Peacemakers – Calling Down Fire?
"Now when his disciples James and John saw this, they said, "Lord, do you want us to call fire to come down from heaven and consume them?" But Jesus turned and rebuked them." (Luke 9:54-55 NIV) No wonder Jesus called them "sons of thunder"! We live in maddening times, and I suspect that many of us have a higher frustration level than we have ever experienced before. We're discovering that our inner anger is much closer to the surface than we'd like it to be. Polls indicate that a majority of Americans, and perhaps a rather large majority, are disgusted
Is Anybody Out There?
Peek-A-Boo! I started blogging a couple of years ago in the hopes of generating an online conversation with people in the construction industry. Apparently, either no one ever found them, or no one is interested. However, I was reminded today that people looking at our website might determine that we are no longer a going concern if they see the blogs are two years old. So, if you’re reading this and are a first time visitor to our site, would you let me know you’re out there? Oh, this year marks our 43rd wedding anniversary, and the 49th year of
Are you fully engaged?
Ann and I recently celebrated our 42nd wedding anniversary – not a particularly auspicious occasion, like a 50th or even a 25th (ours was a gala affair held in a mud and stone “hotel” in our remote village in Nepal). But I guess we unconsciously chose to do this one up in a big way. This year, we started “celebrating” in February, on our annual get-away-between-our-birthdays trip. We spent the weekend at a guesthouse in Seaside, Oregon, mostly reading aloud to each other the love letters we’d written before we were married. WARNING: Gentlemen, do not try this at
The God of ‘Place’
I serve on the Board of the local Habitat for Humanity affiliate. The mission of Habitat for Humanity is: “Seeking to put God’s love into action, Habitat for Humanity brings people together to build homes, communities and hope.” The first of Habitat’s five core principles is to “demonstrate the love of Jesus Christ.” This is not unlike our purposes at Construction Workers Christian Fellowship. In fact, when I explain to people what we do, they often will say something like, “Oh, you mean CWCf is like Habitat for Humanity!” Well, as stated on their website, “Habitat for Humanity partners with
Is Homelessness the Church’s Problem?
If the Church (i.e., Christians) were consistently engaged in good works (Ephesians 2:10, 1 Timothy 6:18, 2 Timothy 3:17, Titus 2:7, 14, 3:8, 14, Hebrews 10:24, James 3:13, and 1 Peter 2:12), would the social problems, like homelessness, be plaguing our Nation as they are today? Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; naked,
The Works!
A lot of work goes into a project before volunteers or missionaries ever show up to start working. It really helps if someone can visit the ministry requesting help and look at what they want done and talk to the people in charge. Recently, Joe and Sherry Newton consulted with a church about a future project in Idaho and Dennis and Darlene Korneychuk looked at a new one in Arizona. Dave and Sherry Armstrong visited at a camp in Nebraska and encouraged them to send in a project request form. As we were preparing this another request came for a
Hey, Hard Hat!
CWCf/Hard Hats for Christ is looking for men and women in the construction industry who are called to tell others in the industry about Jesus and His saving power in their lives; to encourage other Christians in the industry to live out their faith, on and off the jobsite; and to use their construction skills assisting other Christian ministries with their construction and maintenance projects. What’s Wrong with These Pictures? Jim Hodges was working in the trades when he founded CWCf and started Hard Hats for Christ. He saw the need to promote Christ in construction at home and abroad,
Alarming “Skills Gap” in the Trades
The “Skills Gap” in the Trades is widening at alarming rates with the average age of workers at 55 and few young people entering the field. “The skills gap in the U.S. is substantial. The National Federation of Independent Business found that 45 percent of small businesses reported that they were unable to find qualified applicants to fill job openings in 2017. CEO’s report shortages of workers for middle-class-wage jobs for 2017, which if unfilled, will slow business growth as well as U.S. growth. “– Bloomburg.com, April 2017 https://bloom.bg/2oXX0sW With home building revving back up, more and more builders
Our God is an Awesome God!
In 2001, Ann and I had the pleasure of riding the California Zephyr from Denver to Sacramento. En route we became friends with a British couple who were touring the United States by train, and had some interesting conversations with them about differences in our customs, language and outlook. My English friend remarked how, if we Americans really understood the meaning of the word “awesome”, we might use it half a dozen times in our life – not half a dozen times in the same sentence! It was late afternoon as we crested the Sierras near Lake Tahoe sitting in
Does God Forgive and Forget?
We've just finished celebrating Memorial Day, a holiday established to help us remember those who gave their lives defending our freedoms. In preparation for a message on Sunday, I did a word study on "memorials" in the Bible. Many of the verses that mention memorials or remembrances have to do with things God established to help His people remember something about Him or something that He did for them. But I was surprised at how many of the references indicated that God instructed Moses and others to establish memorials, seemingly to remind God of something! Can God forget anything?!? This
