09

Jump Start # 4153

Posted on September 9, 2026 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 4153

 

1 Corinthians 15:58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.

 

I’ve spent the past few days in Ohio’s Amish country. There is something fascinating about the Amish. I have studied them historically, doctrinally and more than once have had the opportunity to preach while some were in the audience.

 

Indiana has several Amish communities. Pennsylvania has a large Amish community. And, Ohio has major pockets of Amish. And, each Amish community seems to have its own flavor and culture. While driving around Berlin, Ohio I was surprised to see so many Amish on electric bikes. It was a sight seeing Amish grandmas flying down crowded streets on those electric bicycles. There was still plenty of buggies and horses, but the most popular mode of transportation was those electric bikes. They were everywhere.

 

The puzzling thing to me was how would those Amish recharge those electric bikes? They are battery operated and must be charged almost daily. And, Amish do not use electricity in their homes. No lights that plug in. No dishwashers, fridges, freezers, coffee makers and all the things that the rest of us have. Many convert those appliances to propane and they skirt around the “electric” issue that way. Someone told me that they likely had gas powered generators in the barn that charged the bikes. If these Ohio Amish could have electric bikes, could they not have an electric car?

 

In the Amish way, each community is governed by a bishop. That bishop sets the rules for his community. A neighboring bishop may have different rules and what often happens is that when an Amish family doesn’t like the rules of their bishop, they move into another community where a bishop may be more favorable to their liking.

 

All of this leads to a valuable lesson about consistency. From where I see things, electric bikes seem inconsistent to the Amish ways. If you can have an electric bike why can’t you have an air conditioner? Why not any other electric appliance?

 

Consistency is hard. And, it is one of the stumbling blocks of error. And, even among us, we must learn to walk like we talk and talk like we walk. It’s a matter of consistency. Being holy is great. If we are that way on Sunday in the church building and Monday at work it’s dog eat dog, then our message becomes cloudy and watered down and inconsistent. The same is true when it comes to selling things. Hiding or even lying about the condition of things just to make a few more dollars, not only reveals inconsistency, it also shows our true colors.

 

Here are some thoughts:

 

First, consistency is hard. It just is. Being the same at the ballgame, the concert, the movie, and in the church building is something many forget about. Our language. Our attitudes. Our kindness. Our words of the Lord. They need to be the same. Many restaurant servers hate the Sunday after church crowd. They stay long, they are loud and they leave lousy tips. Not good light shining when we do that.

 

Second, consistency often hurts. The rules apply to all. There can be no double standards. The preacher’s kids, the elder’s grandchildren do not get a pass because of who they are related to. Congregations struggle and suffer when they must practice discipline but don’t want to because it involves a family that has done so much. And, people notice if the church is being consistent or not. Our loyalty must be with the Lord. When we start playing favorites and looking the other way for certain people, then our fellowship turns into a “good ole’ boy club” and those that are in are in and those who are not are not. It’s hard being consistent.

 

Third, God shows that with His grace and justice that He is consistent. If anyone should have been given a pass, it would have been Moses. But, he wasn’t. He broke God’s rules and he was not allowed to lead Israel into the land of promise. He saw the land, but the consequences of his disobedience meant he would not be among those who came into that land. We have seen far too many times that those who have money or political status seem to get their hands slapped when they are in trouble and others who did far less were tossed into jail. That inconsistency has led to a bitter and sour taste in many citizens mouths. God is not that way. Paul realized this when he told the Corinthians, “but I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified” (1 Cor 9:27). Wasn’t he a shoe in because he was an apostle? Wasn’t he guaranteed Heaven? No. Just like you and just like me, Paul had to walk by faith, make wise choices and serve the Lord. No one is such a favorite that they don’t have to do what God says. God is consistent.

 

Amish on electric bikes. Hard for me to figure…but being consistent, day in and day out, is even harder.

 

Roger

 

08

Jump Start # 4152

Posted on September 8, 2026 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 4152

 

Lamentations 3:22-23 The Lord’s loving kindnesses indeed never cease, For His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness.

 

I was thinking about this verse today. New every morning, are the Lord’s compassions. Today, we’d call that fresh. We like fresh food. We like new things. The smell of a new car. The feel of new clothes. New adventures. We have a tendency to get tired of old things. When I was in college, the food was the same week after week. Every Monday it was chicken. Every Tuesday it was meatloaf. Every Wednesday potpie. The first few times through that was ok. But by midsemester, we’d say, what day is it, and if the answer was Tuesday, we knew what was for lunch. Back then, there wasn’t many other options. Boy, that got old very fast.

 

Some in the religious community have tried to make the Lord’s Supper special by only offering it a few times a year. Doing it every week, makes it too common, they tell us. Yet, we don’t feel that way about saying “I love you,” to each other. Parents don’t feel that way about hugging their children. “I’ll only hug you twice a year, so it will be special to you.” Lovers don’t feel that way about kissing. It’s not the frequency that makes things stale and seem old, it’s the heart and the thought process.

 

Our walk with the Lord requires us doing many things over and over. Each day we pray. Each day we go to God’s word. Each week we gather to worship. Week after week. Year after year. How do we keep things from becoming routine, mindless and “have to,” rather than “want to”? That’s a challenge for church leaders, it’s a challenge for parents and it’s a personal challenge that we all must work through.

 

The answer some have offered is to “go outside the box,” and try different things. Those that often say such things don’t realize what’s inside the box and it is so easy to cross the line from worship to entertainment. Acting out Bible stories. Dramatic readings. Diming lights. Sitting on the floor. Holding your hands up in the air. I’ve heard and seen it all. Most of those are fads that don’t last very long. And, in the course of time, we are right back to week in and week out worship with the Lord.

 

So from our standpoint, how do we keep the Lord “new every morning?”

 

First, don’t expect nor rely upon others to do this for you. This is a mistake many make. Another sermon. Another class. Another hymn. Another prayer. And, without a foundation in the word, many head off to other churches where worship becomes a concert and a feast of food. Fun is the name of the game. They leave complaining about how boring and stale things are, but the truth is keeping the Lord “new every morning,” is something that each person must do within themselves. You can’t expect others to do this for you. We are dealing with faith issues. And, many external options are just that, external. Our faith must be in the Lord and not the church. Our faith must be wrapped around the Lord and not our feelings. And, as our faith grows and deepens and matures, keeping the Lord “new every morning,” becomes easier and easier.

 

Second, you are given a new day today. That is a gift and a blessing from the Lord. You got through yesterday. It may have been a long and tough day, but you made it. Be thankful. The day may have been amazing. Be thankful. God has put you around people to encourage, help and teach. You have marvelous opportunities to let your light shine this very day. Keeping the Lord “new every morning,” starts with being focused upon the Lord. Be praying before you have conversations and meetings at work. Be thinking about how you can encourage a co-worker or a neighbor. Use the tools your congregation provides to put things on social media and share with others. Every day presents new opportunities, new challenges and new ways to grow, encourage and do your part in the kingdom.

 

My experiences have shown that those who often complain about being bored with church, getting nothing out of it, and things being stale, are those who are doing very little in the kingdom. You get out what you put in. It’s like investing. If I invest very little, there will be very little I get in return. Those that are busy having people in their homes and are teaching classes and are sending cards and are encouraging the young and old, are seldom the ones who claim to be bored and stagnate in their faith.  What good is your faith if you are not using it? Those that are walking closely with the Lord do not feel bored or stale.

 

Third, what keeps the Lord “new every morning” is putting your attention upon the Lord. It’s not the church. It’s not each other. It’s the Lord. Count your blessings. See how your prayers have been answered. Look what the Lord has done for you. Had it not been for the Lord, where would you be today? I might get sideways with someone in the church. We may have moments when we are not liking one another. My fellowship may take a few hits. But the Lord hasn’t treated you this way. The Lord has always been there for you.

 

Sometimes we can take each other for granted in our marriages. We don’t walk away. We realize it and pour some needed attention into the things that matter. It’s the same with the Lord. You can’t get closer to the Lord by doing things that are unbiblical. That never works.

 

New every morning…

 

Roger

 

07

Jump Start # 4151

Posted on September 7, 2026 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 4151

 

1 Corinthians 1:30 “But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption”

 

I’m out on the road preaching. Tonight at the end of my lesson I plan to once again tell the story of Jimi. James Barber, the man who was executed by the state of Alabama a few years ago for committing murder. Jimi, on his own, read the Bible and asked the warden to be immersed for the forgiveness of his sins. I became involved with the Jimi and corresponded with him up to the day of his death. His letters illustrated a changed heart. He never fought his execution. He knew that he deserved to die for what he had done. But he also realized that no one could take away the promise of Heaven from him. Without a handful of tracts, weeks of intense Bible study with a preacher, sitting through months of sermons, Jimi became a New Testament Christian by simply reading his Bible and doing what it says.

 

Jimi never got to be a part of a congregation. He never got to worship with other believers. His faith was simple and even child-like, but oh so pure. There were mountains of things Jimi never learned about the Bible. But he grasped the true heart of the Gospel message and that is we are sinners and Jesus died to give us life.

 

In nearly fifty years of preaching I have a lot of stories. Get two or three of us preachers together and the night is filled with our adventures, mishaps and stories. However, nothing has had a greater impact on me than the story of Jimi. And, what makes the Jimi story so compelling is not the tragic murder, the prison, the execution, but that the Bible still works. Just read it. Just do what it says. The power is not in how well a preacher presents the story of Jesus. The power is in the words of the Bible. It still works.

 

And, here are some reminders for us:

 

First, we cannot improve upon what God has done. We just need to stop and quit trying to do that. Don’t reshape, reinvent or redesign the message, the church, the mission or the plan of God. It worked then and it will work today. Whatever God does is perfect. And, when we start raising the hood and getting our fingers into the inner workings of God’s plan, we mess it up. We do that every time. There is no better way to evangelize than God’s way. There is no better way to grow and develop a church than God’s way. There is no better way to connect and fellowship than God’s way.

 

Much of this comes down to faith and being content with what God has done. Some are not there. Some are not satisfied. They have to put their fingers in everything and before long, they have left the plan of God. It no longer even looks like the Bible way. Faith teaches us to be content. If God made you a male, you are a male. Be content. If God made you female, you are female. Be content. Stop trying to change and redo what God has done. This goes for gender, the wording of the Bible, the mission of the church, the finances of the church, and our walk with the Lord.

 

Second, our failure to become what God wants us to be does not mean the message fails. Because Laodicea was lukewarm does not mean that the message needed to be tweaked and refitted for them. The problem was the Laodiceans, not the message. Failures in our marriages does not mean God’s way does not work. Failures in our commitment does not mean that God doesn’t know what He is doing or that His ways are out of date and out of touch today. Our failures are not a result of God’s plan. Our failures are because of us.

 

Third, there is something sweet about that innocent and pure faith that people like Jimi had. I doubt Jimi understood the role of angels. I expect he didn’t get the connections between the prophets and Jesus. Revelation was likely over his head. But, he loved the Lord. He repented of his sinful ways. He wanted to be saved. And, I wonder if sometimes we make things too complicated. This is not a call to dumb down the message. And, the deeper our knowledge the greater our faith will be, but trusting in the Lord, like a little child, has such a wonderful appeal to it.

 

I look forward to telling the Jimi story tonight. I hope I don’t cry, but if I do, I do. I hope the Lord puts us together on the same log for about a hundred years. After I tell the Lord “Thank you,” I want to tell Jimi what an impact he made on my heart.

 

Saved by Christ—nothing can be sweeter than that.

 

Roger

 

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