Author: Jon Gauger

Capricious.  When it comes to properly evaluating sin, that’s you and me.  And it's not a good thing, either. The word, capricious, means whimsical.  Fickle.  Given to unaccountable changes of behavior.  And like I say, that's many of us, when it comes to assessing our own sins. You see, the Bible calls all sin…sin.   But you and me?  Most of us have managed to downgrade a whole list of sins into…something less sinful than sin.  For example… Anxiety.  We brush it off as a fairly harmless habit.  Like biting your fingernails: it'd be nice if we could quit—but no big…

Time out for a pop quiz.  Question one: Please name the country with the worst record of abuse toward Christian believers.  Question two.  Please list the names of any countries you've prayed for in the last week where believers are heavily persecuted. Now pass your papers forward, please. How'd you do?  Did you get the answer to the first question?  It's North Korea, the most restrictive nation in the world for Christ followers. I'm actually more interested in question number two—the number of countries you've prayed for in the last week. Places where Christians are treated with open hostility. If…

According to the World Evangelical Alliance, over 200 million Christians in at least 60 countries are denied fundamental human rights… solely because of their faith.  If current trends continue, by 2025, an average of 210,000 Christians will be martyred annually. We hear numbers like these and feel disturbed…but powerless. Or at least I do.  That's why a recent article caught my eye about a senate bill under consideration. The bill would appoint a religious freedom envoy that would operate in the Near East and South Central Asia.  The purpose of the envoy would be to monitor and report on abuses…

Forgive me for offending you.  But to make my point, I'm afraid I must offend some. It is a well-established fact that I cannot stand the taste of creamed corn.  The truth is, after one bite, I honestly begin gagging.  I wish it were not so…but it is. (See—now I've gone and done it–offended all the creamed corn lovers out there.  My apologies).  At a recent Christmas party, I turned down someone's prized recipe for creamed corn and was entreated with a familiar line: “If you'd just try it…..I think you'd like it.”  Trust me—ain't gonna happen.  And it’s not…

I think I saw Jesus today! At…McDonald's, no less. As I write this, I'm seated at a booth in a Detroit airport McDonald's.  Frustrated by the gouging prices at other food stands, I settled for some Chicken McNuggets and a fruit and walnut salad.    I hardly had time to dip the first nugget when a voice from across the way breaks into a solo rendition of O Holy Night.  It was clear from her face and gestures she preferred a choir to a solo, so I joined in.  Heartily.  The two of us finished the song,  high-fived each other and…

The environmental movement—it's riddled with holes: inconsistencies that nobody seems to care about.  Don't get me wrong.  I believe Christ followers SHOULD be good stewards of the earth—as long as we don't worship it.  That means we SHOULD care about clean air and clean water.  Genesis 1:26…God gave man dominion over creation.  The idea is that we are to care for creation,  not abuse it. That said, I'm fascinated by all the inconsistencies.  For example,  when I bought some expensive music software, it came in a rather large cardboard box.  Inside? Three paper-sleeved DVDs.  That's it! Not even a manual!…

Is it just me or is America’s fascination with food—or at least food that’s prepared by chefs on TV—at an all-time high? I suppose it began back with Julia Childs.  But her legacy is an army of Food Network television chefs: Emeril, Bobby Flay…Paula Dean. More stars than Hollywood. More shows than you could possibly stomach.  Cooking is definitely on America’s front burner. Yet I watch it all with a…tasteful mixture of intrigue and cynicism.  On the one hand, the Food Network seems to thrive.  On the other hand, there’s an explosion in things like “lunchables” and other pre-packaged meals….

By now the shocking numbers are almost numbing.  Depending on whose statistics you believe, anywhere between 60 and 90% of young people currently attending an evangelical church will leave once they hit college.  Leave…and never come back. But why? Some people say it's our secular environment—now almost hostile to Christianity.  Some say it's the lack of programs for kids at church…or the quality of the preaching. It is my contention that there are a whole lot fewer reasons than are currently being looked at.  In fact, I think the biggest factor is a whole lot closer to home.  It's parents.  …

Every heart is built differently.  I’m convinced of it. God seems to have placed within me something of His own passion and compassion for lost people.  Wish I could say I’ve always been a good steward of that heart.  I haven’t. But it happens once in awhile I’ll be in a big crowd and the thought suddenly sweeps over me, “Wonder how many of these people really know Jesus?  How many of them are headed for heaven?  How many marching toward Hell?” I’ve thought that thought staring at SuperBowl crowds. A month ago we were in Bethlehem…visiting the Church of…

The summer of the drought. That’s where we’ve been. Hot.  Dry.  Hostile to life. Yet a curious thing caught my eye the other day as I wheeled the mower down our driveway to cut the front lawn. Right there in the middle of the asphalt…pushing up through tar and stone…a weed.  Sturdy, green.  If not alone. How did it get there?  What force gave it the guts to push through a gravel base and up through a layer of asphalt?  How could it thrive when my lawn is patchy and thin? Life is not supposed to thrive in drought conditions. …