In the Zone

On June 16, 1858, after Abraham Lincoln was nominated by the Illinois Republicans to be their candidate for the United States Senate, he gave an acceptance speech that became famous for his doctrine for America. Quoting the Bible, Lincoln said "A house divided against itself cannot stand." It is thought by many to be a statement that cost him the election to the Senate, but may have won him the keys to the Oval Office just two years later. You see, Lincoln believe that a United States was a stronger nation than a divided one. He was talking of slavery--the dividing line between the North and the South and the cause of so much political dissension in his day. He believed that as long as the North was free and the South was slave, the Unites States weren't united. They were divided and the country was weaker for it. Later, as the Southern states seceded from the Union--in large part because of Lincoln's election to the office of President--he used this doctrine ...

I often remember my Great-grandmother. To many people, she was Elizabeth Robertson. To me, she was Ninny. She spoke softly but lovingly. She always wanted to know what was going on in my life. She loved and cared and made the best grilled cheeses. I don't know that she made them any different than anyone else, but they always tasted better than anyone else's. That is still true to this day. She was a Christian woman who never shied away from her faith. She was a constant presence at her church. She talked about Jesus in such loving terms. She shared her faith with her family. To this day, I feel the impact she had on my grandmother and my mother and on me. I don't know that I would be a pastor today if not for the legacy of my Ninny. It's a stark reminder to me that I, too, will leave a legacy with my own children, grandchildren and others. My actions and my words will long outlive my life. I hope it will be in a positive way. At the end of the book of Ruth, w...

In 1974, Sylvester Stallone was a struggling actor. He had been turned down for various parts. He had a pregnant wife and an apartment that he couldn't even afford. During this bleak time, he sat down, and in four days, wrote a movie script about a down on his luck boxer who got a shot at the heavyweight championship. The script was so good that movie studios wanted to buy it and film it. Stallone, though, put a condition on purchasing the script. In order to make the movie, a studio had to guarantee he would star in it. Many studios balked. They wanted the script, but not the actor. Stallone persisted, despite his financial troubles. Finally, one studio agreed and the rest is history. Rocky went on to win the Academy Award for best picture. Stallone's career took off. He never faced financial peril again. Stallone took a great risk in order to gain a great reward. Sometimes God asks us to do the very same thing. He has great plans for us, but they require great ris...