Category Archives: Red Letter Christians

Ask us Christians if we love our neighbors and you will instantly hear our rousing  knee-jerk response: “Yes. Yes. Yes. A thousand times yes and more.”

After all, we all know how Jesus summarized the Law by stating believers should love God and “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

And who hasn’t heard the story of the Good Samaritan at least a thousand-zillion times ad infinitum.

We know all of this stuff; it’s Basic Christianity 101. Tickle our ears, give us something new, right?

But do we really love our neighbors?

This is a question I ask myself often. You see, for me, it’s easy to care about the poor and hurting in Asia and Africa or the inner cities of America or even the gays in San Francisco. These are burdens the Lord has placed on my heart.

But I struggle with loving the guy next door or the fellow down the street. After all, can’t I fulfill Jesus’ words by just tossing them a warm “howdy” every once in a while?

And yet, I’m wondering if my Christianity isn’t what the Apostle James termed dead faith.

Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. (James 2:17)

Do we really love our neighbors? If so, how far do we have to stretch out our love to them? With prayers? With fasting? With our pocketbooks? With our fellowship, even though we don’t like or agree with them? With hospitality? Where does this love end?

Swimming Upstream appears at this blog site on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. It’s  a little of this and a little of that, all written  to encourage and exhort believers in their Christian journeys.

Something happened after September 11, 2001, something very different from what is happening now. Do you know what it was?

Out of fear for themselves, their family and their country, people flocked into churches to pray.

How long did this unusual phenomenon last? Until the fear passed. Then, it was back to normal ho-hum Christianity.

Eight years later, America is now led by a President who stated during his campaign over and over again, “I am a Christian who prays everyday to Jesus.” Not only that, President Obama often made visits to churches where he stood in a pulpit, quoted Bible verses and sounded like a Baptist preacher.

But now, after six months in office, President Obama seems to be opposing Christian virtues with his anti-Israel/pro-Palestine initiatives, his income redistribution, his Obamacare,  his greater emphasis on abortion and many other programs.

The church patronized is the church paralyzed, therefore, the church in peril. The church persecuted is therefore the church prayerful, and therefore powerful. (G. Campbell Morgan)

What do you think? Is President Obama a tool of God to get us Christians back on our knees praying? If so,  how long will it take before we get the message?

Swimming Upstream appears at this blog site on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. It’s  a little of this and a little of that, all written  to encourage and exhort believers in their Christian journeys.

We American Christians  love our homes. They are our refuge away from the outside world and the storms of life. Just open the door, walk inside, close the door; and there you are, in your own private castle.

This is the one piece of real estate where you can do what you want, when you want, with whom you want and how you want to do it, without any other eyes or ears checking on you.

But what if?

Today, the American economy is teetering on the edge of calamity with an overwhelming debt load crushing the life out of it. And at the same time, our political Mad Hatters, not being satisfied, are adding more and more debt each week.

The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower becomes the lender’s slave. (Proverbs 22:7)

Guess who America’s chief lenders are? China and other foreign countries.

What if these foreign nations quit buying our T-Bills and other lending notes? Then, overnight, our economy would make the Great Depression look like the golden years. Jobs would be instantly lost. Homes and cars would be repossessed. People would be desperate.

So, are you ready to invite other families to live in your home with you? Are you ready to share your food, your autos, your computers, your bathrooms, your bedrooms, your finances and your whole life (almost every intimate detail on good days and bad) for an unforeseeable amount of time…maybe even  forever?

Swimming Upstream appears at this blog site on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. It’s  a little of this and a little of that, all written  to encourage and exhort believers in their Christian journeys

My entrance into the bologosphere came about in the late summer of 2004. A radio host, Hugh Hewitt, was constantly talking about blogging on his syndicated program.

“Blogging,” I thought. “What’s that?”

Not knowing the answer, I bought a book, did some research and started beating on the keys. Over the years, my writing has evolved, but it has always been from a Christian viewpoint.

After five years, I’m wondering a few things. Does God approve of my blogging? Or yours? Or anyone’s? If so, why? If not, why not?

Swimming Upstream appears at this blog site on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. It’s  a little of this and a little of that, all written  to encourage and exhort believers in their Christian journeys.

Feeling down because of the economy?

Maybe your home value has dropped 50-60%. Or your IRA’s, 401’s or stock portfolio has slipped into the toilet. Or even worse yet, you’ve lost your job. Tough times, right?

Well, check out this picture. Then, click here to read the less than 100 word article by Mark Pedder. He and his wife, Christine, are missionaries to one of the worst slums in Asia, BASECO.

After reading the article, ask the Lord if you can help Mark and Christine. They are not good at asking for help, but I have no problem in doing it for them.

Smith Wigglesworth was born in northern England in 1859. Though Wigglesworth was uneducated and normally spoke with a thick cockney accent, his healing and miracle ministry has been unequaled in modern times. At least, fourteen people were raised from the dead and thousands were healed in his meetings.

Just before Wigglesworth died in 1947, he said, “There are now so many healing options for sick people nowadays, that in the future it will be hard for people to be healed by faith.”

With the exception of the 1950’s Healing Revival in America, Wigglesworth’s statement has been accurate. For the most part, today’s believers generally seek the Lord for healing as a last resort after all medical options have first been tried.

But now, along comes the possibility of Obamacare. This massive legislation could allow federal employees  to determine whether any treatment is “comparatively effective” for any individual based on the cost, likely success and probably of the years left in the person’s life.

So, what do you think? Could Obamacare frustrate people enough so that they will seek the Lord for their healings in the months or years ahead? Or will we just fall in line with the other lemmings and suffer the consequences?

Swimming Upstream appears at this blog site on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. It’s  a little of this and a little of that, all written  to encourage and exhort believers in their Christian journeys.

“Larry, let’s pray, okay?” says Honey almost every morning over the last thirteen years.  “Who knows, maybe the Lord has a prophetic word for us today?”

Then, Honey and I seek the Lord specifically asking Him to speak to us through the prophetic gifts.

Does the Lord always speak to us? No, not always; but the percentage of times that He does speak is rather astounding.

Do we make mistakes? Yes, we do. Some of the mistakes are funny, and some are not. But then again, the accuracy has often been amazing, especially with knowing about family problems ahead of time, financial instructions, intercession, even deaths of relatives and so forth.

We write the prophetic words down which gives us an accountability system.

Now, most churches which allow prophetic words in their services do so as a part of the praise and worship time. The music dies down and then a prophecy or two may be spoken. But then, it’s back to the normal service schedule.

So, would churches be better off doing what Honey and I do? Specifically seeking the Lord for His now-input rather than having the same old-same old service. Or is a little prophecy more than enough? After all, there will be mistakes, some of them may even be major ones.

What do you think?

Swimming Upstream appears at this blog site on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. It’s  a little of this and a little of that, all written  to encourage and exhort believers in their Christian journeys.