What Do Sequoia Trees Have to Do with Christians?

Posted on June 19, 2024 by russellmckinney

Many times, I have ended a conversation with some fellow Christian by saying, “I’ll pray for you, and you pray for me.” As you might guess, these words have come at the end of talks in which we’ve shared our problems with one another. And I’ve prayed for these folks, just as I’m sure they’ve prayed for me.

This reminds me of an illustration involving the massive Sequoia trees of California’s Sequoia National Park. Even though these trees can reach heights of almost 300 feet, they don’t have tap roots and their root systems are unusually shallow. Rather than penetrating deep down into the ground, their roots spiderweb out in all directions in an effort to capture the greatest amount of surface moisture.

So, why don’t these exceedingly tall trees get blown down by high winds? It’s because the trees typically grow in clusters that allow their roots to intertwine. In other words, the trees support one another.

As we study the New Testament, it isn’t hard to understand that God wants Christians to support one another as well. One of the most straightforward thoughts on the whole subject can be found in 1 Thessalonians 5:11, where Paul says to the Christians of Thessalonica:

…comfort each other and edify one another, just as you also are doing. (N.K.J.V.)

Today, Christian, if you find yourself troubled or hurting over a situation, don’t hesitate to talk things over with a trusted Christian friend. Allow that fellow Christian to minister to you by listening, encouraging, and even offering counsel. Likewise, if a fellow Christian wants to talk to you about something that is going on in his or her life, give that conversation your full attention and make a concerted effort to minister to that Christian. Who knows what a profound effect these conversations might have? After all, even the mighty Sequoia trees thrive from a support system that depends on other trees.

Posted in Christian Unity, Communication, Friendship, Influence, Ministry, Prayer, Prayer Requests, Problems, Seeking Advice, Worry | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Have You Been a Good Samaritan Lately?

Posted on June 17, 2024 by russellmckinney

Then Jesus answered and said: “A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, who stripped him of his clothing, wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a certain priest came down that road. And when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. Likewise a Levite, when he arrived at the place, came and looked, and passed by on the other side….” (Luke 10:30-32, N.K.J.V.)

One night, famed evangelist D.L. Moody was traveling by train to his next meeting. He was accompanied by his friend D. B. Towner. At one of the way stations, a young man who had just been in a drunken brawl boarded the train. His clothes were disheveled, his face was bruised and bloodied, and he was still drunk and in a mood for fighting. Unfortunately, he recognized Moody and began to taunt him by mockingly singing some of the classic hymns in a loud and contentious way.

Moody was in no mood to hear it, and he asked the train workers to deal with the man. One of them did so by quieting the drunk, escorting him to another place, and kindly washing his face and treating his bruises. Moody didn’t see any of this, but when he heard about it later the news washed a wave of conviction over him. He said, “Just think, only last night I was preaching about the Good Samaritan, and yet this morning I find my feet in the shoes of both the priest and the Levite! This trainman’s action has served as a rebuke to me from the Lord!”

As best I can tell, our society is more cutthroat and uncaring than it has ever been. Common decency is on the wane and courtesy has become an endangered species. It’s gotten to a point where a genuine act of kindness is somewhat shocking. When you find yourself the recipient of one, you have to pause for a moment and think as to how to respond because you are so unaccustomed to anyone treating you that way. That’s a sad commentary.

As usual, though, Jesus calls the Christian to a far higher standard. Certainly, we are to be filled with integrity, honesty, and morality, but all that only makes for a straight-walking legalist if it isn’t mixed with kindness, compassion, and concern for others. Jesus simply doesn’t allow us the option of being self-centered and self-serving. Furthermore, He doesn’t want us living in aloof isolation from a fallen, depraved world where “road agent” thieves do their damage and obnoxious drunks walk out of bars and onto trains. No, we’re supposed to be right out there in the middle of the whole mess ministering to others the way Jesus would if He was on the scene.

Each Christian has God the Holy Spirit living inside him/her. And what does Galatians 5:22-23 tell us about the fruit of the Spirit? Those verses say:

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. (N.K.J.V. emphasis mine)

Christian, be sure to notice those words I’ve emphasized in black. They are the traits D.L. Moody didn’t exhibit toward that loudmouthed drunk who was annoying him. But we can’t honestly be too hard on Moody, can we? I mean, we’ve all been guilty at times of failing to play the good Samaritan to someone who needed our help. So, today, let’s make a point of doing a better job at this. Let’s be on the alert for people to whom we can be loving, longsuffering, kind, good, and gentle. Chances are, living in our society, we won’t have to look very hard.

Posted in Character, Depravity, Discipleship, Doing Good, Evangelism, Extending Forgiveness, God's Work, Ministry, Missions, Service, The Holy Spirit | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

An Important Context

Posted on June 14, 2024 by russellmckinney

We Christians are very familiar with Philippians 4:13, where the apostle Paul says, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” But how many of us correctly understand the context for this classic verse? Trust me, the context has nothing to do with achieving any type of worldly success for Jesus.

Truth be told, Paul was in prison when he wrote the book of Philippians, even though there is some debate as to the exact location of his imprisonment. Most scholars believe he wrote Philippians during his imprisonment in Rome, but others contend he wrote it during an imprisonment in Caesarea. A few others even go with the idea of an Ephesus imprisonment. For the purposes of this post, though, let’s not get lost in the weeds of that debate. The fact we want to fixate upon is that it was a prisoner who confidently affirmed that he could do all things through Christ!

Through Christ, Paul could even have escaped his imprisonment if that had been God’s will. Acts 5:17-25 tells us that an angel had once opened a set of prison doors in Jerusalem to allow the apostles to go free, and Acts 12:5-19 describes another occasion wherein an angel had led Peter out of another Jerusalem cell. These two passages prove that Paul could have experienced the same kind of escape if God had wanted it to happen. But can’t we say that it actually took more strength for Paul to remain in prison than it would have taken for him to get busted out by an angel? That’s a whole different level of strength on display right there.

I don’t know what your current circumstance is, but I know enough about life to feel safe in assuming that somebody out there right now is sitting in some kind of “prison” (a metaphorical one if not a literal one). And if that’s you, I just want to encourage you that you really can do all things through Christ. That includes enduring life inside your “prison.”

So, I ask you, “Do you know Jesus as your personal Savior?” If you do then the strength you need to endure whatever life throws at you will come via God the Holy Spirit, who dwells inside each Christian. You see, it is the indwelling Holy Spirit who makes Philippians 4:13 applicable for any situation the Christian will ever face. That includes situations we would call “mountaintops” as well as situations we would call “valleys,” and it includes sites we would call “penthouses” as well as sites we would call “prisons.”

Posted in Addiction, Adversity, Alcohol, Attitude, Comfort, Courage, Depression, Disappointment, Divorce, Drugs, Encouragement, Fear, Gambling, Inner Peace, Joy, Needs, Persecution, Perseverance, Problems, Salvation, Spiritual Warfare, Suffering, Temptation, Trials, Trusting In God, Worry | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Greatest Commandment

Posted on June 12, 2024 by russellmckinney

A group of men went deer hunting. After setting up camp, they separated into pairs to do their hunting. Bob and Joe paired up to hunt together, and Joe killed a huge 10-point buck. Bob then volunteered to help him drag it back to camp.

Halfway back to camp, though, Bob became lightheaded and passed out from exhaustion. At that point, Joe had a decision to make. Should he leave Bob behind and get the deer into camp or leave the deer behind and get Bob into camp? After mulling over the two options, he decided to leave Bob behind and get the deer into camp.

When Joe arrived at camp the other hunters were all very impressed with his deer. Eventually, however, one of them asked, “Where’s Bob?” Joe answered, “Well, I had a tough decision to make, and in the end, I decided that no one would come along and steal Bob.”

Priorities. We can certainly get them out of whack, can’t we? But what is the greatest priority? Here’s what Jesus had to say about that:

Jesus said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment.” (Matthew 22:37-38, N.K.J.V.)

Now, I realize that Jesus also said the second great commandment is to love your neighbor as yourself. (By the way, Joe failed that one completely concerning Bob.) For the purposes of this post, though, let’s just stick with the first commandment. Notice how all-encompassing it is. You are to love God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind!

This means that your love for God should permeate every facet of your being. It should course its way through your heart, soul, and mind. It should influence all your desires, actions, and thoughts. It should reach way down to the deepest “you” and affect everything that flows up from there.

This commandment can rightly be called the greatest commandment because if you truly keep it, keeping all the other commandments naturally follows. You make the one big decision to keep this commandment and that takes care of thousands of other decisions concerning all the other commandments. As a result, any Christian who truly keeps this first commandment will inevitably have his/her priorities in correct alignment.

Take the necessary time, Christian, to reflect upon how you are doing at keeping the greatest commandment. Ask yourself, “What are my priorities these days? Is everything I’m doing molded, shaped, flavored, and seasoned by my deep love for God?” And if you don’t like your answer, then make the necessary changes today. Nothing in your life is more important than you loving God with all your heart, soul, and mind. Again, if you will keep that commandment, everything else about your life will just naturally come into line.

Posted in Choices, Commitment, Discipleship, Dying To Self, Faithfulness, Humor, Idolatry, Personal Holiness, Priorities, Sanctification, Service, The Heart, Worship | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Always Victorious?

Posted on June 10, 2024 by russellmckinney

By this I know that You are well pleased with me, because my enemy does not triumph over me. (Psalm 41:11, N.K.J.V.)

David wrote Psalm 41, and it’s simply impossible to understand our text verse correctly unless we view it through the lens of him being a military man. He was a soldier, a general, a commander, a king who led his troops into battle. Not only did he kill the Philistine giant Goliath in a one-on-one showdown, he eventually led Israel in putting down the entire nation of Philistia once and for all.

Being a military man, David equated having God’s pleasure (God’s favor, God’s approval, God’s smile) upon his life with him being successful in combat against an enemy. That’s the thought he is conveying in Psalm 41:11. He says, “God, there’s one sure way I can know You are pleased with how I’m living: When I come up against an enemy, I win.” 

If David had ever fought and lost, he wouldn’t have thought, “That enemy was just too tough to handle.” He wouldn’t have said, “I needed a better plan of attack.” Instead, he would have concluded, “Something is not right between me and God. He’s not pleased with me. Somehow I’ve gotten out from under the fountain of His favor. I must have angered Him or disappointed Him.”

This, of course, was Old Testament thinking at its purest. The Old Testament Jews assumed that if God was pleased with a man’s life there would be a wife, children, flocks, herds, health, wealth, and plenty of food and drink to show it. They held to the notion that God blessed those who served Him well and cursed those who didn’t. We see this in the book of Job after God had allowed Satan to take Job’s children, wealth, and health from him. The bulk of the book centers around Job’s three friends (Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar) urging him to confess his sin to God and repent of it, while Job in turn defends his innocence. We even see this same notion carried over into the New Testament age when the disciples come upon a man who was born blind and ask Jesus, “Who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” (John 9:1-3)

A more thorough study of the New Testament, however, shows us that those with whom God is pleased oftentimes do get triumphed over, at least in an earthly sense. Consider this list of examples:

John the Baptist was beheaded by the Roman ruler Herod Antipas (Matthew 14:1-12).

Peter and John were unjustly arrested for preaching Jesus and healing in His name (Acts 4:1-22).

All of the apostles were thrown into prison and beaten (Acts 5:17-41).

Stephen was stoned to death by the Jewish Sanhedrin council (Acts 7:54-60).

James was killed via the sword by the Roman ruler Herod Agrippa (Acts 12:1-2).

Peter was arrested and imprisoned by Herod Agrippa (Acts 12:1-4).

Paul was stoned and left for dead at Lystra (Acts 14:8-20).

Paul and Silas were imprisoned and severely whipped in Philippi (Acts 16:16-34).

Paul was beaten by the Jews and led away in chains by Roman soldiers at the temple in Jerusalem (Acts 21:26-36).

John was banished to the penal colony on the barren island of Patmos by the Roman emperor Domitian (Revelation 1:9).

Jesus Himself was falsely arrested, illegally tried, and brutally crucified.

Frankly, all of these travesties of justice, many of them fatal, would have confused David because he was a man who counted on God to lead him to unquestioned victory in battle. His philosophy was, “While others trust in horses and chariots, we will remember the name of the Lord our God” (Psalm 20:7). Does this mean, then, that God was displeased with all the New Testament Christians who were persecuted and oftentimes martyred for their walk with the Lord? Hardly. It simply means that what applied to David in the Old Testament era didn’t apply to them in the New Testament era. While it’s true that God never changes in regards to His nature and character (Malachi 3:6), He has certainly been known to change His ways of dealing with people during various parts of history. The theological word for that is “dispensationalism.”

Perhaps, Christian, you’d rather live under David’s Old Testament setup than the New Testament one. You’d rather slay Goliath and lead your army to victory than be falsely arrested, imprisoned, stoned, whipped, or slain. Well, I don’t know what to tell you about that except that us having a fuller revelation of Christ and understanding of God can’t be a bad thing. It also can’t be bad that we now enjoy the following list of realized events: Christ’s life, Christ’s crucifixion, Christ’s resurrection, Christ’s ascension, the Holy Spirit literally dwelling inside each believer, a completed Bible, and some 2,000 years of church history. Truth be told, David would no doubt envy us in more ways than we envy him.

So, my goal for this post is to remind us all that Christ’s people oftentimes do take it on the chin in this New Testament age. I realize this isn’t a comforting thought, but it’s a true one nonetheless. We live in a world where injustices are commonplace and the wicked win tons of earthly victories. At the risk of sounding too dramatic, I might even classify us Christians as an oppressed people. Each day of our lives we are oppressed by Satan, his demons, and men and women who do his bidding (even if they don’t realize they are doing it). The fact is, we have much more in common with Stephen, James, Paul, and John than we do David.

Therefore, Christian, let me say that while I don’t believe there is anything wrong with you asking God to grant you victory over your enemies, you shouldn’t be surprised when you come out on the losing end of things. You might wonder, “But why would God refuse such a request?” My answer is, “Don’t confuse a No with a Wait.” You see, God has already declared that every Christian will overcome this world (1 John 5:4-5). That’s a done deal. It’s just that all the accounts won’t be fully settled and finalized until the afterlife. That leaves a lot of living to be done in this life, doesn’t it? And, unfortunately, that living includes us sometimes losing the “battles” we fight.

Posted in Adversity, Commitment, Criticism, Disappointment, Eternity, Faithfulness, God's Work, Human Life, Persecution, Perseverance, Prayer Requests, Problems, Service, Spiritual Warfare, Suffering, Trials | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Turning the Other Cheek

Posted on June 7, 2024 by russellmckinney

“You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also.” (Matthew 5:38-39, N.K.J.V.)

One Friday night several years ago, Tonya and I attended our local high school’s football game. Our son, Ryan, was playing on the varsity squad. Obviously, that wasn’t the only one of his games we ever attended, but that night I saw something I’d never seen. I saw the visiting varsity players using the public restroom during halftime.

It all started when the scoreboard buzzer sounded to end the game’s first half. At that point, the visiting team didn’t run toward our visitors’ locker room the way visiting teams normally did. Instead, their players stayed on the field and headed down to the corner of one of the end zones. I thought that was odd, but I figured their coaches were just going to give them a brief pep talk and then lead them through an extended time of halftime stretching or going over some play formations. Since the team was in the lead and had played a pretty good first half, I thought maybe their coaches didn’t require the confines of the walls of a locker room to chew the players out over poor play.

So, I put the matter out of mind and headed for the public restrooms. Like a lot of men, I usually take a bathroom break during halftime. When I opened the door to the Men’s room, however, I saw that there was a long line of guys waiting. That wasn’t necessarily so strange, but the odd thing was that it was some of the players from the visiting team who were making the line so lengthy. There they were, still wearing their full uniforms, standing in line amongst the ranks of enemy fans. I asked myself, “What in the world is going on here? Is there a problem with our visitors’ locker room? Are the toilets not working in there? Has a pipe burst and flooded the place?” This inquiring mind wanted to know.

I got my answer after the game. According to Ryan, our j.v. team had traveled to that visiting school to play the j.v. game the night before and hadn’t been granted access to that school’s visitors’ locker room. As a result, our j.v. players had been forced to get dressed in that school’s gym, a fact that hadn’t gone over well with our varsity coaches. Consequently, they had decided to get even the following night when that school’s varsity team made the trip to our school. In order to get their revenge, our varsity coaches had refused to allow those visiting players to use our visitors’ locker room. That, in turn, had forced those players to not only have to use our gym for dressing before and after the game but also use our public restroom.

Now, I don’t even pretend to know why our j.v. team hadn’t been allowed access to the other team’s visitors’ locker room the previous night. Perhaps it had been an oversight or perhaps it had been intentional. But what I do know is that no matter how wrongly our j.v. team had been treated, the Christian way was not to go “an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth” the following night. That’s the point I made with Ryan during our conversation after the varsity game.

I’d like to say that my beloved eldest son had recognized that the way our coaches had handled the situation had been wrong, but that would be a lie. When he had seen the visiting team’s bus struggling to work its way through all the traffic after the game and get backed up to our gym, he’d thought it was funny. As a matter of fact, he was still laughing about it as he explained the whole story to me after the game. I guess he’d figured that all was fair in love and football.

That’s why I had to raise my voice a touch that night and explain to him how authentic Christianity gets fleshed out in such real-world situations. Apparently, the 75 sermons he’d heard from me over the years hadn’t done the trick. I said, “Son, no matter how badly someone treats you, if you are a true Christian, you can’t get down there in the mud with them and start slinging. Jesus expects us to take the higher road and be the bigger person.” I recall letting the lecture go at that, but hindsight being 20/20 I should have also explained that Jesus expects us to love our enemies and pray for those who do us wrong (Matthew 5:43-44). Ryan had heard a few sermons on those topics too, but they’d probably registered with him about as well as those on turning the other cheek had.

Of course, the problem that night was the fact that not everybody involved in the situation was a Christian. After all, it’s futile to expect lost people to live out the values and principles of Christ’s Sermon on the Mount. That’s like asking zebras to change their stripes. Am I saying that all of the football coaches of the staffs of both of the schools were lost? No, my guess is that some of them were born-again Christians. What I’m saying is that a very, very bad example was set that Friday night for a lot of highly impressionable young men.

I was old fashioned enough then (and still am) to believe that any coach should be a good role model to his or her players. You can agree or disagree with me on that, but if you are a Christian you’ll have to agree with me that Jesus taught that His people should turn the other cheek rather than get even. And that definitely wasn’t a word that was exclusively for the ancient world of the Roman empire, was it? Nope. It was one that applies to today’s high school football games as well, not to mention any and all other situations.

Posted in Attitude, Character, Choices, Discipleship, Doing Good, Extending Forgiveness, Influence, Persecution, Personal, Revenge, Sports, The Sermon On The Mount, Youth | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Miss Thompson & Teddy

Posted on June 5, 2024 by russellmckinney

Today, I feel led to share a story that I picked up years ago from well-known pastor and author John Ortberg. It’s Ortberg’s story put into my own words. The story has always been a blessing to me, and I hope it will be one to you.

Miss Thompson was a 4th-grade teacher who had a student who was unmotivated, apathetic, and well behind the rest of the class academically. Actually, the only reason he was even in the 4th grade was because his previous teachers had promoted him undeservedly. The student’s name was Teddy.

It didn’t take Miss Thompson long to reach the end of her rope with the boy, and her frustration began to come out by way of negative comments toward him. But no matter how much she scolded him or criticized him, nothing seemed to faze him one way or the other. He just took it all in silence. She began to suspect that he just didn’t have the mental capacity to learn.

In desperation, she decided to dig up Teddy’s progress reports from previous years and see if she could find something she could use to reach him. All she found, though, was the sad pattern that had brought him to his current state: “Teddy is academically inferior and in great need of help.” “Teddy has no dad.” Teddy’s mom is sick.” “Teddy is in need of professional counseling.” “Teddy’s mom has died.” “Teddy lives with his aunt.” The reports helped Miss Thompson understand Teddy better, but none of them gave her the answer as to how to help him.

When Christmastime rolled around that year, each of the kids brought a gift for Miss Thompson. Teddy came in carrying a brown paper bag with the opening crudely taped closed. Miss Thompson opened the bag, which held inside it half a bottle of cheap perfume and an old bracelet. Basically, it was the tackiest gift she had ever received. She had enough sensitivity and courtesy, though, to make a good show of things for Teddy. She put a little dab of the perfume on her wrist and complimented him in front of the entire class.

At the close of class that day, Teddy lingered around until the other kids were gone. This was something he had never done. He stood in silence for a good while until he finally said of the perfume, “Miss Thompson, you smell just like my mother when she wore it.” Then he left. Miss Thompson cried all the way home that afternoon, and the following morning she walked back into class with a renewed sense of mission. She would make Teddy her personal project and pour more time, effort, and compassion into him than she had any other student.

And how did it all turn out? Well, Teddy passed Miss Thompson’s class. Then he went on to graduate high school. Then he enrolled in college and graduated from there. Then he enrolled in medical school and graduated from there. Every now and then along the way he would send Miss Thompson notes informing her of his progress. The last one came just prior to the ceremony for his graduation from medical school. The note read: “Miss Thompson, I am graduating soon. I want you to sit in my mother’s chair.” It was signed “Theodore Salvard, M.D.”

Ortberg’s point to the story was that you, Christian, are the only Jesus that some people will ever see. I’ll add in that this world is filled with people like Teddy, people who need someone who will put in the effort to understand them and help them. Perhaps the Lord will one day have you cross paths with someone like that. Maybe it’s even already happened. That person might be a kid, an elderly person, a homeless person, or someone who is “the talk of the town.” I don’t know who God might have in mind for you to help, but what I do know is that Jesus Christ came to serve others, including those who needed the most help. And I also know that if we, His people, really want to walk in His steps, such ministering to others has to be a major part of who we are and what we do.

Posted in Children, Christmas, Doing Good, Encouragement, Evangelism, Friendship, God's Love, God's Work, Influence, Mercy, Ministry, Motherhood, Service, Teaching, Witnessing, Youth | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Preaching in a Prison

Posted on June 3, 2024 by russellmckinney

On a few occasions in my ministry, I’ve had the privilege of preaching the chapel service at Mountain View Correctional Institution, a prison in our area. I use the word “privilege” because that’s exactly what it always was. What follows now is my description of the most memorable service I was ever involved with at Mountain View.

Somewhere between 40 and 45 inmates crowded into the small room where the service was held. Attendance at chapel was voluntary. Before the service I asked Don Stafford, who was the chaplain at the time, how many of the attendees would be Christians. He answered, “Probably all of them.” That was good to hear because the sermon the Lord had given me for that hour was definitely geared toward Christians, not lost people. I don’t mind admitting that I had questioned the Lord about that.

When Don and I walked into the room the “band” was already warming up. There was a white inmate on electric guitar, a black inmate on keyboard, a black inmate on drums, and a few others that I can’t recall right now. Don said of the drummer, “Now, he is a real drummer. He gets so loud in here sometimes I have to calm him down.” The fact was, all of the musicians were great. I’ve never had a praise-and-worship band in the churches I’ve pastored, but I sure had one that day.

Before the service began a couple of the inmates brought bags and handed them to Don. The bags were filled with food items the men had purchased at the prison’s store using the meager money they had earned by working their prison jobs. Bringing those items to Don was a way of paying a “tithe.” Don’s job was to disperse the items to other inmates who needed them worse. I assure you that I’ve never seen more humble and heartfelt offerings. Don didn’t even ask for them or have a time of taking up an offering in the service. Again, it was all completely voluntary.

The inmate who first took the podium to lead in worship was a white guy who had once served on the staff of a large church. You could tell he was very comfortable being in front of a crowd. He led us in a rousing version of “He Set Me Free.” He said, “Even though we’re in prison, we’ve been set free.” After several hearty “Amens” to that statement, we were halfway through the first verse before I caught up to the fast-paced tempo of the song!

By the way, that song leader wasn’t the only inmate who had once served in the ministry. Don told me there were actually five such inmates in that service. I said to him, “That’s pretty scary. What does that say about me and you?” He just laughed. Seriously, though, it drove home the point that being in the ministry doesn’t make you immune from sin or scandal. One of those five ministers, a white guy who led in a beautiful version of a contemporary Christian song, had killed his wife. When you hear that, you’re reminded that you are preaching in a genuine prison.

All of the singing and playing was fantastic, but perhaps the highlight was when an elderly, short, black, former street preacher led in a song called “He’s An On-Time God.” It was all that drummer could do to restrain himself from cutting loose on that one. The street preacher did some preaching before and after the song. In between the preacher’s lines, the black guy on keyboard would accentuate the previous line by striking a few notes. Please don’t think I’m even hinting at racism when I say, “Black folks know how to have church!” I looked at Don and asked, “Is that keyboardist going to do that while I’m preaching?” He laughed and said, “No.” I was relieved to hear it because I didn’t have the preaching style to keep up that pace!

The sermon the Lord had laid on my heart was on the subject of forgiving others. I began by saying, “I realize that all of you have wronged others and sinned against them, but that’s another sermon for another time. What I want to talk about is you forgiving those who have wronged you and sinned against you.” My opening text was Matthew 6:12, where Jesus says, “And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.” I spent most of my time, however, in Matthew 18:21-35, where Jesus tells that incredible parable about the unforgiving servant. Toward the end of the sermon, I mentioned that Christ’s first words from the cross, right on the heels of Him having been betrayed, arrested, tried, mocked, beaten, whipped, and nailed to that cross, were, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do” (Luke 23:34).

The main point of the sermon was this: One of the truest marks of an authentic salvation experience is your ability and willingness to forgive those who have wronged you. The fact is, you can pray, read your Bible, go to church, put money in an offering plate, pay your bills, live an honest life, etc., but if you patently refuse to forgive others, your supposed Christianity can rightfully be called into question.

As another part of the sermon, I said to those men, “I want each of you to do something for me right now. Say to yourself, ‘If I would be honest, I have never completely forgiven _______.’” Then I told them, “If some name popped into your mind, there is some business that you need to do with the Lord today.” When I was finished preaching, I called Don to the podium to close out the service. As he followed up with just a few words about my sermon, he said one thing that I thought was especially helpful to those inmates. He told them, “It could be that you need to forgive a prison guard who has wronged you.” That was another one of those moments when you realize that you are preaching in a real live prison.

And so, I’ll close out this post now by having you, the reader, do the same thing I asked those prisoners to do. Say to yourself, “If I would be honest, I have never completely forgiven _______.” Believe it or not, Christian, if a name pops into your mind, you are living in a type of prison yourself. But the difference between you and those men I preached to that day is: You hold the key to your cell door in your hands.

Posted in Attitude, Church, Extending Forgiveness, Forgiveness, Giving, God's Work, Ministry, Music, Personal, Preaching, Salvation, Stewardship, Tithing, Worship | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Romans 8:28 & Roan Mountain

Posted on June 1, 2024 by russellmckinney

And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. (Romans 8:28, NKJV)

I grew up in the small town of Bakersville, North Carolina. I would call it Mayberry, but Mayberry looks bigger on television. Nationally speaking, Bakersville’s claim to fame is that it lies at the foot of the North Carolina side of Roan Mountain, a well-known tourist site.

And what is it that makes tourists want to come see Roan Mountain? Rhododendrons. The mountain is home to the largest display of blooming rhododendrons in the world, and the display is 100% natural. All told, the plants cover over 600 acres of the mountain. We’re talking about the world’s most exquisite rhododendron garden, marvelously nestled along a mountain ridge 6,300 feet high. It really is quite a site. The plants usually bloom sometime around mid-June, and Bakersville holds an annual Rhododendron festival complete with a beauty pageant, street dance, 10K run, and car show. Can you say, “Small town Americana”?

In the 1800s, people held to the general notion that high mountains offered mystical, healing powers. To cash in on this idea, mining tycoon John Wilder built the grand three-story Cloudland Hotel atop Roan Mountain. The hotel was completed in 1885 and was billed as a health resort. It featured beautiful carpets, fine furniture, copper bathtubs, steam heat, a bowling alley, a croquet course, and a small golf course. The hotel thrived for several years as a class of wealthy patrons ranging from American politicians to European royalty frequented it. Ultimately, however, the high cost of operating such a place on a mountaintop marked the end of the Cloudland. By 1910, the hotel was out of operation. A few years later, just before his death, Wilder sold it. Shortly afterward the new owner auctioned off the materials of the decaying building. By 1927, nothing but rubble was left. Now even the rubble is gone.

Here, though, is where the story of Roan Mountain’s rhododendrons takes an interesting turn. After the Cloudland’s closure, workers were hired to come in with machinery and dig up the mountain’s rhododendrons. The plants were then sold to different places. Obviously, the conservationist movement hadn’t exactly taken hold yet! The removal of the plants left the once beautiful mountaintop looking barren and scarred, and the local people who lived on either side of the mountain were grieved and outraged. They thought the days of Roan Mountain being defined by its trademark rhododendrons were gone forever.

But something unexpected started happening a couple of springs later. The roots of the old plants, roots that had been down too deep for the workers to touch, started sprouting new growth. Almost unbelievably, this new growth was even more beautiful than the previous growth had been. Whereas the previous growth had looked somewhat unkept and wild, the new growth actually looked cultured, even intelligently pruned. It wasn’t too long then before the mountaintop was once again a natural rhododendron garden, with this garden being even more breathtaking than the original one.

Now let’s be clear, the digging up of those original rhododendrons was certainly not a good thing. Today we look back on it and are appalled at such a ravaging of God’s creation. God, however, in His infinite power and sovereignty, was able to take that “bad” and make it work for Roan Mountain’s “good.” And you can rest assured that if He was able to do that with a bunch of rhododendrons atop a mountain, He can do it with the “bad” of your life. Do you remember what Jesus said about another kind of flowers, the lilies? He said:

…Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? (Matthew 6:28-30, NKJV)

The point is that God cares much more about you than He does flowers, even gorgeous lilies or stunning rhododendrons. This doesn’t mean that He will keep everything “bad” from happening to you, but it does mean that if you know Jesus as your Savior, He will take even the “bad” in your life and use it to produce something “good.” He’ll bring a positive out of the negative. He’ll work with the ugly to create something of beauty. Claim this promise today, Christian, and if you need an object lesson from nature, go visit Roan Mountain along about the second week of June.

Posted in Adversity, Attitude, Brokenness, Comfort, Complaining, Creation, Depression, Disappointment, Encouragement, Faith, Fear, God's Love, God's Omnipotence, God's Sovereignty, God's Work, Perseverance, Personal, Problems, Restoration, Suffering, Trials, Trusting In God, Worry | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Physical Beauty

Posted on May 30, 2024 by russellmckinney

When I think of physical beauty in women, I think of the Bible’s Esther. She won a national beauty contest and became the Queen of Medo-Persia, the most powerful empire of that day (Esther 2:1-18). Working from that position she became the vessel through which God kept Haman (an Old Testament version of Adolf Hitler) from wiping out the entire Jewish race. Do you know what that shows? It shows that God can use physical beauty to accomplish His work.

Unfortunately, Satan can use it to accomplish his work too, right? Every pornographic film, dirty magazine, scantily clad model, and “sex object” singer or starlet is evidence of that. These all feature prime examples of beautiful women who are using their physical beauty to entice men to lust.

One of Solomon’s reasons for writing the book of Proverbs had to do with his son, Rehoboam. Solomon wanted Rehoboam to receive the book’s words of wisdom and treasure them in his heart (Proverbs 2:1). Not surprisingly, the book includes multiple passages that warn against a man being seduced by a woman who is beautiful but immoral (2:10-22; 5:1-23; 6:20-35; 7:6-27; and 9:13-18). According to Solomon, these women wear the sexually alluring attire of a harlot (7:10) and use their physical beauty to create lust (6:25).

In stark contrast to such women, the book of Proverbs closes with an extensive passage that describes the godly woman (31:10-31). Verse 30 of that passage makes a point of saying that “beauty is passing.” This thought is similar to one presented in Psalm 49:14, which says that beauty shall be “consumed in the grave.”

So, the real issue is: How will a woman use her beauty during those years in which she has it? Will she be an Esther who uses it for God’s glory? Or will she use it to tempt, entice, allure, and manipulate men to accomplish the devil’s purposes? I’ll close this post by citing yet another passage from Proverbs, Proverbs 11:22 to be precise. It’s a verse that women in every age need to heed. It says simply:

As a ring of gold in a swine’s snout, so is a lovely woman who lacks discretion. (N.K.J.V.)

Posted in Aging, Character, Dress and Appearance, God's Work, Lust, Personal Holiness, Sex, Sin, Temptation | Tagged , , , , | 5 Comments