. They sell softbacks for 50 cents and hardbacks for $1. I only get books that I will read or use as a resource. I came across Neil T. Anderson”s book, The Bondage Breaker. It is on a stack on the floor beside my bookshelf. Lately, I cannot get this book off of my mind. In my personal history with the Lord, this is often how he speaks to me—a nagging thought that will not leave me. So, I cracked open the book and started. It may turn out to not be the Lord. Or, it may be. How will I know if I don’t try? After all, God usually doesn’t scream from Heaven. It is a mere whisper, hard to detect, and easy to ignore. Lord, is this you? Speak.
Effort Matters: I grade a lot of responses from college students. What is the #1 thing that I look for? Effort. When students leave questions blank, I frown at this. I also tend to not give students grace at the end of the semester if they have not put forth the effort. What do I call this? In a word, accountability. A boss is not going to hire them or keep them if they don’t put forth the effort. A marriage is going to fail if they don’t put forth the effort. A friendship is going to end if they don’t put forth the effort. Effort matters.
Doctrine + Experience: Psalm 34:8 reads, “Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.” Of our five senses, two are mentioned here. You can believe the right things about God all day—i.e., have sound, orthodox doctrine—but if you are not encountering and experiencing the Lord as well, then your faith is woefully deficient. Both are needed.
B.J. Condrey, Ph.D. 