I spent Monday at a retreat with some other area pastors at a United Methodist Church camp in LaGrange County. It was a great time of interaction and sharing thoughts. These were ministers from other denominations, but it was so heart-warming to hear their individual stories of conversion and calling. Inspirational!

At one point we scattered over the rustic campground, which was mostly wooded, for private devotional time. When we returned, one of the pastors was really excited that he had seen a sign from God. While praying about a problem he was dealing with, he observed a cardinal and blue jay sitting on a branch near each other. Now, blue jays are aggressive birds that will chase any other species away, and cardinals are non-aggressive and keep to themselves. But, here they sat together.

I don’t know what the pastor was dealing with, but this was received as God giving him a sign. It may have been relationship difficulties with his spouse, or perhaps a problem with his church or denomination. But, this was clearly a sign of unity for him.

What sign has God given you recently that delivered a message to your heart?

Tags: birds, message, nature, signs, unity

I came to Christ making a bargain with Him. I said, “God, if You’ll _______________________, then I’ll give You my life and follow You.” However, I didn’t have any bargaining chips God was interested in. He wanted me unconditionally, and I had to learn that the hard way.

Film director Woody Allen once said, “If only God would give me some clear sign! Like making a large deposit in my name at a Swiss bank.”

Even those who lived near Jesus and had witnessed His miracles asked for more proof. Comparing Jesus to Moses, they asked, “What sign will You perform then, that we may see it and believe You?…Our fathers ate manna in the desert; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat’” (John 6:30-31).

It was just one day earlier He had indeed given them bread. He had fed 5,000 of them with the bread from one boy’s lunch! But, rather than becoming defensive, He used the moment to teach them, “I am the bread of life” (v. 35).

Haven’t we seen enough signs already?

Tags: belief, bread, proof, signs

A priest and a pastor from the local churches were standing by the side of the road pounding a sign into the ground, which read: ‘The End is Near! Turn Yourself Around Now Before its Too Late!”

As a car sped past them, the driver yelled, “Leave us alone, you religious nuts!” From the curve they heard screeching tires and a big splash.

The priest turned to the pastor and asked, “Do you think the sign should just say, ‘Bridge Out’?”

Perhaps the end is near and the church just isn’t speaking clear enough. Perhaps there’s a better way to say it.

Tags: communication, humor, second coming, signs

After a woman sued a McDonald’s Restaurant for being burned by hot coffee, companies started changing their manuals and warning labels. Check out these instructions:

• On a frozen dinner: DEFROST BEFORE EATING.
• On an iron: CAUTION! DO NOT IRON CLOTHES ON BODY.
• On a peanut butter jar: MAY CONTAIN PEANUTS.
• On a milk bottlecap: AFTER OPENING, KEEP UPRIGHT.

If some people need these obvious guidelines on household items, think about how much more we need God’s direction. Psalm 119 tells of the importance of His instruction manual – the Bible. Consider:

• “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved” (Acts 16:31).
• “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you” (Ephesians 4:32).
• “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15).

Tags: instructions, signs, warning

Yesterday, February 3, Anita went with me to a doctor’s appointment in Ft. Wayne. When we got out, it was about 12:30 PM, so we decided to get a bite to eat. As we pulled up to a stop sign at a side street, I could hardly believe my eyes. There, in the grass next to the road, were about ten red-breasted robins. On February 3!

What’s up with nature these days? Don’t those robins have an internal calendar telling them when to go north? Or have they been here all winter? Hadn’t they been notified by the ground hogs that there will be 6 more weeks of winter? Or perhaps those particular birds had eaten poison and were deranged or something.

Jesus rebuked the Pharisees when he said, “When evening comes, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red,’ and in the morning, ‘Today it will be stormy, for the sky is red and overcast.’ You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times“ ( Matthew 16:2-3).

What are sign that let you know that the last days are upon us?

Tags: signs

This week we will begin some discussion about Forgiveness, a powerful tool in our lives.

Back in 1999 wrestler-turned Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura took a beating for his comments in a Playboy magazine about religion being “a crutch for weak-minded people.” Local churches decided to respond by turning the other cheek. They paid for giant billboards around the Twin Cities that read “Strength training for the ‘weak-minded’.”

The ad was signed by Christian Churches of the Greater Twin Cities (CCGTC) as the latest in a series of high-profile media projects by the alliance of churches and advertising professionals.

“We are not mean-spirited,” said J.L. Glass, executive director, “and we were not trying to attack the governor, but we wanted to respond and show him that we had a sense of humor.”

Do you think that was a good way to repond, or what would be a better way?

Tags: forgiveness, signs, Ventura