There parodically come times in a minister’s daily routines of preparing lessons and writing articles that we don’t know what to do. We have covered every book of the Bible, touched on every topic under heaven, and have even explored what can be known of heaven. So, I find myself at such a place as I sit to write something; anything for this column.
I find these moments odd because there is so much to discuss about the scriptures, about religion, about spirituality, about being a Christian, about Christ, and about God. When you choose to dig down to the deepest depths of any given topic touching on these things you could quite literally consume an entire lifetime pursuing that one topic…and many scholars have done so. However, most who profess Christianity barely ever do more than glance across the surface of any and all topics related to the scriptures and all that they contain. Yet many of these same individuals will consume the entirety of their lifetime in pursuit of the mastery of things that in the end matter so very little.
For example, I know a man who loves planes. He can tell you everything about every plane that ever was. Since his childhood fascination with planes, he has spent every spare moment he could consuming knowledge about airplanes. He has built models of every plane that has ever been and proudly displays them in his house along with a few college degrees in avionics.
While there is nothing inherently wicked about having a passion such as his, in the end, what will it gain him? You see he knows very little about what the Bible says about anything. He has very little passion for God and His Word but bring up planes, and he could light up the darkest of rooms with his beaming excitement.
I wonder? What causes you excitement? What topic brings an anxious smile to your face and a gleam to your eye at the prospect of engaging in a conversation or study? What subject matter do you spend your spare time pursuing? If there was a free class series, symposium, lecture, or workshop on a specific topic what would the topic need to be to get you to attend?
Well, I hope your answer is anything related to God and His Word. By the way, at the Main Street Church of Christ in Lockney there are free classes offered every Sunday and Wednesday covering a vast array of topics related to just that. Not to mention all the other congregations nestled around your community, as well as radio programs such as Cogitations Sunday mornings at 9 AM on 106.1 FLIP FM and its associated YouTube channel. So, there are many opportunities to pursue the greatest, most important topic anyone should devote their time to studying.
Well I guess I will just leave this article blank since I can’t seem to think of anything to write about…maybe I will have better luck next week.
(Carl Hartman is the Minister at Main Street Church of Christ in Lockney)
