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Are you living the dream?  You know, the dream you had about the way things would be.  If so, you know how great that feels…until it doesn’t.  One day, you began to notice that feeling of elation wasn’t there anymore.  Now, it feels like something is missing.  You can’t quite put your finger on it, but something is not as it should be.  It is a nagging sense that something is amiss, perhaps an undetermined hunger for something unfound or lost along the way.

So, your pastor reminds you that you have so much to be thankful for.  Your friends suggest taking up a hobby.  Your therapist offers some antidepressants.  Your spouse may suggest you just grow up.  Truth is, you began to think that all those well-meaning folks had no idea of how you were really feeling, and you didn’t have the words to explain it.

The symptoms are real enough.  You may feel exhausted and overwhelmed no matter how much you rest. Your closest relationships seem to drain you of energy rather than recharge you.  Even your relationship with God is not as fresh and vibrant as it should be.  It’s almost like you are living out of alignment with who you really are, and you are not sure what happened, nor are you quite sure how to fix it.

Perhaps the reasons are physical.  It could be you are dealing with the side effects of your medications.  However, please do not discount the possibility that it could be because of a foolish decision you made somewhere along the way.  I call them “soft choices.”  These are the choices you made with little prayer, little consideration of others, and little real thought of the consequences.

For the Christian, life is an intricate weave of fleeting opportunities.  Every day of your life you come up against occasions to glorify the Lord through your decisions and actions.  Some opportunities are vast and obvious, others small and unassuming. Yet, all too often, we let these opportunities to avoid a foolish decision or to make a godly decision slip through our fingers, either because we are too afraid to seize them or simply because we don’t recognize them for what they are.  In this article, I would like to focus primarily on missed opportunities to do good.

Unfortunately, these missed opportunities can sometimes be once-in-a-lifetime opportunities. They will not come back again. Tomorrow will be too late. So one day, we look back, wishing we had taken that challenge, made that bold decision, or tried something new. Often, the real meaning of life is not found in the things we do but in the things we dare to do.

God-given opportunities are often God’s way of prompting us to grow. They are heavenly invitations challenging us to step outside our comfort zones and embrace the unknown. Yet, for many, laziness, a fear of failure, or lack of commitment hold them back, chaining them down to a life of regret and mediocrity.

My challenge for each of us is to be alert to God’s voice. I know a thousand things are clamoring for your attention, but I assure you, God is still speaking to His children. He is still giving direction, imparting wisdom, and clarifying ways that you might glorify Christ while bringing fulfillment to your own life.  I know you sometimes think God is giving you the silent treatment, but usually, the problem is that we are not alert to hear His voice.

The Bible mentions a man named Habakkuk. Although we don’t know much about him, we are told about an occasion when he inquired of God and then stood alert, waiting for a reply.

“I will stand upon my watch, and set me upon the tower, and will watch to see what he will say unto me, and what I shall answer when I am reproved.” Habakkuk 2:1

 Habakkuk fully expected God to respond, so he stood waiting, watching, and listening for the Lord’s answer.  Apparently, he also accepted the fact that he may not like the answer, but he still wanted to hear it.

John 10:27 says, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.” God is always speaking to us, but we are often too busy to hear His voice. How can that be so when so much of our success in life depends upon having ears always in tune with His voice?

The Bible provides several examples of people who missed opportunities. Remember all the people who perished during Noah’s time? They laughed and mocked his warnings, so they missed a chance to escape the flood.

On the hill of Golgotha, crucified with Jesus, were two thieves.  Both stood at a crossroads.  One took the opportunity to receive Christ, while the other chose to go the other way and refused salvation.

When we read the parable of the Good Samaritan, we see how the priest and the Levite each missed an opportunity, while the Samaritan, the most unlikely of the three, seized it.

Perhaps, just as with the priest and the Levite, part of the problem may be that opportunities from God often come disguised as difficulties, inconveniences, or risks.  It certainly would have been an inconvenience and perhaps even a risk to stop on your journey to help a stranger.

And so it is with all of us. We must learn to shift our mindset and view life’s challenges not as roadblocks but as detours to something greater. When we miss an opportunity, we are not just missing out on a moment—we are missing out on a potential transformation for our lives. Every day is a new chance, a new opportunity to become who we are truly meant to be.

Great men and women of accomplishment understood this very well.  They knew a certain amount of difficulty was involved with every opportunity.  Thomas Edison failed over and over again in pursuit of his inventions.  A man once saw a barrel of discarded light bulbs in Edison’s shop.  When asked what they were, Edison told him those were experiments that didn’t work.  The man offered sympathy to the great inventor for his repeated failures.  Edison replied, “I have not failed. I’ve just found 1,000 ways that won’t work.” Edison was undoubtedly intelligent, but his success could also be attributed to his perseverance, his ability to see failure as an opportunity to learn, and his willingness to take a risk.

Psalms 32:8: “I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye.”

Did your mom and dad ever guide you with their eyes?  One resource many parents don’t have today is “the look.”  Without saying a word, “the look” told you in no uncertain terms that you better straighten up.  Likewise, God has promised His guidance for His children, but there is a qualifier.

Psalm 25:9: “The meek (the humble) will he guide in judgment: and the meek will he teach his way.”

Our Lord clearly reveals the type of people He chooses to lead. He leads the humble who have faith in Him and are willing to be led.  However, He resists the proud who are determined to follow their own ways.

James 4:6: “God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.”

Psalm 18:25-27: “With the merciful thou wilt shew thyself merciful; with an upright man thou wilt shew thyself upright; With the pure thou wilt shew thyself pure; and with the froward thou wilt shew thyself froward. For thou wilt save the afflicted people; but wilt bring down high looks.”

The Bible makes it clear that God cannot guide you if you are determined to guide yourself.

So, here is the challenge.  If your world seems cloudy and perhaps a bit empty, or if you feel that life is not as fulfilling as it should be, it could be that you took the wrong road somewhere along the line.  There was a pathway that God had for you, but you chose the other way.  Or, you went the right way for a while but then made a soft choice and turned back when things got tough.  It has been said that as life draws to a close, more people regret what they didn’t do as opposed to regretting what they actually did.

One day, it may very well hit you: a tidal wave of regret for all the opportunities you didn’t seize when you had the chance, the dreams you didn’t pursue, and the responsibility you were unwilling to accept. You may regret the spiritual gifts you didn’t use, the testimonies you didn’t share, the ministries you didn’t support, the good work you put on hold, and the prayers you didn’t offer. A lifetime of missed opportunities serves as a sobering reminder to live life fully while we have the chance.

In the end, perhaps these are the things that define us. These are the things that might have the most significant impact on the world and shape our destiny. Maybe, as in the case of the Good Samaritan, someone is waiting for you – someone’s life may even hang in the balance – and all you have to do is say yes.  Let us all rededicate ourselves to be in tune with the voice of God, even in the noise and chaos of life.

I have often noticed something in the hundreds of church services I have attended. There may be a dozen kids in the church nursery, but if a baby cries, that particular baby’s mother will often leave the service and rush to the nursery. Why did she respond? Because she was in tune with her baby’s cries. The same is true of the Lord.  He is in tune to our cries just as we must be in tune with His voice.  The more we hear the word of the Lord the more we will be able to hear the word of the Lord.

I want to see God at work, and I would like to know that I’m a part of it.  Opportunities come our way daily to perform some deed or give a testimony that will glorify the Lord. Be alert for them! Who knows, but one of them could be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to overcome your ho-hum life and become the person God created you to be. Often, it simply boils down to the choices you make.

Dr. Worthington has been in the ministry nearly fifty years and serves as President of Pathway Ministries and Christian Bible College.

It might seem strange for a 74-year-old man to be writing about his granddad, but as we approach Father’s Day, I felt such a testimony might be in order.

You see, my life has been forever enriched by the influence of my granddad.  Oh, how I love him.  I say “love,” not “loved,” because that’s the way love is; love never fails. Love doesn’t cease during separations. And this one will be short.  Many memories are still fresh although he has been in glory for over 40 years. Continue reading “My Granddad’s Heritage”

“And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes. And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates.”

Deuteronomy 6:6-9

My Mom and Dad did a great job in preparing me for life.  I grew up self-assured and confident that I would be up to any challenge life tossed at me.  I was taught that I could be successful in any endeavor, as long as I was willing to work for it.  I grew up loving my country, believing in God, and believing that as an American, I had the freedom to excel, and nothing could ultimately hold me back, but my own lack of determination.  My only danger was in selling myself short, by setting small goals. Continue reading “Raising Kids In A Crumbling Culture”

When my life is touched by yet another blessing, I like to savor the moment.  I don’t want to miss a single one.  Our lives are so busy that many blessings pass us by.   I am guilty, too.  Philippians 4:8 states, “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.” So, we are not only to think about our blessings but many other things that are wholesome and pure.  The Scripture uses the word ponder when Mary was thinking deeply on things. Continue reading “Pondering Is Powerful”

What just happened?  Why would God choose me to be the mother of the Christ child?  I am no better than anyone else.  I am just an ordinary Jewish girl.  Why would the angel call me highly favored and blessed among women?  I know that God has chosen me, but I am so undeserving.  Continue reading “How Can This Be?”

“Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible. I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air: But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.” I Corinthians 9-24-27

It is World War II, and the British forces were retreating across The Channel.  It seemed that victory had already been lost. Most everyone agreed that Britain must surrender while she still could; but not Winston Churchill.

“You ask, what is our aim?” Churchill told his fellow members of Parliament as he took office. “I can answer in one word: It is victory, victory at all costs, victory in spite of all terror, victory, however long and hard the road may be.”

And again, he rallied the British people. “We shall defend our Island, whatever the cost may be,” he told them. “We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender.”

It took five more long years, but thanks to the Allied armies, the world was freed from Nazi tyranny. And thanks to the bravery of the Royal Air Force, the British never did have to fight on the beaches, nor in the hills or streets of their own country. But it was to Churchill that the victory was most owed, for it was he who had the courage not to give in during the darkest of hours. Churchill had many admirable attributes: but it was his determination to keep going even when the odds were against him that makes him a great role model for children today.  He was a man of resolution.

Have you made some resolutions for the New Year?  If so, by default it would mean you must have some regrets.  And now those regrets must be strong enough for you to ask God to empower you to become a person of resolution.  Now, there is a difference in a person with a resolution and a person of resolution.

“Resolve” may be defined as: “to determine or decide upon a course of action.” “Resolution” may be defined as: “an act of firmness and determination to accomplish that which is resolved upon.”  A resolved person has made a mental determination, a person of resolve has a firmness to actually do it.  Resolutions are powerless in the hands of a person without resolve. Benjamin Franklin defined being a man of resolution as: “Resolve to perform what you ought. Then perform without fail what you resolve.” 

Why is this so important?  Because being a person of resolution is the key to many of the other virtues.  Regardless, if your goal is to achieve patience, to be more faithful at church, to pray more, to be more dependable, none of these can be accomplished without the resolve to perform what you ought.  In other words, to make resolution, or to resolve to do a thing is to decide or determine in your own mind a course of action you will pursue.

God himself resolved to do certain things. In Acts 2:23, we read: “Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain:”  Hence, it was God’s determined or pre-determined plan for Jesus to die by the hands of wicked men on a cross. So, God made a determination (a resolution or a  resolve), and He made it ahead of time.

I have grown weary of hearing about resolutions. What we should really be focused on is to be a person of resolution.  Which do you want to be this year?  The wishy washy, non-committed resolution guy or the clearly focused, results oriented person of resolve?  Anyone can make a resolution. Very few have resolve.

Of Regrets

When we are young, it seems that we will live forever. We think there is a limitless supply of sunrises waiting just beyond the horizon, and the future looks to us like an unbroken road stretching endlessly before us.  However, the older we get, the more we tend to look back and marvel at how short that road really was. We wonder how the years could have passed so quickly. We begin to think about the choices we made and the things we have done. In the process, we remember many priceless moments of joy.  But we also remember the regrets—the things we wish we could go back and change.

For example, many people regret that they failed to become the person they felt they could and should have been. When they look back on their lives, they realize that they never lived up to their potential; that too many accomplishments remained undone.  This is not some simple misstep.  It is failing to become the person God equipped you to be.  Why do we devote so much of our time and energy to things that are so fleeting, so inconsequential, and so superficial? Do we refuse to see the folly in the pursuit of the trivial?  Would it not be wiser for us to follow the Scriptures?  God instructs His people to; “lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:”  Matthew 6:20

How do we do this? We certainly cannot do this with a dragging-our-feet, staring-at-our-watch, complaining-as-we-go approach to labor.  When it comes to living the gospel, we should not be like the boy who dipped his toe in the water and then claimed he went swimming. As sons and daughters of our Heavenly Father, we are capable of so much more. For that, resolutions and good intentions are not enough. We must actually act upon them.

Declaring the power of the Gospel is good, but being a living example is far better. Over the years, I have worked with many Christian people that knew the Gospel just as well as I, but they were lazy and undependable, they could not be trusted, and they refused to govern themselves.  Those who knew them best questioned their faith.  Wishing to be more faithful is good; actually being faithful is much better. Announcing that we will dedicate ourselves to be zealous about the work is good; but actually doing it is what will bring heavenly blessings to our lives and leave us with fewer regrets.

Of Resolutions

One day we will take that unavoidable step and cross from this mortal sphere into the next estate. One day we will look back at our lives and wonder if we could have been better, made better decisions, or used our time more wisely.  If you are to succeed in life, you must learn to be a person of resolution. I’ve seen countless people set out with the best intentions, only to fail because their resolution was weak. But I’ve also seen many others succeed despite the odds because their resolve to achieve consumed them.

Being a person of resolution is often the determining contributor in how so many successful people were able to accomplish their goals. I wish the road to victory was a smooth even playing field, that was littered with resources, encouragement, and rest stops, but that is not the case. When obstacles rise up on their path, successful people don’t stop.  They turn the obstacles into stepping stones and continue striding onward and upward.

Research shows that reaching goals leads to greater joy in life.  Yet, while over half of us set New Year’s resolutions, just 9% of us succeed in keeping them.  Now, maybe some of those resolutions didn’t need to be kept, but many of those resolutions were probably good.  Being a person of resolve is essential in helping us get the best from our labor, it helps us objectively evaluate our own behavior, and it is crucial for self improvement.  Being a person of resolve promotes a deeper level of thought.  It promotes the ability to look at a problem or situation from multiple perspectives, to evaluate all the available information, and to come up with a range of possible solutions or outcomes.

It goes way beyond simple problem solving of the 2+2=4 kind. Rather, the man of resolve looks for all the ways he might reach the number 4, using addition or subtraction, or multiplication—he will look for multiple options for reaching his goal.

May this be our resolution for this new year:  I am determined to achieve, and even exceed, the goals in my life! My resolution knows no limits, and I will stay the course, always! I act on my goals! I listen to the voice of God! I deal with the fears that arise in me! I am strong; I am capable; I am motivated; I am resolved; and I go on!  I will run the appointed mile, and the next, and the next.  Daily, I go on! Daily, I move on! Daily, I stay determined! Daily, I am me, and I am the best that I could be as a child of the Most High!

Many people may work hard, but they accomplish very little.  Some blame it on a lack of focus.  Being a person of resolve gives you focus. It causes you to move towards something bigger than you imagined.  It gives you a tunnel vision to see through the haze of foggy details.  Much is riding on your decision.  Determine to be a person of resolution.

Dr. Worthington has been in the ministry for over forty five years and serves as President of Pathway Ministries and Christian Bible College

“Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD; and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance.” 

Psalms 33:12

 Director Frank Capra’s “It’s a Wonderful Life” was a movie whose theme was to remind a suicidal George Bailey that his hometown, Bedford Falls, would have turned out to be a pretty miserable place without his seemingly ordinary presence.  It is shown that without some simple caring person like George Bailey, the selfish and power-hungry Henry Potter would take over.  The end result would be a dreadful place called Pottersville.

In my view that is what has happened in America.  Without the Johnny-on-the-spot, level-headed, freedom-loving American on the scene, a host of Potter politicians, Potter businessmen, Potter military leaders, Potter educators, Potter judges, and Potter preachers have taken over.  Consider what our country might look like today if over the past 100 years the current administration had been in power.   But such an administration has not been in power.  Why?  Because of guys like George Bailey.

In the movie, George Bailey was facing a perplexing financial situation and begins to wish he had never been born.  Suddenly, an angel appears to George and shows him what life would be like, if his wish were to come true. George is awakened not in Bedford Falls, but in Pottersville. The angel takes him from one scene in that small town to another. The difference is stark. The town’s main street is a red-light district, crime is rampant, and life there is poor, hopeless, cold, and uncaring.

Now, I grew up in Bedford Falls.  Not literally of course, but pretty close to it.  It is hard today for us older folks not to draw an analogy between contemporary America and Pottersville.  Our nation in the 21st century is the complete opposite of the Bedford Falls of my childhood. It has become a hateful, dark, and grumpy place to live in.

In the movie, George is terrified when he’s in Pottersville. He wants to get back to Bedford Falls even with its problems, which seem small in comparison to Pottersville.  Most of us older folks would like to go back too.  Of course, most younger people have lived in Pottersville all their lives, so they have no idea how wonderful Bedford Falls really was or how much our nation has really changed.

Back in Bedford Falls there was one person who was not happy, and he desired to make everyone else unhappy also.  His name was Henry Potter.  Potter did everything he could to insure people were a slave to his own power.  Misery and financial bondage were the bill of goods he was selling.  Most folks in Bedford Falls wanted no part of it, while folks in Potterville didn’t know how to survive without it.  Potter controls all of the economic activity in Pottersville. Instead of owning nice homes, people rent tenements from Potter.

Instead of bookstores, restaurants, clothing stores, and houses of worship; Pottersville is dominated by bars, second run movie theaters, liquor stores, and dime dance halls. Public safety is maintained, not by the morals of the community, but by a strong police presence. It is in essence, every man, woman, and child for themselves. The people are also perpetually divided by race or class.

America today is Pottersville; ruled over by a bunch of grumpy Potter’s.  America is all about power and control. It’s not about people like George Bailey and his family that just want to have a decent life. The Bailey’s were not asking for much, only the basics. They don’t want to be in debt, they want food on their table, they want their children to be happy, they want to live in a moral society, and they want to feel safe.  They also appear to enjoy being free.  Yet, all these things seem to be out of reach in modern America; just like they were in Pottersville.

The problem is that Mr. Potter doesn’t want to give them any of this. He wants them to be miserable because he is miserable. Potter was miserable in Bedford Falls, yet he is equally miserable in Pottersville.  Potter is corrupted to the point where he is just a miserable wreck of a human being. In fact, Mr. Potter doesn’t even act like a human being. Potter wants to enslave people and hold them in bondage.  This is America, it is a wreck, and it’s falling apart, just like Henry Potter.

While America falls apart, the George Bailey’s of the country are suffering.  America could be a nice, happy place. The problem is that Pottersville is so deeply entrenched into our society that even George Bailey begs for Potter’s help.  “Please help me, Mr. Potter. Help me, won’t you, please? Can’t you see what it means to my family? I’ll pay any sort of a bonus on the loan, any interest, if you still want the Building and Loan.”

Unfortunately, in today’s world there is no guardian angel to get everyone back to Bedford Falls. If America could look at itself in the mirror, it would see that Pottersville is not a good place to be.  Pottersville was designed to horrify the movie audience of 1946, strange as it may seem to us today, it was horrifying back then.  But today, Pottersville is the exact kind of town that most politicians and many foolish citizens wish to have.  It is too close to reality to be frightening any more.

Business did seem to flourish in Pottersville.  The streets were lined with business; mostly nightclubs, bars, and girly joints.  There was a greater police presence as you might imagine. I guess miserable people need some kind of outlet. Whereas Bedford Falls seems to have pretty much rolled up its sidewalks early in the evening, not so at Pottersville. Nice and peaceful neighborhoods, like Bailey Park, have given way to shacks and slums.  That is not to say that Bedford Falls was a boring place.  On occasion, Bedford Falls was quite lively, but it seemed to be a decent kind of lively.

Bedford Falls was a place where people walked calmly along the tree-lined boulevard, but now, the street is filled with drunks, prostitutes and police wagons.  Pottersville had totally adopted Henry Potter’s values of greed, power, and selfishness. Potter facilitates activities that appeal to people’s base desires and drains the town of its shared community values. Morality has plummeted.

It appears that our society has adopted Potter’s values and transitioned from the Bedford Falls of my youth into a modern day Pottersville.  How did we get here? A simple answer is that no one kept Henry Potter reigned in.  So, he was able to shove his agenda down our throats.  Where are the George Bailey’s when you need them?

The red-light district has grown because the Potter agenda downplays the importance of Biblical morality. Slums exist because that is the type of communities that Potter likes to build. Poverty reigns because Potter has manipulated the money supply. Freedoms have eroded because Potter has promised security if we surrender our freedom.  Hopelessness prevails because Potter needs it to keep his subjects in check.  I am not saying that all the world was always like the idyllic Bedford Falls, but at least back then we could at least imagine living in such a place.  Today we can’t even imagine that such a place could even exist in America.

Moral and economic change certainly are not the only cause of the decline of families. However, it is a cause that has been overlooked by too many people. A Bedford Falls society cherishes families rather than neglecting them. It sees, rather than ignores, the poor and the outcast. It is a well-ordered society where the greed of the Potters are reined in, and where communities are generally safe and the working poor can still find the American dream.

The spirit of Mr. Potter has long held much of the world, but today it thrives in America.  That is why modern America seems more like Pottersville than Bedford Falls. So ingrained are the attitudes of Pottersville into our psyche that we hardly recognize them as morally deficient.  Think of the state of our lives in America today. It seems to me that our sense of community is at an all-time low. To many, life seems to be harder than ever, and as a result, we are less charitable and tolerant of our neighbors.

Mr. Potter seems to me to be an illustration of the leadership in today’s America. It is a short-sighted leadership, seeking every advantage in pursuit of current power and profits. Potter is always seeking ways to limit competition and thereby choice for the people of Pottersville. He wants them to be beholden to him for their lives. Does that sound familiar?  Doesn’t government want us beholden to them for everything?

Maybe I am so deep in the bubble of my own life that I am misinterpreting the things I see around me. After all, most of the people I know are hard-working, caring, and generous people. It’s just that I can’t escape the fact that I feel that America has become a much harsher place than I remember.  Even the movie, “It’s a Wonderful Life” has been impacted. Once upon a time it was shown 100’s of times a year. Then the rights to the movie were acquired by NBC, and now it gets shown far less, because it is far more expensive to air.

When I was in high school, we used to worry about living in a world like the one in Orwell’s “1984”. Orwell’s writing described a world of violence, control, and power. He frightened us all with the prospects of living in a dark and sinister world where even our thoughts were controlled.  We were right to be frightened, but perhaps we should have been warned that the precursor to “1984” was Pottersville.  “It’s A Wonderful Life” premiered in 1946.  Orwell’s work was published in 1949.  Pottersville comes first, perhaps “1984” will follow.

I am not smart enough to have all the answers, I know that.  And even George Bailey resisted listening to the messenger sent from God.  But I do believe this; if America could find its way back to two important documents; one of them perfect, one of them imperfect but still good, it would go a long way to helping us find our way back to Bedford Falls.  The most important document is the word of God.

“Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD; and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance.”

Psalms 33:12

The second document is the Constitution of the United States, a document that most all leaders have promised to honor and defend.  But it is also a document that most leaders seem to ignore once they get in power.

Merry Christmas America.  It is unlikely I will live to see it, but it is my prayer that one day, like George Bailey, you too will cry out “I want to live” and then perhaps find your way back home.

Dr. Worthington has been in the ministry for over forty-five years and serves as President of Pathway Ministries and Christian Bible College

It is important to understand that just as there are socialist conservatives, sometimes called progressive conservatives; there are also progressive Christians.  Some denominations and churches have entire groups that identify themselves as progressives.  Being progressive sounds good.  It sounds like you are in favor of progress.  But actually, it is more complicated than that. Continue reading “Beware Of The Progressive Christian”

As a child, I was afraid of both of my grandfathers.   One of my grandfathers was very wealthy, at least until the end of his life.  He was a very proud man and wanted everyone to know about his accomplishments.  He did not treat my grandmother well, and divorced her for another woman.  My grandfather used to walk into church singing to make sure everyone knew he was there.  He would lift weights to show his physical strength and brag about what he was able to do.  My grandfather only cared about himself and what other people could do for him.  I am not being disrespectful; it is just who he was. Continue reading “People Change”

As our students walked across the stage at graduation, I wondered if we had done as much as we could to prepare them for the road which lies ahead.  There are so many decisions ahead for the graduate, and life is difficult, even with the best training.  We all know it is a daunting task to raise children.  Parents are responsible for the choices they make in raising their children, and some parents chose Pathway to be a part of their children’s lives and assist with the task.  This is a grave responsibility for our ministry. Continue reading “Reaching The Children”