Grieving Over the Loss of Phil Lineberger

I found out early Monday morning that Phil Lineberger, pastor of Sugar Land Baptist Church in Sugar Land, Texas, had passed away. Such news caused me to reflect on his life and my own aging process. One of the things that I would want said at my funeral is that I was...

War of Words Precedes Real War

Before a conflict begins on an international scale, there is always the “war of words.” Some of the most important words in global history involve presidents, kings or prime ministers framing the need to go to war. Franklin Delano Roosevelt proclaimed Dec....

Proud Texan Ashamed of Death Penalty Record

I am Texan through and through. I was born in Mississippi, but I got here as quick as I could. I believe that barbecue ought to be eaten without sauce and that chili is better without beans. There is only one “America’s Team” and it resides in Texas....

Assigning Blame When Disasters Strike

I am doing a sermon series on the “Hard Sayings of Jesus” on Sunday mornings. Many of those hard sayings occur in Matthew 24-25. Jesus says things like: “There will be wars and rumors of wars. Nations will rise against nations. There will be famines...

What Jesus Thought about Paying Taxes

Tax Day has come and gone, but that doesn’t mean I’ve stopped preaching on the hard sayings of Jesus. And here’s one of many: “Render unto Caesar what is Caesar’s and unto God what is God’s.” The context of this is...