29

Jump Start # 4102

Posted on June 29, 2026 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 4102

 

Philippians 4:8 “Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.”

 

Years ago someone special gave me a large framed poster of baseball legend Mickey Mantle. There was a quote from Mantle on that print. I have admired this very much. He was asked, “When you come up to bat, do you ever think about hitting a home run?” Mantle’s reply was, “Every time.”

 

Among we preachers, we often use the expression of “hitting one out of the park,” when a sermon was preached well. Mantle’s quote is a great reminder for all of us preachers to try our best every time. Hit one out of the park each time.

 

But, this is a thought that ought to run deeply within the congregation. Everything we do for the King ought to be our best. Bring excellence every time. When leading singing, do the best that you can do. When praying, do the best that you can do. You may not be the best out there, but you are striving to do your very best. That’s the standard in excellence. Do your best. Try to hit a home run every time you come to the plate. Bring excellence each time.

 

Now, some lessons for us:

 

First, we much too often forget who we are serving. It’s not each other, but it’s the King. He deserves our best because He always gave His best. Sloppy services can hinder and disrupt the worship for others. Song leaders, get those songs picked out by Friday and practice them on Saturday and get to the church building early on Sunday. That’s not hard. That’s trying to hit a homerun everytime you come to the plate. Preachers, look over your printed material and bulletins and power point slides. Check for typos. Check the references to passages. Do your best every time.

 

Now, someone just starting out in these things will make more mistakes. Be patient. Encourage. Help him. Share tips that you have learned. Teach him the valuable lesson of excellence.

 

Second, establishing these things as the norm is the way a congregation changes it’s culture. It takes time. But, the casual, indifferent, sloppy way soon becomes obsolete and not the norm. Once a congregation’s culture changes to excellence, you’ll find people arriving really early for services. You’ll see more people volunteering to help out. You’ll find others wanting to be a part of something exciting. Standing for excellence is so rare these days in any venue.

 

Third, the culture of excellence begins in the heart before it can fill the congregation. Trying to change the church’s culture without changing my culture usually doesn’t go well. Excellence in the home. Excellence in the work place. Excellent attitudes. Excellence in generosity. This spirit of trying to hit a home run every time, will touch every thing we do. It will change how we see things. It will bring out better behavior from us.

 

Try to hit a home run every time you come to the plate. Great quote. Great reminder for all of us.

 

Roger

 

26

Jump Start # 4101

Posted on June 26, 2026 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 4101

 

2 Timothy 4:8 “in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing.”

 

It’s a common statement that I hear all the time. It is meant well and comes from a curious mind that wants to know. It is generally pitched this way, “When I get to Heaven, I’m going to ask God why penguins can’t fly.” Or, “When I get to Heaven I’m going to ask God about whether or not Jonah ever got it.” When I get to Heaven, I’m going to ask…

 

I was one of those for years and my list of what I was going to ask God kept growing and growing. God’s going to have to answer a lot of questions I thought. But the more I really chewed on that, and the more I really thought about the nature of God and being in His presence and in that wonderful place, Heaven, the more I realized that I probably won’t be asking any questions. In fact, if we say anything to the Lord, most likely, it will be “Thank you.” Thank you for being so patient with us. Thank you for your grace and forgiveness. We don’t belong in a place like Heaven, yet, He is making that possible. Thank you for being with us all those years. Thank you for helping us learn the lessons that make a difference. Thank you for putting amazing Christians in our lives. Thank you for loving us when we were not very loveable.

 

Here are some thoughts:

 

First, God won’t owe us any explanations or answers. He is God. His ways have always been higher than our ways. The father towards the prodigal, the Lord towards the penitent thief on the cross, Jesus with the adulterous woman, all are actions so different than the norm and the way we’d do things. He is God.

 

Second, once we are in Heaven, will any of those questions really matter? Our lives seem to take the center stage most of the time. Can you imagine standing next to Noah, THE NOAH, and thinking, “I’m going to ask God why I didn’t get a job I really wanted?” Really? Do you think that will even matter? Things that seem so important to us here and now, often are not even on the radar a few years later. The things that we worried so much about in the past has not even become a memory for us. We’ve forgotten.

 

Third, we will be so marvelously amazed and gracious to be in Heaven that most of the details of our lives will be overshadowed by the experience of being in the presence of the almighty. There is nothing here that will compare to Heaven. NOTHING. So beautiful. So large. So precious. So holy. And the greatest people will be there, the people of God. We won’t miss earth. We won’t wish that we could be somewhere else. We will feel like we are in a dream and just don’t want to wake up. Except it won’t be a dream. It will be reality. God’s home will become our home.

 

And, “thank you,” will be the words that come from our lips. Years ago, I was invited to go golfing with a former professional baseball player from the Kansas City Royals and one of the elders in the congregation who was a multimillionaire. After the round of golf, I was sitting in this gorgeous club house with the two of them, sharing stories and laughing when it suddenly hit me that I really didn’t belong there. These were two men who were outstanding in their own world. I could never afford a membership to that golf club. And, the two noticed that I was disengaging from the conversations. They asked if something was wrong. I replied that I really felt out of place and didn’t belong in such an expensive club house. They both replied at the same time, “we invited you here.” They wanted me to be with them. They wanted me to be there. And, on a much grander scale, this is what Heaven will be for us. We’ll see the people we have read about in our Bibles. Elijah. Abraham. Timothy. Paul. Heroes of faith. Men who wore themselves out for the Lord. I’ve heard sermons about these guys. We’ve studied their examples in Bible classes. And, now, I am with them. I am among them. I am included as equal with them. I believe we will thnk “we don’t belong here.” I want to be here, but it’s me. Why should I be here? And, the answer will be, “I invited you here.” We belong because the Lord has invited us. And, for that, “Thank you.”

 

Heaven, won’t it be wonderful there.

 

Roger

 

25

Jump Start # 4100

Posted on June 25, 2026 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 4100

 

2 Timothy 4:2 “Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction.”

 

Throwback Thursday: an article written from the past

 

Why Do I Preach?

 

First of all, I preach not because it has always been a life long ambition of mine. Actually I never dreamed of doing what I now do. Neither my father, nor my grandfather ever preached. I was not ‘pushed’ into it by my family. In fact, it took some convincing to get across that after two years of college I was not going to completely switch majors and plans for my future.

 

I did not decide to preach because  felt that I was “good” at it. After my first few attempts at giving Wednesday night lessons, I was thoroughly convinced that preaching was what I was NOT GOOD at. I did not receive overwhelming response or great encouragement to “be a preacher.” It might be hard to see this in me now, but public speaking was very difficult for me in school. I hated speech class for the simple reason that it was required that we had to give oral speeches. I would have never taken that class except for the fact that it was required in my field of study.

 

I did not become a preacher because it was my only interest and there was  nothing else I could do or get a job at. The fact is that there are so many things that interest me I often feel tempted to pursue them just to see what they are like. I could see myself as a history teacher in a small college. Financial planning is interesting to me. I would enjoy being a writer and have thought about putting out a newsletter on a variety of subjects. Someday I would like to own a used bookstore. I originally went off to school to get a degree in forestry. That and landscaping still are of interest to me.

 

You probably are expecting by now, some grand and heart touching reason why I chose the path that I have. There is none. It’s not the thrill of standing before crowds or the great trust and responsibility that people have in the preacher. It’s not the place that it takes you or the different kinds of people you meet. I preach for the simple reason that I love the Lord and am excited about His word. It’s a joy to be a part of helping someone get to Heaven. My simple advice to any one who want to be a preacher is to just preach. Being true to the book and being true to myself is all I’ve ever tried to do.

 

That is why I preach today.

 

Roger

March, 1994

 

24

Jump Start # 4099

Posted on June 24, 2026 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 4099

 

2 Chronicles 20:12 “O our God, will You not judge them? For we are powerless before this great multitude who are coming against us; nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are on You.”

 

Our verse today comes from a prayer of a desperate and scared king. Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah, was facing approaching armies from the coalition of Moad, Ammon and Meunites. The situation was bad. The king turns to God. He has the nation appeal to God. And, in this most honest prayer three things are noticed. First, he realized that the coming threat was real. This wasn’t something that was just going to go away.

Second, he understood that his armies were powerless. It would be a slaughter and he knew that.

Third, their only hope was the Lord. “Our eyes are on You,” acknowledging that God was the help.

 

Now, from this we ought to learn some lessons.

 

First, especially among us men, we do not have all the answers. There are times when we are backed into a corner and we simply do not know what to do. Many have trouble admitting this. “It’ll work out,” would not have helped Jehoshaphat. “We do not know what to do,” are words foreign to many people. And, because of that, there is a resistant to call upon the Lord because we believe we can get out of this mess on our own.

 

There are troubles in the family in which “we do not know what to do?” Call upon the Lord is what we do. People can get into trouble so quickly and so deeply and it can take a long, long time to get out of the messes that they have created. Divorce. Estrangement. Financial troubles. Those storms clouds can gather quickly and the storms can last a long time.

 

Second, the king realized that they were powerless. In the movies, this king would have gone into battle, fighting to the death, while dramatic music played in the background. Life is not like the movies. Had the king done that, he would have died and his nation would have been taken over by the invaders.

 

I need help is hard for many to say. I’m one of those. I don’t like to bother others. My recent troubles with my sciatic nerve has reminded me daily that I should have called someone to help me. There is no shame in needing others. This is one of the upsides to fellowship. Need someone to just listen to you, call them. Need someone to answer your questions, call them. Need someone to bring some food, take you to the doctor, call them. Some would rather suffer alone than to reach out to get help.

 

Third, the king understood that the help he needed had to come from Heaven. He didn’t live in a fantasy world which denies any troubles. It’s not that bad. Oh, yes it was. He didn’t reach out to Egypt to send troops. That’s happened in Biblical history. Only God can help. This is a great place that our faith will take us. I need the Lord. I need the Lord to get me out of this mess. Only the Lord can make this right. Only the Lord can forgive and help me.

 

Fourth, the king took action and prayed. It’s one thing to say, “Only God can help us,” but then to do nothing is not a sign of faith. He needed help from God, so he sought the Lord in prayer. He fasted. He told others. Being a king, he wasn’t ashamed to confess that he needed God to get him through this.

 

God came. Victory belonged to the Lord. And in the slaughter of Ammon and Moab, there was also the killing of pride, independence and self reliance. Don’t you expect after this, more people would have turned to the Lord as the king did. Don’t you think more people would admit that they were powerless to the problems that they faced, yet God was greater than any problem.

 

And, don’t you think when we have done the same thing as the king, we are more quickly to turn to the Lord instead of trying to figure things out ourselves. Generations later, we find a shadow of this same story. There was no coming armies, but there was a storm. The apostles thought for sure that they were going to die. They were powerless. They did not know what to do. They turned to the Lord and Jesus calmed the storm. God prevailed. God is greater than any of our troubles.

 

A king recognized the situation he was in and a king sought Heaven.

 

Roger

 

23

Jump Start # 4098

Posted on June 23, 2026 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 4098

 

Romans 12:2 “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of our mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.”

 

As our kids grew up and moved out, we saved many of their toys. More than once we gave serious thoughts to tossing them. But into tubs they went and they moved with us, including this latest move. Now, the grandkids play with those toys. GI Joes. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Action figures. Matchbox cars. The game of life. And, of course, Mr. Potato head.

 

What an interesting life Mr. Potato has. Don’t like his nose, you can change it. Wouldn’t it be great if we could do that. But more than that, you can put his feet where the ears go and change him from being a boy to a girl. Just move the parts and Mr. Potato has a whole new identity. And for generations, modern culture has tried to play Mr. Potato with the values and morals of God. We see this especially in the story of Babylon’s fiery furnace from Daniel three.

 

The Babylonian culture attempted three changes:

 

First, Rename you. The Babylonians changed the Jewish names to Babylonian names. It wasn’t a matter of Bob’s name in Hebrew is changed to the equivalent in Babylonian. Notice what took place. The name Daniel, ending in “el” refers to Elohim, the name of God. Ezekiel, Joel have similar endings. Daniel’s name was changed to Belteshazzar. “Bel” was the name of the Babylonian god. Belteshazzar means, “Bel, protect the king.”

 

Hananiah ends with “iah” the name for Yahweh. Nehemiah. Isaiah. Jeremiah. Obadiah. Zephaniah. Zechariah. The name Hananiah means, “God has been gracious.” His name was changed to “Shadrach” which means, “I am afraid of God.”

 

Mishael, with the ending “el” means “who can compare to my God.” His name was changed to Meshaach, which means, “I am despised and humiliated.” In other words, forsaken and forgotten by God.

 

Azariah, with the “iah” ending means “God has helped.” His name was changed to Abed-nego, which means “the servant of Nebo” another Babylonian God.

 

Every time their Babylonian names were called, they were insulted and God was blasphemed. And, today, our culture wants to redefine and rename us. It is an attempt to get us to accept that which is wrong.

 

Second, Tame you. That is the next step in the culture play book. Offering food that would be offensive to Jews. You have to eat. You are away from home. Just one time. That’s how culture begins to capture you.

 

Third, claim you. Once you have compromised so many times, you have lost your distinctiveness. Your light has gone out. The salt is no longer salty.

 

Three simple steps: Rename, Tame, and then Claim. And, we are witnessing this transition among us. Wrong doesn’t seem so wrong anymore. Many do not want hard hitting sermons about how the Lord’s church is different and unique from everything else. Less doctrine and more relationship type of lessons. And, out of this some are saying, “I don’t see what’s so wrong with what others are doing.” Or, “basically, we are just like what you read in the Bible except for…” Rename. Tame. Claim. Straight from the Babylonian playbook on how to change the thinking and culture of someone.

 

What do we do?

 

First, we must keep teaching and preaching the word of God. That is the distinctiveness of Heaven. Rather than trying to find ways to compromise, teach the Gospel to change hearts.

 

Second, build conviction and faith in each of us. Those three Jewish young men in Babylon didn’t have their priest standing behind them. They didn’t even have mom or dad with them. But they knew. It didn’t matter if they were in Jerusalem or in Babylon, God was to be served and followed. It’s the same for our young people. At home or away in a university, God is to be served and followed. While everyone else is bowing down, you stand up for the Lord.

 

You’ll notice, those three were not told to denounce their faith. They were not to deny faith in God. They were told simply to bow. How many would do that while saying to themselves, “I still believe in God.” No compromise here. No half way. No middle ground. We stand come what may.

 

Third, recognize that often what seems innocent isn’t. What is popular does not mean it is good. Everyone was bowing but these three. That didn’t matter. They knew. They knew what they had to do.

 

Rename. Tame. Claim. That’s what our culture is trying to do to you. Will you allow it to happen?

 

Mr. Potato Head is a fun toy to play with, but that’s all he is, a toy. When culture plays Mr. Potato Head, souls get hurt and God is mocked. Keep the toys in the box and keep your Bibles open.

 

Roger