“A father of the fatherless, and a judge of the widows, is God in his holy habitation.” Psalm 68:5

While cleaning up the other day, I discovered a box of photos. Among the photos, I found one of me at seventeen taken at my high school prom. Certainly, I was the definition of “cool,” wearing my gray tuxedo and tennis shoes; sporting a mullet that would have made Billy Ray Cyrus jealous. It is not unusual to find an old photograph, but this one stood out. It was old, faded, and crumpled. I looked on the back where “Love James,” was written. This photo had once belonged to Luke.

My father left the night I was conceived. When I was born, “Unknown” was typed on my birth certificate where my father’s name should have been. My grandfather stepped in and helped to raise me. But after my grandmother died, some government bureaucrat decided that my grandfather was incapable of raising me on his own. So, I went into the foster care system.

Someone once said, “You don’t miss something you never had.” That’s a lie. An unloved child will spend his or her life trying to fill that ache inside with the wrong things. The rise in poverty, crime, dropouts, teen pregnancy, addictions, and suicide can be traced in a large part to fatherless kids. I desperately missed having a father until Luke came into my life.

Luke was one of my high school teachers. Luke and his wife, Joan, had no children of their own. They took me in, and Luke became like a father to me.

I went to college, enlisted in the army, and eventually married and started a family. Because of the busyness of life, I didn’t call or visit Luke very often. When I finally got around to making time for him, he was already dying from cancer. During one of our last visits, I noticed his wallet was open on a table beside his hospital bed. My crumpled photograph was visible above his driver’s license. Luke had carried it for over twenty-five years.

As I looked at the photograph, I felt love for the man, who, without my knowledge, spent years loving me. I imagine him showing the picture to his friends and saying, “This is my son. He’s in the army.” Or “This is my son. He just finished his doctorate.” Or “This is my son. I am so proud of the man that he has become.” Luke loved me even when I was too busy to love him.

Webster’s dictionary states that a “father” is “a man who has begotten a child.” In other words, he is the sperm donor – Mr. “Unknown” on my birth certificate. Webster’s also defines “to father” as “to accept responsibility for.” Thank God, for men like Luke, who accept responsibility for children, and love the fatherless.

The point is: Any man can father a child, but it takes a real man to be a dad. If you had a dad who loved you, take the time to let him know how much you love him. It would mean more than a necktie this Father’s Day.

If you never had a dad, remember that God is a Father to the fatherless. Luke’s crumpled photo reminded me of another Father’s love. A Father, who is always there. A Father, who is watching your life as it unfolds on this planet. A Father, who loves you.

Give your life to Him and celebrate “Father’s Day” every day, forevermore.

James Collins is a pastor, writer, and columnist. Follow him on Twitter @collins_point, Facebook James Collins “The Point Is,” or at the website thepointis.net.

A visiting pastor attended a men’s breakfast in the middle of a rural farming area. The group had asked an older farmer, decked out in bib overalls, to say grace for the morning breakfast.

 “Lord, I hate buttermilk,” the farmer began. The visiting pastor opened one eye to glance at the farmer and wonder where this was going. The farmer loudly proclaimed, “Lord, I hate lard.” Now the pastor was growing concerned. Without missing a beat, the farmer continued, “And Lord, you know I don’t much care for raw white flour.” The pastor once again opened an

eye to glance around the room and saw that he wasn’t the only one to feel uncomfortable.

 Then the farmer added, “But Lord, when you mix them all together and bake them, I do love warm fresh biscuits. So, Lord, when things come up that we don’t like, when life gets hard, when we don’t understand what you’re saying to us, help us to just relax and wait until you are done mixing. It will probably be even better than biscuits. Amen.”

I have to wonder if God isn’t doing a little blending in America. A country that started off so strong has taken a turn that (hopefully) is teaching us much, mainly that God remains in charge. He is fully capable of making warm, fresh biscuits out of some pretty unpalatable ingredients, and yes, some of us require a little more kneading than others.) So, if we agree that this blending is our answer, then 2 Chronicles 7:14 KJV gives us instructions on our goal: If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear.

To do that, we need to make Ps. 139:23-24 our daily/hourly prayer. Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my concerns. See if there is any offensive way in me; lead me in the way everlasting.

Examining our own hearts is pointless, no doubt because we will find a way to justify our evil actions/attitudes. After all, we haven’t killed anyone. We didn’t loot those stores or throw iced water at the police officers. We merely sat in our comfy living rooms and watched on television as the wickedness of someone else’s heart played out. But that’s not what God calls us to do. He wants us to lay our ugly hearts at His throne and ask Him to reveal any wickedness in us (even though it is so much more our nature to find the wickedness in others).

Get that? Any wickedness. Any times when we have remained silent and not spoken out against bigotry and violence. Any times we have secretly celebrated payback between our race and theirs. Any times we have allowed others’ prejudiced behavior to affect ours. Any times we have not asked God to help us examine our hearts, to call our wickedness into account and to change our ways.

Last night I watched Just Mercy, the true story of Harvard law school graduate Bryan Stevenson’s defense of wrongly condemned Walter McMillian who was sentenced to die for the murder of an 18-year-old girl. Stevenson quickly learned that in the South, he, a black man, was himself a target, simply because of the color of his skin.

Refusing to return hate for hate, he founded the Equal Justice Initiative in Montgomery, Alabama. He and his staff have won reversals or release from prison for over 135 wrongly condemned death row prisoners and won relief for hundreds of others wrongly convicted or unfairly sentenced. Black and white. Blending at its finest.

If God is stirring something in your heart like He is mine, then we need to agree to be part of the blending process. Granted, we’ve come a long way, but until we determine what we can do to make a difference, we will have a long way to go.

The Bottom Line by Jimmy Tucker

To believers, God is more than a Sunday. He’s more than someplace to go once a week. “For in Him we live and move and exist” (Acts 17:28 NLT). That means He is everything. As long as we’re alive, He’ll be everything to us. E v e r y t h i n g.

God knows everything about us. “O Lord, You have examined my heart and know everything about me. You know when I sit down or stand up. You know my thoughts even when I’m far away. You see me when I travel and when I rest at home. You know everything I do. You know what I am going to say even before I say it, Lord. You go before me and follow me. You place Your hand of blessing on my head” (Psalm 139:1-5 NLT).

God is more than just someone to date on Sunday. Like marriage, He invites us to a lifetime commitment with Him as one. Before a bride and groom exchange wedding vows, they have to fall in love first. Likewise, we have to fall in love and make a covenant with God before we can become one with Him.

Almighty God created us. We’re God’s masterpiece, an original unique design, and we owe our very lives to Him. “You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb. Thank You for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous — how well I know it” (Psalm 139:13,14 NLT). His awesome creativity makes Him more than just a day in the week.

God tenderly cares for us. I Peter 5:7 AMP clearly states, “Casting the whole of your care [all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares for you affectionately and cares about you watchfully.” God is plainly telling us not to worry about anything. A n y t h i n g.

Have you ever gone out to eat with a friend, thinking you were going “Dutch treat” and then have your buddy pay for your meal? At the end of dinner when the waitress drops off the tickets, you hear something like this from your friend as he grabs your ticket: “Hey, I‘ve got this — don‘t worry about it. I just want to bless you.” That’s exactly what God is saying to us in I Peter 5:7. But, when we’re stubborn, proud, independent, and refuse to relinquish our worries, we’re cheating ourselves out of peace of mind and a blessing. It takes more than a once-a-week appointment with God to please Him and grow in faith. We should want to enjoy ALL the benefits of a relationship with our awesome problem-solving God.

This is certainly not a complete listing of why God is more than just a Sunday…but it’s a start. Maybe it’ll give us something to think about next time we head off to church.

The Bottom Line: Some people want Jesus as their Savior from hell, but not as their Lord and Master on earth. If you believe just going to church on Sunday is enough, think again.

Pastor Jimmy Tucker

Diamond Community Church

“Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” Acts 4:12

Our church garage sale is this weekend. It has become a tradition. Along with the annual garage sale tradition, I have a tradition of digging through all the items and buying back all my stuff that my wife donated. Yesterday, as I was gathering up my stuff, I heard someone yell, “Hey Curtis! Can you give me a hand?” Since I was the only one in the room, I turned to see a man standing in the doorway. He looked right at me and said, “Do you mind helping me unload these donations for the sale, Curtis?” My name is not Curtis. But I’m not great at remembering people’s names either, so I just ignored the fact that he called me by the wrong name.

I put down my collection of David Hasslehoff vinyl albums and walked over to the entryway. He gave me a warm greeting, “Hi Curtis. It’s nice to see you again.” As I helped him unload his donations, he said, “How’s Anita?” My wife’s name is Amanda. I said, “She’s doing great.” He then went on to “Pam” my daughter Abby. He was on a roll.

When we finished unloading his truck, he said, “I will be at the garage sale this Saturday. If I don’t see you then, I will see you Sunday at church. I love to hear you preach, Curtis.” I didn’t have the heart to correct him when he called me Curtis. So, I just said that it was great to see him too and thanked him for the donations.” Since I played along, it will be extremely awkward to tell him I’m not in fact Curtis the next time we talk. But that’s okay. I will be Curtis from now on. I will play this to the grave if need be.

The truth is I am just as guilty of forgetting people’s names. There are about a dozen people at church that I greet with a “Hey…you” because I’ve forgotten their names and it is way too late in the relationship to ask them. However, since I am a Baptist, everyone is “brother” or “sister.” No more mistaken identities.

We are all guilty of forgetting someone’s name. But there is one name that you had better get right. It breaks my heart that our society has done everything that it can to remove His name. His name upsets people. Our society is tolerant of religion, but it is not tolerant of His name. Today, you can’t pray in His name at a high school football game. You can’t say His name in government offices. You can’t preach His name in public places. The only time you hear His name in society is when it is being used as a cussword. But, despite all the hatred of His name, you had better get it right.

The point is: The Bible teaches that there is only one name that brings salvation. His name is greater than Gandhi. His name is mightier than Mohammad. His name is better than Buddha. His name is more exciting than Elvis. His name is more overwhelming than Oprah. His name can save you today, if you call out to Him in faith.

Don’t mistake His identity. Get His name right.

Call out to Jesus and He will save your soul.

James Collins is the senior pastor of Fort Scott’s First Southern Baptist Church. Follow him on Twitter @collins_point, Facebook James Collins “The Point Is,” or from the website thepointis.net.

Some of my Florida friends—along with hundreds of others– recently were participating in an online prayer call with the leaders of their home church. To their horror, mid-prayer, pornographic images began flashing across their screens, bringing an abrupt halt to the virtual meeting. After a day of investigating, a 26-year old son of one of the participants was found responsible.

When the story was shared with me, my first response was how mortified his poor mother must be. The church leaders also recognized that, but more importantly, they saw a young man who desperately needs Jesus. They are praying for opportunities to disciple him.

Last week I wrote about the radical protestors who were looting and creating havoc in American cities, following the death of George Floyd. I said their destructive actions would do nothing to prevent racism, and that innocent business owners were being irreparably harmed/killed by the thugs’ actions.

Following that article, a visiting Steamboat Springs, Colorado, friend and business owner shared about the peaceful protest in his community–about 30 people standing on the lawn of the courthouse. And then Antifa showed up, attempting to incite a rebellion. The peaceful protestors would have none of it and sent the rebels on their unmerry way. I found myself cheering that the rebel group had their “Come to Jesus” moment, although I’m not sure they did.

But as I learned of the pornographic Bible study interruption, I began to compare the response the church leaders had to the guilty man versus my response to the protestors. I thought about how embarrassed the parents of the radicals had to be when they went to the jailhouse to bail out their sons/daughters. Putting myself in their shoes, I knew that if those were my children…well, let’s just say they would beg to stay in jail instead of going home with me.

It was an Aha! moment when I realized that, like the church leaders, I had missed the first response God wanted me to have towards the thugs: prayer that they find Jesus. Granted, that does not mean there should not be consequences, but before the porn story, I had ruled out nothing as deserved punishment: tazing; being sprayed by a firehose or tear-gassed at close range; forcing them to make restitution to the shop owners or police department (even if meant working for the rest of their lives); or coming home with me.

After all, these insurgents had chosen to act out with no regard for the innocent people involved. Just like the pornographer. Yet the church had chosen to pray for him, realizing that he is one of God’s children and God wants, more than anything, for all of us to come to know him. 1 Tim. 2:4 tells us so: (God)… wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.

I would love to think that there will be stories of redemption from these vindictive protestors, that they will understand how loved they are by their Creator who sent His son to pay the price for their sinful behavior, that in the future they will take a stand to prevent others from acting as they did. I know that’s what God wants. I also know that He wants me to pray for that to happen.

Apparently, I’m needing a “Come to Jesus” moment myself.

“And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself.”

Luke 10:27

A certain white woman went down from Fort Scott, Kansas to Joplin, Missouri, and ran over a nail which punctured her tire and left her stranded by the side of the road. After raising the hood of her car and tying a scarf to her radio antenna, she locked the door handles and sat in the car, praying for the Lord to send help.

By chance, there came a limousine that way with a bumper sticker that read, “Smile, God Loves You!” When the white occupants saw the stranded woman, they passed by in the far lane-without smiling.

And likewise, there came a sports car with a bumper sticker saying, “Honk If You Love Jesus!” The white man who was driving passed by in the far lane without honking and without using his cell phone to call the Highway Patrol about the woman’s dilemma.

But a certain black working man, as he traveled to his job, came to the spot where the woman was, and, when he saw her raised hood, scarf, and flat tire, he had compassion on her. He stopped his old beat-up pickup-which had no bumper sticker-and crossed the highway and offered to change the flat.

The white woman was anxious at the stranger’s presence, but she rolled her window down just a crack and gave him the key to the trunk. The black man took out the spare tire, jacked up the car, removed the flat, and replaced it with the spare. When he finished, the woman tried to pay him. He refused the money, saying, “If my wife were stranded on the highway with a flat tire, I’d want some Good Samaritan to stop and help her out.” The man nodded his head and returned to his bumper sticker-less truck. As he drove away, he smiled and waved at the woman.

Which of these three was neighbor unto her who had a flat tire?

The senseless murder of George Floyd has brought the issue of race relations back into the national spotlight. Let’s be clear, every person of good conscience should be angered over Floyd’s death. So too, should every person of good conscience be angered over the violence, rioting, and loss of lives that have plagued our nation since Floyd’s homicide. How does creating more victims help those who have been victimized?

Perhaps it is time for Americans of all skin colors to remember that the Lord Jesus Christ died for the world and whosoever – whatever their race – believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. Red, brown, yellow, black, and white, ALL are precious in His sight.

The point is: Jesus said to love our neighbors as ourselves. When He said that, a self-righteous man asked, “Who is my neighbor?” To answer his question, Jesus told a story about a Samaritan who helped a Jew. Then He asked, “Who was the man’s neighbor?” The self-righteous man answered, “He that showed mercy on him.”

Why don’t we all go and do likewise?

James Collins is the senior pastor of Fort Scott’s First Southern Baptist Church. Follow him on Twitter @collins_point, Facebook James Collins “The Point Is,” or from the website thepointis.net.

Theologian Dallas Willard wrote, “I’m practicing the discipline of not having to have the last word.” It’s a discipline I definitely need (just ask my husband), and I can’t help but wonder how much better off our country would be if everyone did likewise.

Recently we have watched unspeakable carnage as thug-protestors chose to get the last word under the pretense of seeking justice for the death of George Floyd by police officer Derek Chauvin. Buildings and vehicles were set on fire and stores looted as angry mobs defied curfew orders and stood nose-to-nose with officers attempting to seek order. Post offices, banks, book stores, CNN’s headquarters and a church were among the targeted areas. My girlfriend in San Francisco shared that protestors took over a freeway in nearby Oakland where some used baseball bats on windows of the stopped cars… their way of getting the last word, I guess.

I’m sure that we all have questioned the hatred in Chauvin’s act. How was he so determined to get the final say that he callously dismissed the desperate last words of Floyd, calling out for his mother? But Chauvin’s behavior is not the only one I find alarming. How could someone stand by and video an officer kneeling on a man’s neck and not intervene?

And then there are the violent rioters. Is it possible that they believe that answering hate with the “last word” of more hate is a justifiable action? Will the new Samsung television they just stole from Target improve racial tensions? Will the desecration of a monument to the victims of Armenian genocide (itself dedicated to fight racism) in Colorado help others recognize with more clarity the horror of Floyd’s death? Does the destruction of 580 pair of eyeglasses in a privately-owned optometry shop bring resolution to the injustice done to blacks? How does spray painting city buses or tossing fireworks into a jailhouse prevent further vitriol? Are we now filled with more compassion for the arsonists as we watch the newscasts of burned police cars, paid for by our taxpayer dollars?

The point is this: Do these violent rioters not know that their “last word” has done nothing to help reduce racism in our country?

How tragic, that instead of creating unspeakable carnage, they don’t follow the example set by the Des Moines, Iowa, protestors. According to the USA Today newspaper, following a tense situation, they knelt and then asked for police officers to do likewise, saying that they would obey the curfew and leave the area if the officers took a knee. “At the urging of a pastor from the community, senior Des Moines police officers Irvin Franklin and Jack Kamerick knelt and said a prayer.” Other officers as well as a group in riot gear agreed to the protestor’s request.

The “show of peaceful solidarity” proved that the “last word” can be one of unity and not division, and practicing it, like Willard suggests, just might be the answer we all are seeking.

The Bottom Line

Don’t be deceived by lies

We can learn a lot from horses. Have you heard someone say, “He’s got plenty of common horse sense”? If so, you know they’ve given that individual a compliment. Horses are herd animals, which means they always stick together. And there’s always a leader in the herd.

As believers in the Body of Christ (the Church), we need each other. We should stick together to help carry one another’s burdens. And we should follow Jesus and do everything He did. “I [Jesus] tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by Himself. He does only what He sees the Father doing. Whatever the Father does, the Son also does (John 5:19).

The same God that created the horse also created the human. I can see definite similarities in the way a horse and rider relate and the way God and His children relate. A horse and rider must learn to trust each other, and the horse must learn to yield to his master’s commands. We believers need to trust God and yield our will to His. “Not everyone who calls out to Me, ’Lord! Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of My Father in heaven will enter” (Matthew 7:21). Jesus is our example, leader, and trainer and we need to be like Jesus. We should want His thoughts to be our thoughts, and His ways to become our ways.

When a trainer is teaching a horse a certain behavior, he applies and holds pressure to the horse until the animal responds with the appropriate behavior. Have you ever had God apply pressure to you in order to get you to do something? I have. When I yielded to what God was asking me to do, I obtained His peace.

Receiving peace from God when we obey Him changes us from glory to glory. When we like something we want more of it. Since trusting, yielding, and pleasing God results in peace, we should learn to obey Him right away — just like a horse yields to the rider because he wants release (or peace) from the pressure.

Sometimes we get confused and don’t realize where the pressure is coming from. The pressure may seem to be a result of our sin, stubborn pride, or foolish mistakes. This uncomfortable pressure may come to us in the form of depression, anger, anxiety, or guilt.

The devil is a master deceiver who whispers lies to us to try to keep us from seeing the truth. He wants us to focus on the problem instead of trusting Jesus our Savior. Christ Jesus has more than enough grace available for every need. He will help us be victorious even in our most-difficult situations. Absolutely nothing is impossible with God.

The Bottom Line: If you have pressure in your life, use common horse sense. Trust your all-wise and loving Heavenly Father and do what He wants you to do.

Pastor Jimmy Tucker

Diamond Community Church

Beginning in 2016, Lewis Miller and his floral elves began an ingenious project in New York City. Loading buckets of flowers into a van, they began to secretly create arrangements designed “to make people smile.” And just like that, with their pop-up installations, “Floral Flash Art” was born.

According to Miller, “Our goal is to create a positive, emotional response through flowers…If you can just stop, pause and just have one second of joy, that’s amazing because that’s one of the things that’s so lacking and it’s hard.”

Once a month, Miller’s workers begin around 5:45 A.M. and complete their task before sunrise. Their arrangements are found in trash cans and near monuments, subway stations, construction equipment, statues, and street corner hot dog carts. Passersby are encouraged to take a flower to brighten someone else’s day, and when the arrangements are removed, they are taken to local care facilities.

Lewis’s love for flowers began at the age of seven when he would create (and recreate) designs using the same flowers. As a teen, his first job was to pick weeds at a local golf course where the lone female member, a 70-year old lady, took a liking to the young man and asked if he would be able to create floral arrangements for her home. He was eager to try, and before long, he was designing for her frequent parties. The word spread.

And that’s the part of the story I love. It took one person to give a weed-picker a chance, and now that weed-picker has evolved into a world-renowned florist who is giving back. One elderly lady saw potential. Was it that Lewis didn’t complain? That he was clean-cut? Diligent? Punctual? Cared about the grounds? Whistled while he worked? I have no idea, but this golfer looked beyond the lowly position and saw something she liked.

I’ve been there. When Carol Kent asked me to speak with her agency, I had no credentials like her other speakers. I had authored no book, held no PhD, and had very little background in public speaking. Yet, she gave me a chance, and it was life-changing. Of course, we all know that the ultimate one who saw potential was Jesus. Not one of his disciples had impressive credentials, yet he groomed them to grow into a bold, brave group of believers whose impact continues to impact the world.

We might not have the talent of Lewis Miller, but we all are capable of turning a weed-picker into a smile-bloomer with words of encouragement, and I’m thinking that today would be a great day to start.

“Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.” Matthew 16:24-25

I will never forget when Jefferson spoke to me for the first time. It was my first day of active duty. I was supposed to go to Fort Benning in Georgia for Army Basic Training, but there was a clerical error and instead, I was sent to Fort Knox, Kentucky.

I was bused to Fort Knox with a group of recruits. As soon as we stepped off the bus, we were escorted by screaming Drill Sergeants to a large warehouse building. We were told to take off our civilian clothes and put them in a bag. As we stood there in our underwear, a corporal came by and handed us a uniform.

After we dressed, we were marched to get a haircut from barbers whose only cutting tools were electric shavers. We left the barbershop hairless as an egg and marched to our barracks. One of our sergeants yelled, “All you maggots stink! Get in the showers now!” After an ice-cold shower, we were herded into a small room with instructions to sit and wait.

We were sitting on a cold tile floor, dressed in the same uniform, our heads bald, our bodies blue from an icy shower, and afraid to move a muscle without being told to do so.

It was then, Jefferson spoke. He was sitting on the floor beside me when he nudged me and asked, “Who did you used to be?” His question made me laugh and we became lifelong friends.

When Jefferson asked, “Who did you used to be?” he was asking, “Who were you in your life before the army?” Army life is designed to break down your individuality and build you up as part of a team. When I enlisted in the army, I began a training process to become a soldier.

It’s the same in the Lord’s army. When I gave my life to Christ, I began a training process to become a Christian. Jesus said, “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.” The Lord’s life was one of self-denial and suffering, which is difficult to follow. But to be His disciple, we too are called to put aside selfish desires and pick up spiritual burdens every day – serving others first instead of ourselves, for example – as we closely follow Him.

The point is: Like an army recruit, Jesus calls us to put away who we used to be and follow Him. The task is great, but it’s eternally rewarding. When you lose your life for Christ, you start really living.

Do you need a new you? Are you willing to take up your cross and follow the Lord in self-denial? Let Jesus recruit you into His army. Put your faith in Christ and follow Him as Lord. Who knows? Perhaps someone will notice the change in you and ask, “Who did you used to be?”

James Collins is the pastor of Fort Scott’s First Southern Baptist Church. For more information on his ministry, go to the website www.fortscottfsbc.com.