04

Jump Start # 4150

Posted on September 4, 2026 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 4150

 

1 Corinthians 4:11-13 “To this present hour we are both hungry and thirsty, and are poorly clothed, and are roughly treated, and are homeless; and we toil, working with our own hands; when we are reviled, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure; when we are slandered, we try to conciliate; we have become as the scum of the world, the dregs of all things, even until now.”

 

In the aftermath of Dolly Parton’s death, tributes have poured in from across the world. From fellow musicians, actors, kings of Europe, the President, and everyday fans, Dolly was beloved by so many. She wanted superstardom and she attained that in the highest level. Her picture adorned the cover of magazines. Murals of her are on buildings throughout the country. Praised and loved from social media to special TV shows and a tribute from the Grand Ole Opry, where she started out as a young person.

 

What a contrast this is to our verse today about the apostles and the early disciples. Hungry. Homeless. Poorly clothed. Slandered. Peterson words the ending of this passage with: “We’re treated like garbage, the leftovers that nobody wants. And it’s not getting any better.”

 

Unliked. Unpopular. Uninvited. No one wanted to be like them, with them or one of them. That was the world of the early Christians. And that carries a heavy emotional and social burden that is hard to deal with. Everyone likes to be liked. Bullied, mocked and made fun of is not the choice we’d make. Paul says “we have become as the scum of the world.” That makes me think of some Indiana farm ponds that are green with scum. It is a disgusting sight. No one would want to jump in and swim in that stuff. And, disgusting is how the world viewed Christianity.

 

Publicly, the pressure is not that intense these days. The banner of tolerance flies proudly in many places. Yet, in work settings, and especially among family, the disrespect, ridicule and constant belittling continues. It becomes wearisome. It causes tension and separations in families. It leads to some Christians finding a middle ground of compromise.

 

Here are some lessons to remember:

 

First, our Lord told us that the world would hate His followers. They hated Him first. The love of darkness is strong. Rather than turning on the light to see better, the world would like to turn off all existing lights and remain in total darkness. It’s not you that people hate and are disgusted with. It’s the Lord. It’s the way the Bible reads. It’s a lifestyle of selfishness and sin that people want to cling to. So, rather than change their ways, the world attacks the message and the messengers.

 

It’s hard, but our Lord shows us how to navigate through the turmoil of hatred. When threatened, He did not respond. He kept silent before His accusers. Arguing with those whose agenda is not to learn but to destroy accomplishes very little. This is especially hard when the heat and hatred is coming from your own family.

 

Second, there is always a temptation to find a middle ground of compromise to make Christianity more tolerant and acceptable to the world. But in truth, it is not compromise but a selling out. The world doesn’t move. It doesn’t come half way to meet Christianity. What takes place is that the Christian sells out. He backs off of doctrine. He dims the light. He becomes quieter in his message. He looks the other way. He accepts what he doesn’t like. And in doing this, the world has won. The Christian in striving to get along with others, no longer stands unique and with the Lord. He finds himself going along with things that he doesn’t approve of, yet, he remains silent. His silence is seen as acceptance and approval. His faith appears weakened. He has moved the boundary lines. And, in getting his family and friends to like him, the Christian has lost his position to try to change them. They have changed him instead.

 

Third, churches need to understand this lesson as well as the individual disciple. Doing cute things to attract the world’s attention and hiding the core message of Christianity never works. If it takes hotdogs to attract people, then it will take hamburgers to keep them. The church is not a school. It is not a business. It is governed by the laws of the New Testament. There are things the community, the schools, the businesses may do that the church should not and cannot do to remain faithful to the Lord. Our mission to be develop righteous people who are Heaven bound. There is a proper way of doing that and it begins and ends with the New Testament.

 

Dolly was popular. Paul was not. Dolly received the praise of the world. Paul did not. But in the end, it is the honor of Heaven that Paul received. A crown was awaiting him and it awaits us if we stay true to the purpose God has designed us for. Loved by the world or loved by the Lord? Which will it be?

 

Roger

 

03

Jump Start # 4149

Posted on September 3, 2026 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 4149

 

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.”

 

Throwback Thursday: an article written from the past

 

Who You Are Makes a Difference

 

A school teacher decided to honor each of her seniors by telling them the difference they each made. She called each student to the front of the class, one at a time. First she told them how the student made a difference to her and the class. Then she presented each of them with a blue ribbon imprinted with gold letters which read, “Who I Am Makes A Difference.”

 

Afterwards the teacher decided to do a class project to see what kind of impact recognition would have on the community. She gave each of the students three more ribbons and instructed them to go out and spread this acknowledgment ceremony. Then they were to follow up on the results, see who honored whom and report back to the class in about a week.

 

One of the boys in the class went to a junior executive in a nearby company and honored him for helping him with his career planning. He gave him a blue ribbon and put it on his shirt. Then he gave him two extra ribbons, and said, “We’re doing a class project on recognition, and we’d like you to go out, find somebody to honor, give them a blue ribbon, then give them the extra ribbon so they can acknowledge a third person to keep this recognition ceremony going. Then please report back to me and tell me what happened.”

 

Later that day, the junior executive went in to see his boss, who had been known as having a grouchy disposition.  He told his boss that he deeply admired him for being such a creative thinker. The boss was surprised. No one had ever shown any recognition to him in this way. The junior executive asked the boss if he would accept the gift of a blue ribbon. The surprised boss said, “Well, sure.” The junior executive placed the ribbon on the boss’s jacket and gave him a hug. He then asked his boss, “Would you take this extra ribbon and pass it on to someone you feel is deserving some recognition. A high school student who gave me my ribbon is doing a school project and he wants to see who all the community will recognize. “

 

That night, the boss came home to his 15-year-old son and sat him down.  He said, “The most incredible thing happened at work today. One of my junior executives gave me this ribbon for my creative thinking. It says, “Who I am makes a difference.” He said I have made a difference in his life. He gave me an extra ribbon and asked me to find someone to recognize. I’ve thought about this all day. There is no one that I think is more deserving of this than you, son. Sometimes I don’t pay much attention to you. Sometimes, I know you must think my job is more important than you are. It seems I yell at you to go to bed or to clean your room up. I don’t think I have ever told you how much you mean to me. You and your mother are the most important people in the world to me. You’re a great kid and I’m honored to be your father. Who you are, makes a BIG difference to me.” The father put the ribbon on his son’s shirt. The son started crying. His sobs got louder and louder and more out of control. His whole body shook. He hugged his father and through the tears, told him, “I was planning killing myself tomorrow. I didn’t think you liked me. Now I know how you feel. Thank you, Dad.”

 

  Try passing out some ribbons – look in your family, the church, at work – our lives have been blessed by those who have made a difference! Let them know!

 

Roger

June, 1999

 

02

Jump Start # 4148

Posted on September 2, 2026 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 4148

 

2 Corinthians 12:20 “For I am afraid that perhaps when I come I may find you to be not what I wish and may be found by you to be not what you wish; that perhaps there will be strife, jealousy, angry tempers, disputes, slanders, gossip, arrogance, disturbances.”

 

 

It was Thanksgiving day. The grandmother had been up since the wee hours of the early morning getting everything ready for the family to come. The dinning room table was set with the best plates and cups. She had put candles on the table and the setting was beautiful. In the kitchen, the smells of bread, turkey, and pies filled the air. It was a labor of love and grandma loved doing this. She worked and worked to make everything perfect. The noon hour passed and no one showed up. An hour and a half and no word. Grandma starting calling the kids and each of them had made other plans. They weren’t coming. All the food, all the work that Grandma had put in, and none of the grown children came. Grandma sank into her chair with a soft tear trickling down her cheek.

 

In many ways, I wonder if that is the feeling of the apostle as we read our verse today from 2 Corinthians. This letter is nearly over. Paul had plans to come. But, he was fearful that the Corinthians would not be in the spiritual place where they ought to be. Rather than growing and maturing, Paul thought they may have gone backwards. He lists eight relationship sins. This is how they saw one another. This is how they treated one another. And, students of the Bible will quickly recognize that this sounds just like how the first letter, 1 Corinthians, began. Division, strife, jealousy fill the pages of the first letter. Paul had walked them through a better way of treating one another. He had reminded them over and over of Christ. Paul had sent some of the best preachers to them. Lesson upon lesson had been taught. And, now, it seems like it was all a waste of time. It seems like they had not learned a thing. It seems like they had not grown, changed or developed in character and in heart.

 

This is the concern of every shepherd and every preacher. We pour our lives into helping others grow in Christ and after months, even years, some remain unchanged, unmoved, and the same. It’s enough for some to think that the problem is with the way they taught. It’s enough to make some leaders and preachers so discouraged that they quit.

 

Baptized, yet not converted. A member, but not a disciple. The issue before us is how do we keep moving forward? How do we keep from going backwards? How do we prosper spiritually in the Lord?

 

Here are some thoughts:

 

First, this has to be a personal, faith based decision that every person must make. There are some who will sit in a church building every Sunday, yet their hearts are as worldly, wicked and unchanged as ever. We must teach people that the insides are as important, if not more important, than the outsides. Pure living begins with pure thinking. Righteousness comes from the inside out and not the outside in. Some don’t get it. Some don’t want to get it. Some seem bent on never getting it.

 

Second, it must be taught that I cannot be right with God when I am wrong with God’s people. How we treat one another has a direct impact upon my relationship with the Lord. Anger, gossip, disputes must not be tolerated. Grace and forgiveness must be the culture that becomes the norm. People need to learn how to get along with those who are different. How can we be one with one I do not like? Jew and Gentile. Master and slave. Those heavy relationship issues were ironed out through the example of our Lord. Look to Jesus.

 

Third, understanding our place must be taught. Sins that Paul lists here, such as slander, jealousy and arrogance arise from hearts that are not humble and want to be recognized as on top. The humble Jesus is what needs to be learned. Being thankful to have such talent on this side of the kingdom and being one part of the team will open eyes to the need for one another.

 

The Corinthian problem was not that they had never been taught. They had. They didn’t take the lessons to heart. The pull from our old nature is strong. The call of society is loud. We must set our eyes upon Jesus. It begins with each of us. Rather than waiting for the other guy to change, what about me?

 

Teaching is never a waste of time when it is offered in love and truth. This journey with the Lord is a struggle. Some do well. Others have a hard time. How did Paul find the Corinthians when he came? Were they better than he imagined? Were they worse? Only Heaven knows.

 

Keep teaching. Keep preaching. Keep trying.

 

Roger

 

01

Jump Start # 4147

Posted on September 1, 2026 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 4147

 

2 Peter 1:9 For he who lacks these qualities is blind or short sighted, having forgotten his purification from his former sins.”

 

Like the rest of the world, I was shocked to hear of the passing of Dolly Parton last week. I’ve never been a huge Dolly fan. My music choice is British invasion and early 60’s. But she had some songs that everyone loved. Dollywood is a yearly pilgrimage for our family. I was amazed that she had written over 3,000 songs. TV star, movie star, music icon Dolly used her wealth and position to help others. She helped families in Tennessee who lost their homes to wild fires. She put books into the hands of millions of children. Instead of buying homes across the world, Dolly seemed to understand that not only did she have enough, but she never forgot where she came from. Her dad never learned to read. What an incentive to put books into the hands of children. She was a super star but she made everyone she contacted feel loved and like her best friend.

 

And, I think among all her amazing talents, never forgetting where she came from defined her the best. What a lesson for disciples. We can almost live a double life, forgetting where we came from and how lost we were. And, that can lead us to being self righteous, better than others and quickly pointing the judgmental finger at those who are different than we are.

 

Why is it that one of the continuing, generational criticisms aimed at our fellowship is that we are hyper judgmental? This has left a sour taste in the mouths of many. This has led some to walk away and never come back. And, this is one of the major reasons some fear coming back. It’s not the Lord. It’s not what the Bible teaches. It’s the people in the pew. The looks. The whispers. The rolled eyes. The ignoring and turning away. The 1,000 questions asked. The uncomfortable feeling that you are not welcome here.

 

Why do we do this? Why is this the common culture in so many places? Why does it continue on, generation after generation? And, part of the answer is found in our verse today. We have forgotten our purification from our former sins. We forgot where we came from.

 

Now, we can do better. Some lessons:

 

First, some don’t want to remember where they came from. The picture isn’t pretty. The sins were many. The mistakes were awful and painful. All of us have a past. All of us have gone to the far country. All of us have been that prodigal. A pocket full of money and a head full of dreams, and bad choices, wicked companions, no spiritual compass and we sinned against the God of Heaven and earth.

 

Though the sins are forgiven and washed away, we can still remember. On this side of salvation, those memories ought to bring sadness and shame to us. Look what we have done to the God who loved us so much.

 

Don’t expect a guest on Sunday morning to understand, know or feel comfortable with the spiritual worship that we offer. It is so unlike what he may have experienced before. He very likely doesn’t know the Bible well. He has years of baggage, good and bad that he must work through. Be patient. The Corinthians were told that “love is patient.”

 

Second, remembering where you came from will immediately remind you of the incredible people in your life and your journey who helped you get to where you are. You couldn’t have done it on your own. We all stand upon the shoulders of those who taught us, corrected us, encouraged us, helped us and believed in us. And, today, there are those who need to stand on your shoulders. Will you let them? Or, will you stick your nose in the air and walk away? Are you too good for them? Where would you be today without those dedicated saints all along your journey who helped you?

 

Third, remembering where you came from will immediately reveal to you that it is the grace of God that saved you. You weren’t good enough. You aren’t good enough now. God’s blessings and love changed your eternal destination. That gave hope to your family. Christ gave you a purpose, a destination and a reason. It wasn’t a preacher, a sermon or a church that saved us. It was the Lord Jesus Christ. To Him and to Him alone belongs the glory and praise.

 

Remembering where you came from will help you with others who are searching. It will help you with those who are struggling. It will help you with those who have questions. It will help you from being so righteous in your own mind.

 

Every saint has a past and every sinner has a future.

 

Thanks, Dolly for helping me to remember where I came from.

 

Roger

 

31

Jump Start # 4146

Posted on August 31, 2026 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 4146

 

Deuteronomy 31:19 “Now therefore, write this song for yourselves, and teach it to the sons of Israel; put it on their lips, so that this song may be a witness for Me against the sons of Israel.”

 

Recently I went to a Don McLean concert. To be honest, he should have stopped a couple of years ago. The voice isn’t there anymore. But what a gifted song writer he is. The lyrics to songs like Vincent or his masterpiece, American Pie are amazing. He tells a story through his words and music.

 

Although I can’t carry a tune, I have always been fascinated with song writers. The creativity and the magic from the thought to the finished product is remarkable. Many are one hit wonders. They had one song that made the charts and that was it. Others, like Don McLean, Gordon Lightfoot or Paul McCartney, could crank out song after song that were great.

 

Many do not realize that God is a song writer. As Moses was nearing the end of his life and the torch was about to be passed to Joshua, Israel was soon to enter the promise land. God had taught them. God had warned them. And, now to put all of this together, there was a song that they were to sing. Exodus 32 is the song. Moses wrote the song that day and taught it to Israel.

 

Several things standout about this “Song of Moses.” First, it is long. The song is 43 verses, around 900 words long. Second, the song doesn’t seem to have a repeated chorus as we think of our hymns or pop songs. Third, we are not told what tune this song was set to.

 

Here are some lessons for us:

 

First, God is music. Man didn’t invent music, God did. The sounds of the different song birds. The sound of rain falling. The sound of wind through a tree. The sound of a baby. Music is a part of life. What are our movies without a great sound track? Every college has a fight song. There are songs that calm us and there are songs that fire us up. Music is a wonderful gift from our Lord.

 

Second, we learn through songs. Many learned the alphabet, the books of the Bible and other fundamental principles through singing. When the grandkids are over and the floor is full of toys and it’s time to go home, we sing, “Clean up, clean up” and together we get the room back the way it should be. “Whistle while you work,” seems to help the day and the task go faster.

 

In the letter to the Colossians, Paul said we teach and admonish one another with our hymns. The sermon isn’t the only lesson of the day. Song leaders need to remember that they are leading the congregation in more than just praise but in lessons for each other. Music is valuable.

 

Third, through singing, we are reminded of powerful truths. That’s the purpose of our passage today. God wanted Israel to remember. Remember that the Lord has been there for them. Remember that the Lord is sovereign. Remember to be faithful to the Lord. Singing that song of Moses would help them. Singing would get them through the dark nights and stormy times. Singing has a powerful way of preparing us for worship. What’s your Sunday drive to the church building routine? Don’t listen to the news, secular songs or talk radio. Together, sing some hymns in the car. Sing everyone’s favorite hymn.

 

Psalm 100 is a great example. It well could be labeled as the “pre-game” for worship. As Israel was walking to the temple, they were “joyfully singing” (100:2). This would get their minds and hearts ready for the worship. Our worship can be ruined by rushing in late, being stressed, having our hearts and minds in a clutter. Worship can begin as you are getting ready or driving to the church building.

 

I knew a man who several years ago had to lie very still during a long MRI test. He was asked if he wanted some headphones to listen to music. He said no. During the test he started remembering hymns. One after another. The test was over and he said that he still had more hymns to think about and sing to himself. That is the joy of music to the Lord.

 

God as a song writer. I doubt our culture would think much of God’s song. But it’s Heaven sent and it is a great reminder of the glory of the Lord.

 

Got a favorite hymn? What is it?

 

Roger