Pathway Weeklies

The timeworn statement heard throughout my lifetime in ministry has been that the Christian army is the only one that shoots its wounded. Sadly, this maxim holds true in too many cases. In my mind, we need strong arms to lift up, not shove down, fellow believers who fail. We have before us today a wonderful passage that teaches us the correct way to handle moral failure in the church. The importa...

Our generation sadly searches all too often for the dead among the living. I hear folks speaking about “sightings” of everything from slain presidents to superstar entertainers on a semi-regular basis. This phenomenon indicates that most folks long for some contact with those beyond death’s pale. In direct contrast, there are those who hold no belief in existence beyond the grave and regard all su...

What does one do when those closest to him fail to recognize God’s work in his life and ministry? This was the case with Jesus’ own family and reminds us of His own words that stated the division that the Gospel would cause even in families (e.g. Matthew 12:52-53). We know this to be the fact even today. Many dedicated Christian servants suffer great rejection from their own families and friends. ...

The immortal words of Winston Churchill, “Never give up,” encouraged Great Britain in World War II to summon a deep inner resolve to withstand the darkness and doubt they faced from an unrelenting enemy attack on their homeland. The 23rd Psalm has long been called a “song of confidence,” not from inner resolve, but from God’s sheltering care. This awareness makes all the difference in the world, b...

Sometimes the Lord permits us to see “just over the hilltop” to know our future. A growing chain of circumstances seems to be challenging the contemporary church to recognize to understand more clearly how to live faithfully in challenging times. We know the Spirit “blows where He wills” (John 3:8), which means we may not always know immediately the direction our lives are headed. However, we may ...

John Stott once said, “How did Jesus expect His disciples to react under persecution? In Matthew 5:12 He said, ‘Rejoice and be glad!’” Good News is, after all, joyful news for which the early Christians were willing to suffer and die. As Spurgeon once said, “Never did the church so much prosper and so truly thrive as when she was baptized in blood.” News flash! Most of you will never suffer physic...

“What’s this world coming to?” has become a common expression to voice shock and grief. Even a casual awareness of current affairs will lead a person to mourn the injustices in our communities. Call to mind the horrific losses from wildfires in California and the subsequent looting from nefarious individuals. Think also of the victims of hurricanes, whose efforts to rebuild have been drowned in bu...

Following a most brutal miscarriage of human justice and a horrific crucifixion, the resurrected Jesus Christ appears before His disciples and spreads peace. His disciples, formerly war-filled in the Garden of Gethsemane, are presently worshipful at His appearing—and in the years to follow. No counteroffensive is planned and implemented; instead; they become intent on spreading the peace of Christ...

I recently viewed an investment video where a wealthy man stated that a person who invests in one of the stock indexes and stays committed to it through their lifetime will reach life’s end with an incredibly large sum of money. He warned, however, against moving money out of stocks anytime there is a drop in the stock market. He counseled that one must be willing to remain committed to the market...

A horrific tragedy occurred early New Year’s morning in New Orleans. Fourteen people, as of this writing, were killed in an act of domestic terrorism. Dozens of others, some of whom are still in critical condition, were injured in the killing rampage. In a city that is often swamped by savage storms with winds and rains, news reports began to surface in recent days of families and friends who are ...