In Jesus’ story of the lost and found son, the younger son demands his inheritance from his still-living father, he goes to a far country, and he wastes his fortune. And Jesus says, “when he had spent everything, a severe famine arose in that country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed pigs. And he was longing to be fed with the pods that the pigs ate, and no one gave him anything.” (Luke 15:14-16).

It took a fall to the depths to make him realize the true heights he had enjoyed while still with his father. And the young man’s story of deprivation and degradation must surely remind us of our own lives.

Unfortunately, our best perspective on the heights of good comes when we fallen to the depths of evil. For us, the depths may come in the form of infidelity, financial hardship, physical sickness or disability, or any number of other strains which life places upon us.

It’s there that our minds become intuitively aware of not only the possibility but the absolute certainty that there must be something better. Our sense of the divine allows us to perceive a benevolent God’s presence through the created world and even hard-wired into our own consciousness (see Rom. 1:20, Eccl. 3:10). 
When the darkness is so thick that it can almost be felt, we long inexpressibly for light. When the emotions are so heavy we can barely stand them, we want support the most. When we are so hungry as to genuinely be starving, we need food all the more urgently.

As the son in Jesus’ story realized his dire need for his father when he bottomed out in life, we often realize the true extent of our need for God the Father when we are at our lowest points.

If that’s where you are, you should know that there is something better. There is a Father who will welcome you with open arms. And there is a whole family of His children at this place who will do the same! In the depths, look to the heights, and know that God can—and will—save!

- Dan Lankford, minister

The following are some important takeaways regarding preachers and preaching from men in the Bible who shared God's messages.

From Noah: do not judge the success of your work by the positive results and happy hearers you garner. Preach as God would have you no matter what (Gen. 6-7, 2 Pet. 2:5).

From Samuel: a whole life—by a series of daily decisions—of faithfully preaching the word leads to a legacy of integrity and leadership.

From Jonah: the word of God will work even if the attitude of your heart is lousy. So above all else, when you preach, preach the word and let it work in people's lives (Jonah 3:1-4:1).

From Jeremiah: if the attitude of your heart is right, you will have to preach the word. When it's tough, when it's heavy, and when it's controversial, you will still be compelled to preach it (Jer. 20:7-9).

From Stephen: do not be afraid to preach what some people need to hear, even when it's something the hearers should already know (Acts 7:12-53)

From Peter: take advantage of opportunities to teach about Christ when they happen (Acts 2:12-14).

From Paul: keep the focus on Christ above all else (1 Cor. 15:3-8).

From Apollos: be willing to admit when your understanding is incomplete or even flat-out wrong. Be prepared to be taught a more accurate way (Acts 18:24).

From Phillip: people whom you never expected will respond well to your messages... Thank God for that! (Acts 8:9-13)

And from the Holy Spirit of God: "I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching." (2 Tim. 4:1-2)

- Dan Lankford, minister

There is a major difference between our God-given responsibility to "build one another up" (1 Thess. 5:11) and our presumed ambition to "keep somebody humble." The reality is that no human can truly make another human humble. We can humiliate someone, but that is not our scriptural responsibility. We can discourage someone, but neither is that our scriptural responsibility.

The scriptures put your responsibility for humility squarely in your lap. "Humble yourselves before the Lord," said the apostle James (4:10). So it is each one's job to keep himself humble in his attitude before God, and it is the each one's job to honor his brother in the Lord.

It is with this in mind that I would encourage you with a couple ways to show honor to the leaders of your church. 1 Timothy 5:7 says, "Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching." So here are five things that our shepherds need to hear from us on a regular basis—ways to show them the double honor of which they have proven themselves worthy.

1) I pray for you. The weight of responsibility God has given them is great. We all need to pray for them regularly, and they need to know that we're doing that.

2) I trust you. Humans have a tendency to distrust anyone in any position of authority, but this human tendency must be overcome within the church. Yes, they will make mistakes. But we need to trust that our shepherds' desires are only to do what is best for the church always.

3) I pray for your wife. She needs your prayers, too, and elders need to know that the members do not treat their wives as some group of “others,” but as dear sisters who need our prayers.

4) I think our future is bright. Elders are frequently hear from us about how things “used to be.” Many conversations with them begin with "back when we were..." And while that certainly has its place, the elders need to know that you think the congregation has a bright future by God's power. They need to know that we see the value of their vision to draw us closer to God.

5) Thank you. Long hours, heart-wrenching prayers, and sleepless nights are the parts of the work that most of us do not see. And yet, it is obvious that our Eastland shepherds give in these and many other ways. Let's be sure they know how grateful we are.

Obviously, our shepherds did not ask me to write this brief exhortation. These are some ideas I recently encountered and wished to pass along. I believe all of these ideas are eminently Biblical as they help us fulfill God's direct commandment to show honor to our leaders.

- Dan Lankford, minister

This past week, I read an essay which presented a contrast between some of Christianity’s character truths which are traditionally understood as feminine (gentleness, caring, meekness, etc.) with the traditionally understood virtues of manhood from virtually every culture in history (toughness, dependability, struggle to overcome, etc.). 

The essay was exploring answers to the question, “Is Christianity an inherently feminine religion?” And the writer’s conclusion was correct: Christianity does call us to uphold the finest examples of gentleness, caring, and meekness; AND it calls us to uphold the finest examples of toughness, dependability, and the struggle to overcome. 

Christianity, it seems then, teaches each gender to fulfill the very best of its own created nature. While some of the characteristics may seem, at first glance, to be mutually exclusive (toughness & gentleness, for example), the single religion of Christianity purports to teach them all simultaneously. How is this possible?

The answer to that question goes back to what the Bible teaches about origins. “God created man in his own image... male and female he created them” (Gen. 1:27). Since the whole of humanity is made in the image of God, it naturally follows that the whole of image of God should be able to be seen in us. Just as any invention bears the fingerprints of its designer, humankind bears the fingerprints of our divine Designer. And so our very natures as men and as women are hard-wired in by the Almighty.

This means that we are all responsible for giving the BEST exhibition of our respective natures. Women who truly seek God will strive to be the finest example of God’s nature created within them. Men who truly seek God will strive to be the finest example of God’s nature created within them. Is Christianity a feminine religion? It is not that alone. It is a religion for both men and women who are made in the image of God to fulfill the best of their God-given natures by his power. Do you want to be a godly and feminine woman? Strive to be the kind of woman God calls you to be. Do you want to be a godly and masculine man? Strive to be the kind of man God calls you to be.

- Dan Lankford, minister

A psychology professor did a series of experiments in efforts to better understand typical human behavior in matters requiring integrity.

He began by conducting a non-scientific experiment in several dorms on a college campus. In the communal refrigerators of some of the dorms, he placed a six-pack of Coke. In other dorm fridges, he left a plate with six $1 bills on it. The Cokes and dollars were nearly equivalent in value, yet within 72 hours, all of the sodas had disappeared but none of the dollar bills had been touched. The students could have easily grabbed a buck and then used it to get a Coke at a nearby machine. But they didn’t. Why? Because taking a dollar – money in its raw form – feels like stealing, while taking a Coke – a step removed from the money – feels more okay. The professor, in his conclusions drawn from the experiment, compared this to the way many people wouldn’t think twice about taking a ream of paper from work, but wouldn’t dream of grabbing $3.50 from the office’s petty cash box.

He followed this informal trial with a whole series of more scientific trials (which you can read about in this article) which led him to determine that we are more likely to do something which is against our values (in Christians' cases, the truth of God's word) if there are more steps involved in the process between the commission of the act/sin and the consequences we believe we'll receive for it.

Does that land close to home for you? Are there things in your life that you know, "I shouldn't do that," but you find yourself doing it again and again because it seems the consequences are so far removed from the sin?

Solomon noted that this is common human tendency: "Because the sentence against an evil deed is not executed speedily, the heart of the children of man is fully set to do evil." (Eccl. 8:11)  We have a real tendency to sacrifice our integrity when it seems it will cost us nothing to do so.

And yet, as disciples of Jesus, we must overcome this tendency. Because we understand that every sin does have immediate consequences—it breaks the heart of God and rejects the sacrifice of Christ (Heb. 10:29ff). He is aware of our every move and thought (Heb. 13:5), and he feels the sting of every sin. And as his children, we would do especially well to remember that there is an immediate reason to resist sin every time we possibly can. We would do well to remember that every decision—no matter how insignificant the theft of a soda may seem—matters before God our Maker and Judge.

Every decision is an opportunity to either hurt him and then justify ourselves... or to live for his glory, even when he alone will see it!

- Dan Lankford, minister

(A note of special thanks is due to my own father, Jarell Lankford, for his absolute integrity shown to us in all matters like this. For a long time, I couldn't understand why he NEVER used company vehicles for personal purposes, NEVER printed personal documents on the church copier, and NEVER kept someone's tools more than one day past its usefulness to him. I understand now. And I appreciate your example, dad.)

“If God is for us, who can be against us?” 

(Rom. 8:31)

That question, all by itself, may be one of the most reassuring sentences in the whole New Testament. It reminds us of God’s protection, of the value he’s placed on us, and of the eternal hope we have against the devil and the world.

But the reality is… anyone can still be against us as Christians.

ISIS is a radical Islamic group who are especially against Christians. Our culture’s naturalistic, secularized values system is set against Christians in many quadrants. And closer to home, many believers throughout the history of the faith have had family or fellow church members against them. And those even overlook the biggest threat which is “against us.” The devil himself is against us to destroy us (cf. 1 Pet. 5:8).

Yet, even while there are many who can still be against us, the question is really asking: “If God is for us, who can be against us that actually matters?” And the answer to that: NOBODY. God’s promise to be with us absolutely trumps the power of anything else that would attempt to take us down. 

Let secular agendas come. Let persecution come. Let famine come. Let betrayals come. Let threats come. Let suffering come. Let the future come. Let death come. Let the devil himself be against us. In all of it, the Lord is with us. And no level of opposition matters against him.

- Dan Lankford, minister

The early-1900’s President, Woodrow Wilson, was praised in his day for making short speeches on the floor of Congress. And yet, they were still full of powerful ideas and solid leadership.

A friend asked him, “How long does it take you to prepare one of your speeches?” President Wilson—who did write his own speeches—responded: “That depends on the length of the speech. If it is a ten-minute speech it takes me all of two weeks to prepare it; if it is a half-hour speech it takes me a week; if I can talk as long as I want… I am ready now.”

When studying the gospels, it has often struck me as odd that all the writers seem so economical in their accounts of the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ. In his whole 28 chapters, Matthew devotes just half of ch. 27 and half of ch. 28 to the greatest events in human history. Luke—who writes the longest account of Jesus’ life—gives less than 45 verses to the whole ordeal from crucifixion to resurrection. And even of the cross itself, in Luke 23:33, he only says, “they crucified him.”

And yet, although it might seem as though they have sort of glossed over the most powerful and important events in history, the rest of the New Testament plainly shows that they haven’t! Because the rest of the New Testament is based primarily on these succinctly recorded events. All faith, all hope, and all the best kinds of love… All of them are based in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Those three short days are God’s short, but powerful speech—they are the Gospel—the good news of Jesus Christ. And in spite of its brevity, that Gospel’s power comes largely down to the length of time it took to prepare. Just as a great, short speech will often take LOTS of preparation work and time, God’s brief execution of the Good News that can save all mankind took over two millennia to prepare.

For more than two thousand years, God moved with relentless determination toward one terminal event. He moved mountains and shook nations to make this one event happen…

…at just the perfect time.
…in just the perfect place.
…among just the perfect people.
…and with just the perfect results.

You can’t help but be impressed by the fact that God’s Gospel—for all of its eternal and universal scale—is an essentially simple and succinct idea accessible to everyone. That Jesus Christ—the son of God—came to earth in the flesh, lived a life free from sin, died as a sacrifice to atone for your sin, and was raised to defeat death forever for you. And he offers you eternal life with God in Heaven.

Do you want that?

There is more good news that he offers the way to receive it. And, like the Gospel itself, it’s a simple and succinct transaction: the act of baptism.

The time required to be baptized is very little, and the spectacle may seem underwhelming to many. But with the proper preparation done—with the heart softened by the good news of Jesus—baptism is the most powerful transaction for a person with faith in God.

Do you want to do that? Contact us, and we'll be glad to baptize you into Christ and share our walk of discipleship with you!

- Dan Lankford, minister

The title above is the definition of the word specious. It is a word which can be used to describe several common philosophies on life:

• A specious philosophy: “If you want to be happy in your marriage, you’re going to have to train—and usually demand—your spouse to give you what you need. You’ll have to be the boss.”
  • The Spirit says: “Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord… Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.” (Eph. 5:22, 25)
• A specious philosophy: “If you don’t hold onto every penny that you get, you’ll be broke and unhappy. Hoard all forms of wealth, and keep them all to yourself.”
  • The Spirit says (in a passage where he wasn’t only talking about church contributions): “whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” (2 Cor. 9:6-7)
• A specious philosophy: “People will know you’re a person of strong faith by the ways you mostly point out others’ mistakes in their attempts to live rightly before God.”
  • The Spirit says: “let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father,” and “by this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” (Matt. 5:16 and John 13:35)

There could obviously many more of these contrasts. One of Satan's best tools is to make that which is obviously harmful appear to be a good idea. One of the many great blessings available to those who love God with the whole mind (Matt. 22:37) is the ability to understand the real problems of Satan's specious arguments and the real blessings of God's perfect plan!

- Dan Lankford, minister

“Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up!” 
(Eccl. 4:9-10)

We tend to think of relationships as a sort of recovery system for life. We frequently think about a husband who can be there to lift up his wife when she is down or of a great friend who can help balance out one’s own negative character traits. And based on the text above, that is a perfectly valid way to think of relationships—especially godly ones.

But let’s not forget the other side of the coin which is also talked about in this passage—“they have a good reward for their toil.”

Great relationships do not only help us when we are at a low ebb; they share the good with us when we are at a high point. Marriage is not only good because one spouse is strong while the other is weak; it is meant to be built on shared strength and shared joy. Truly great friendships do not only bring us up from our darkness; they celebrate and enjoy the light together. A church should not only be important to help me when I am weak; it is a relationship that is meant to be built on shared strength and shared joy.

Solomon continued his thought by saying, “if two lie together, they keep warm… though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him.” (Eccl. 4:11-12)  He saw the rewards of good relationships.

This little shift in our thinking can and should make some big changes in our relationships. When we are only thinking, “I need this relationship to fix me when I’m broken,” we will be much more likely to be selfish and demanding in the relationship. But when we think about making the other person’s life better whether they are “up” or “down,” then we will be able to give more to the relationship. And that is the best way to do it. That is the way Jesus did and does relationships. When both parties are working to give to the other, “they have a good reward for their toil.”

- Dan Lankford, minister

Our blind spots are almost always in places that are closest to us. When driving, your blind spots are right beside your car—close to you. When you hold a still infant, he’s often too close to your own eyes to determine if he’s asleep or awake without asking someone else. And in fact, you’ve never seen your own face directly. You’ve only seen pictures of yourself in mirrors and on cameras. You are blind to the part of yourself that is closest to your eyes. 

The same often happens in our view of spiritual things. The areas in which we see ourselves the least clearly are often those which are closest to us. Our family relationships—are we truly devoting ourselves to God in those relationships or are we blinded to our own attitudes and actions because we are emotionally close? With our money—are we truly devoting ourselves to God with it or are we blinded because we depend on it so much for happiness? Even with our eating habits—are we truly devoted to self-control for the glory of God or are we blinded to that ourselves because “that’s too personal to let religion meddle with it”?  (An older preacher told me about preaching a sermon on gluttony. Afterward, a congregant approached him and said, "Now you've quit preachin' and gone to meddlin'.")

This principle applies across humanity. We are more likely to be blind to our most dearly beloved assumptions about life. A deeply patriotic man may have difficulty keeping a clear perspective on Christ’s kingdom that is not of this world. A naturalistic man (one who believes nothing supernatural exists) will likely have difficulty seeing what is otherwise clear evidence of a Designer in this God-spoken world. It is these heart-deep assumptions that are the most difficult for us to clearly analyze.

It is my prayer, then, that the eyes of our hearts may be enlightened to see ourselves more clearly in view of God’s glory. It should be the prayer of every Christian that we are willing to become vulnerable enough and to trust God enough to let his light into EVERY blind spot of our lives.

- Dan Lankford, minister