A brief, simple, but expressive eulogy was pronounced by Martin Luther upon a pastor at Zwickau in 1522 named Nicholas Haussmann. “What we preach, he lived,” said the great reformer. What a wonderful statement about a minister, but could be equally wonderful about anyone of faith. Do you live your life that way? Sermons made real. That is the calling of everyone who shows up for worship.
Are you having a hard time living up to that standard? It is hard to believe that we are coming up on Lent, the season of preparation for Easter. Wednesday, Feb. 17 is Ash Wednesday. If you haven’t made plans for that evening, join me at the Lake Welcome Center at 6 p.m. to begin six weeks of growth. Each subsequent Wednesday at 11:30 a.m. you can be a part of a 30-minute Lenten series focused on our spiritual growth. What a great way to spiritually prepare for Easter. What a great way to begin living up to what Martin Luther was saying. Don’t miss it. Wishing you much love and much light.
—The Rev. David W. Key, director of the Baptist Studies Program, is involved in recruitment, admissions, student life, counseling, placement, and development functions for Emory University’s Candler School of Theology. He teaches in the Contextual Education program. He is the founding pastor of the Lake Oconee Community Church at Reynolds Plantation. Contact him at (404) 727-6350 or dkey@emory.edu. His
column appears weekly in this space.
Life Lessons
Almost time to prepare for Easter through Lent
- Life Lessons
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Pray for faithfulness in the midst of life’s challenges
Oswald Chambers, in his book “Run Today’s Race,” taught us that faith for my deliverance is not faith in God.
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Don’t put off the most important thing
As Douglas MacArthur said, in war all tragedy can be summarized in two words, “too late.”
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What are you delaying in your life?
In the early ‘90s, U.S. News and World Report told us that Chicago learned one price of neglecting the underpinnings of all its economic growth.
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Find a community and become a part of it
Harry Emerson Fosdick reminds us that the Great Wall of China is a gigantic structure which cost an immense amount of money and labor.
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Let God be your passion
A woman rushed up to famed violinist Fritz Kreisler after a concert and cried
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Pray for God’s will and nothing else
At a meeting of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Bobby Richardson, former New York Yankee second baseman, offered a prayer that is a classic in brevity and poignancy: “Dear God, Your will, nothing more, nothing less, nothing else. Amen.”
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Not too early to make Easter plans
Fritz Kreisler, the famous violinist, once said
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God calls on you to overcome your obstacles
Do you have a lot to overcome in your life? David Livingstone, the pioneer missionary to Africa, walked over 29,000 miles during his ministry.
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Are you coasting in life?
Bertoldo de Giovanni was the pupil of Donatello, the greatest sculptor of his time, and he was the teacher of Michelangelo, the greatest sculptor of all time.
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Will your soul take the high road or low?
John Oxenham wrote the following poem:
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