July 2010

Full Deliverance

I recently heard a pastor friend say, “First, God had to take His people out of slavery, but then, He had to take slavery out of them.”

The deliverance of God’s people from Egypt is the central story of the Old Testament. It not only sets the stage for the most important story in the history of redemption—the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ—but it also has some important parallels for us in regard to the journey of holiness.

Unexpected Joy

March 2, 2010, is the day our Willow Rose was born. We were expecting her around March 13. The day started like any other. Chad got up and went to work. I got the girls ready and sent them off to school. It was late that afternoon when my water broke and we realized this was not going to be any ordinary day. This was going to be the day of our daughter's birth.

Mean Old World

“This is a mean old world to live in all by yourself,” says the great soul singer Sam Cooke.

Each day we see this reality when we hear stories of people who give up due to loneliness or disconnection. We know that during the most vulnerable times in our lives, we especially need to hear comforting voices and see the faces of brothers and sisters in Christ who are there for us.

The song that Sam Cooke recorded in the early 1960s is not as much about the state of the world—which we know has its problems. Its focus is upon the “all by yourself” aspect.

A Chat with Anthony Quimby

Born and raised on the Caribbean island of Barbados, Anthony Quimby is pastor of St. James Church of the Nazarene in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad. He has served on the denomination's General Board and is a member of the Trinidad and Tobago District advisory board. Also, he is president of the Caribbean Nazarene College (CNC) alumni association. Recently, CNC honored him with a D.D. degree. He and his wife, Marcia, have four children.

HT: You have served at St. James for how long?

In Celebration of God's 'Yet'

"Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done."
(Luke 22:42, NLT)

Sacredly, I knocked on the front door of the Free Grace Church parsonage. Sister Christine opened the door and said, "Brother Kerry, Danny will be so glad to see you." To her, his name was Danny, because he was her husband. But to me his name was Pastor LeRoy.

Avoiding the Revolving Door Syndrome

Sandy, the server, looked at the name on my credit card and said, "Why does that name sound familiar?"

"I'm the Sunday School and Discipleship guy for the Church of the Nazarene."

"Naw, that's not it," she said, "but I am a Nazarene. I go to a Nazarene church, but I don't know why—probably because I grew up there. After my divorce I've left several times, but I keep going back. I feel so disconnected. I'm there but not really a part. I keep hoping I will find a place to fit in, where I belong. Somehow it just doesn't feel right."

Enough!

A seminary professor was once asked by an inquisitive student what the “voice of the archangel” would say when the “last trumpet sounded” and Jesus returned (see I Thes. 4). The student chuckled as he asked, knowing that it was an impossible question to answer. The other students rolled their eyes and joined in the laughter.

Trading Places

"Our viewers want to know the most important thing they can do for their relationships," the producer told us. We were sitting in plush leather chairs, sipping bottled water out of straws in the green room of the famous Harpo Studios in Chicago. "Oprah is likely to ask you," the producer continued, "if you could only give one suggestion for improving relationships, what would it be?"

We didn't have to think twice. In fact, it wasn't the first time we'd been asked. We hear this question a lot. In nearly every interview we do that question is predictable.

Mighty and Powerful

In our world, we sometimes associate “power” with brute force, which typically has negative connotations: “overpowering” someone for personal gain, etc. However, the Bible reminds us that this is a perversion of the intended use of power.

God, the ultimate source of power, always uses His power for good. God’s power is portrayed as solid and consistent in the midst of an ever-changing world. His power is the very essence of the perseverance of good and love in a world that seems to thrive on manipulation and force.

Fishing Lessons

When my sons were small, I rediscovered fishing. I say “rediscovered” because the first time I took my older son (now a college student) fishing, it had been almost a decade since I had been. I not only had to rediscover the ins and outs of fishing, I had to relearn many things that had not been a regular part of my life for a long time.