Monthly Archives: April 2012

Monthly Archives: April 2012

Which is the Greater Sin: Being Gay or Being Fat?

Posted on April 28, 2012 by ML Smith Posted in Insights | Leave a comment

It started with a blog post I read entitled Ministry: Is it Okay to be Gay?  The blog discussion stemmed from a decision by the Presbyterian Church to allow openly homosexual clergy .  The author’s point was simple, if you believe homosexuality is a sin (as most people in the church do),  then the church is condoning this sin by allowing openly gay ministers.  According to the author, it is okay to be gay and resisting the temptation.  It is … →

Salt and Light

Posted on April 25, 2012 by ML Smith Posted in Feel the Music | Leave a comment

 13 “You are the salt of the earth. But suppose the salt loses its saltiness. How can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything. It will be thrown out. People will walk all over it.   14 “You are the light of the world. A city on a hill can’t be hidden. 15 Also, people do not light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead, they put it on its stand. Then it … →

Woman at the Well: Part 4, Influence

Posted on April 22, 2012 by ML Smith Posted in Insights | Leave a comment

Let’s close out our discussion about the Woman at the Well by talking about influence.  Dictionary.com defines influence: The capacity to have an effect on the character, development, or behavior of someone or something, or the effect itself. The Woman at the Well is an amazing example of the effect Jesus can have on a life.  The story began with a woman who was a social outcast.  We see her at the well drawing water at noon…the hottest part of … →

The Woman at the Well: Part 3, Nothing to Lose

Posted on April 19, 2012 by ML Smith Posted in Insights | Leave a comment

A few months back I did a post in the Wimps of the Bible category on the Rich Young Man.  He came to Jesus seeking eternal life.  Jesus first pointed out the obvious (Obey the commandments).  But when the young man pressed further, Jesus told him “go and sell everything you have. Give the money to those who are poor…. Then come and follow me” (Matthew 19:21).  This was more than he was willing to do and the young man … →

The Woman at the Well: Part 2, Total Acceptance

Posted on April 16, 2012 by ML Smith Posted in Insights | Leave a comment

An underlying message in the story of the Woman at the Well is that Jesus accepts us just the way we are…wherever we are…whatever condition we are in. In the story we see Jesus confronts the woman with her “sins.” He said, “Go call your husband and then come back.” “I have no husband,” she said. “That’s nicely put: ‘I have no husband.’ You’ve had five husbands, and the man you’re living with now isn’t even your husband. You spoke … →

The Woman at the Well: Part 1, The Story

Posted on April 13, 2012 by ML Smith Posted in Insights | 2 Comments

Today we embark on a four part series studying the story of Jesus and the woman at the well.  I have to admit, this is not one of my favorite stories.  It is one of those commonly (over)used bible stories that, frankly, I get tired of hearing.  I do a mental eye-roll when I hear a minister stay “Today we’re going to talk about Jesus’ encounter with the woman at the well.” But a funny thing has happened over the … →

Book Review: Church of Facebook

Posted on April 10, 2012 by ML Smith Posted in Book Review | Leave a comment

Once again I’ve been duped.  I bought The Church of Facebook by Jesse Rice because I thought it was similar to the book Sticky Jesus and would talk about using Facebook to spread the Gospel.  Instead the book is about how Facebook is changing the way we define community and interact with the people we call “friends.”  Even though I was disappointed that the book wasn’t about what I thought it was about, as an avid Facebook user I found … →

If I won the lottery…

Posted on April 7, 2012 by ML Smith Posted in Guests | 1 Comment

Last week’s megamillion jackpot was $656,000,000.   A lot of people all over the country chipped in at the hopes of getting a piece of that enormous pie.  There are some who say money is evil and corrupts, I don’t think so.  I believe money is an amplifier of your character.  If you’re a good person, you’ll do good things with it.  If you’re a bad person, you’ll do bad things with it.  This week’s guest post comes from Denyse Hughes … →

Sincerely Yours…

Posted on April 4, 2012 by ML Smith Posted in Insights | Leave a comment

I did something almost 2 weeks that I will never – ever – do again.  Thinking it would be a good idea to buy directly from the manufacturer, I ordered exercise equipment off the Internet.  I haven’t actually received my equipment yet, so I can’t attest to its quality, but it’s the fact that I haven’t received it that has me soooo irritated. As I type this, my treadmill, which started its journey somewhere in Nebraska, is sitting in a … →

Our God is an Awesome God

Posted on April 1, 2012 by ML Smith Posted in Feel the Music | Leave a comment

This is my all-time absolutely favorite gospel song.  I know there are many artists who have done redentions of this song but when Helen Baylor starts singing the intro it sends chills down my spine every time I hear it.  And when she lets the choir take it (around 3:55)….aw man….I could listen to that part over and over and over again.  Enjoy!