Glenn Coram's blog

Looking Past Appearances

Tuesday, March 03, 2015 Comments (0)

Every time one of those ASPCA commercial comes on TV, I change the channel. I don't like seeing dogs or cats that have been abandoned or abused. To be honest, sometimes I worry that people are more concerned for cats and dogs than they are for people.

Sometimes I wish we could see people as they really are, rather than just looking at dogs and cats that have gotten in bad shape because someone didn't take care of them. Can you imagine looking at people and seeing the state of their souls? We judge so much by appearance. Yet, we all know appearances can be deceiving.

It's easy enough to put on a happy face. It's not difficult to answer someone when they ask, "How are you?" with the answer of, "Oh, I'm fine." After all, we don't want to complain. But what if we could see what's really going on inside a person? We might be surprised to see that some people say they're fine when they feel like they're going to fall apart. We might also be surprised to find that some who are facing incredible difficulty seem to be at peace because of their relationship with the Lord.

I Samuel 16:7 tells us that "the LORD does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” We should pray that He would open our eyes and help us see what He sees. Then we will find better opportunities to point people to Him.

Should You Invite Your Cell Phone to Church?

Tuesday, October 22, 2013 Comments (0)

Technology these days is amazing, especially cell phones. It seems like they can do everything. It's almost as though they have a life of their own. I have even started to wonder if they are spiritual creatures. They keep coming to church, and they seem to want to participate.

Years ago, I left mine in my back pocket while I was leading a Bible study. It was set to vibrate. That's exactly what it did. It started to vibrate shortly after the class started. It vibrated every 15 seconds or so for the ENTIRE TIME. Nobody could hear it, but it definitely had my attention. I found myself wanting to cast out that little demon. I squirmed around against the seat, hoping to crush it. That just made the vibrations resonate through my bones. At the end of the evening, I found it was just trying to let me know I had missed a call. I never considered that the little guy might be wanting to be a part of the Bible study. I'm beginning to see the light, though.

Consider some of these examples. I have had people tell me that they had set their phones to silent, only to have them ring at full volume during the worship service. It's like the things can't be silent when people are singing and praising the Lord. Others tell how their phones have turned themselves on so they can ring during the prayer time. I am not talking about just ringing, I mean they TURNED THEMSELVES ON. Maybe they are just trying to remind us that someone on our contact list needs prayer.

The most convincing evidence of all is the account of one man left who his phone at home so it wouldn't bother him. He took it out of his pocket, turned it off, and left it on the table before he left for prayer meeting. While he was sitting in prayer meeting, somebody's phone rang. After the second or third ring his wife elbowed him and said, “It's yours.” Sure enough! His phone had turned itself on, leapt from the table into his pocket, and come to church with him. That's devotion if I ever saw it!

I guess we should be glad our phones want come to church. Maybe we should even start inviting them. I have to warn you, though. I have learned the hard way that if you baptize one of them, he won't ever come back.

Praising the Lord from A to Z

Sunday, October 13, 2013 Comments (0)

Psalm 111 begins with the word, “Hallelujah!” It is an invitation to praise the Lord. After the first verse the rest of the lines are in alphabetical order in the Hebrew language. You could think of this psalm as praising the Lord from A to Z.

Do you think you could do that? Could you come up with twenty-six lines of things to admire about the Lord starting with the letter A and working all the way to Z? It would definitely take some thought. Some letters would be easy, but finding something for the letter X might prove a little difficult. I think I recall seeing someone begin that line with xylophone once.

Give it a try. See how many good things you can say about the Lord

Do you have a rewards card?

Monday, September 23, 2013 Comments (0)

“Do you have our rewards card?” You have probably heard this question if you have been shopping lately. If you were unlucky enough to encounter a particularly aggressive sales clerk, you likely found yourself explaining why you didn't want their oh-so-wonderful card. I wish somebody would tell these card-pushing retailers a little secret. We just want to buy our stuff. That's why we go to their store. It's possible for a business to get so caught up in its gimmicks and business practices that it becomes difficult to buy anything from them. It's easy to lose sight of what you are supposed to be doing.

The North American Mission Board has recently formed a task force of pastors to deal with declining number of baptisms in Southern Baptist churches. They had their first meeting this past week. The comments from one of the pastors are worth repeating. Los Angeles pastor Benny Wong said, "There is no magic. It is not complicated. It is going back to the basics and following God's leading in obedience. If we only focus on the secondary issues, we will miss out on what is most important in the eyes of God." These are wise words. It's easy to lose sight of what you are supposed to be doing.

*Retrieved on 9/23/2013 from www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=41128 .

Invite Someone

Tuesday, September 10, 2013 Comments (0)

In the past I have heard people say it, and I have even said it myself; inviting people to church is not the same thing as evangelism. Evangelism is telling them the good news of Jesus Christ. That's not the same thing as inviting someone to church. Most of us know this. Over time, though, my understanding of the nature of the church has made me think a little more highly of the simple invitation to church.

If the church is indeed the body of Christ as the Bible tells us in so many places*, inviting someone to sit down with us is a substantial thing. Inviting people to take part in a worship service with us is an act of friendliness and openness. We are sharing with them something of ourselves. We are pointing them to the one we worship. The Lord can use that. He can use the members of His body to touch people's lives. Don't ever forget that for many people, their first exposure to Jesus comes through contact with His body, the church. We get to do that!

Sunday is Back to Church Sunday. Invite someone.

*See 1 Cor. 12; Eph. 1:22-23; Col. 1:17 for a few examples.