Walking The Walk

  "The Lord said, 'Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.' Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper."  ~1 Kings 19:11-12 When I was a kid, I'd listen to WLS radio out of Chicago as I'd fall asleep at night.  That was a long way away, and sometimes, it would be difficult to tune it in through the static--especially if there were storms in the area.  I had to turn the dial very slowly, listening through the static, adjusting the antenna, trying to find that clear signal. Sometimes I'd catch just a whisper of music or a voice, and I'd adjust the antennae very carefully to get it to come in clearer so I could hear it. Our rela...

"How long will you waver between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him" ~1 Kings 18:21 We face the same temptation today, that Elijah confronted Israel with on Mount Carmel in 850 BC.  It continues to be an issue today for both churches and Christians.  We are trying to follow Christ while accommodating our culture.   How do we compromise today? We try and make the Bible "palatable" for our culture by watering down the gospel.  We certainly don't want to appear to be "intolerant" or "non-inclusive."  So churches soften sin's edges, avoid talking about consequences, and try to present Jesus as some kind of life coach rather than our Lord and Savior.   As individuals, we stay silent at work, avoid talking about anything relating to faith, and we're often pressured to accept behavior that is clearly inconsistent with our faith.  We avoid uncomfortable topics by embracing an "all paths lead to...