Mitchell Landress

It is not often that I agree with an atheist. In fact, atheists are still a rare breed in our country and especially in our county. So any interaction with them is usually negative. But yesterday I agreed with an atheist. Jeanne Moos, a reporter for CNN, ran a story this week about a billboard erected outside the Lincoln tunnel in New Jersey. The billboard was funded by a group called American Atheists and it reads, “You KNOW it’s a myth. This season, celebrate REASON!” The billboard is in a prime viewing area, costing the atheist group $20,000 to put in place. But the question Jeanne Moos asked David Silverman, the President of American Atheists was this, “Why go to such expense to declare your message?” After all, only 7-15% of Americans claim to believe in nothing. The answer Silverman gave was the one thing in the interview with which I agreed. David Silverman said, “We believe that there are a lot of “closet atheists” out there and we want them to come out of the closet.” Silverma...

My father is a snake. Not my biological father, but my real father – the one who raised me. He is a liar, a thief, and a murderer; evil in his innermost being. He always has been and always will be. My biological Father is a good man; loving, generous, and honest. Unlike my real father, my biological father loves and cares for his children. He feeds them, clothes them, and even disciplines them for their good. But my father is a snake. I have not always seen him for who he really is, but now I do. Now I understand. Before, he was all I knew. I didn’t know what good was, I didn’t know what love was, I didn’t know what freedom was. The house I was raised in was dark. My father gave me sugar when I needed milk, and candy when I needed nourishment. But that was all I knew. How did such an evil man come to have legal guardianship over me? Well, the place where I was born was not a good place. The law was corrupt. So, on the day I was born I was taken from my biological father and given to m...

During the sermon last week I gave a brief definition of gossip. That definition was correct, but because I made the statement in passing it probably could use a little elaboration. I defined gossip like this: Gossip is not a lie, but rather the truth spoken in a way that is neither loving nor helpful. The word gossip comes from the Greek word psithyristas, which sounds a lot like a disease you need to get a shot to cure. It may be just as bad. The definition for that word is: derogatory information about someone that is offered in a tone of confidentiality; a rumormonger; a tale-bearer. I also said that Christians sometimes couch their gossip in the form of a prayer request. This may be hard to discern, because we have to sense whether the person offering the prayer request truly cares about the person’s well being. So here are a few questions that can help us avoid gossip: • Do I really care about this person? • Do I truly desire to see them helped and will the sharing of this inform...

Despair. That is the one word that bests describes the sentiments of David in the forty-second Psalm. He describes his soul as thirsty, his God as absent, and his enemies as mockers. It is hard to imagine a worse feeling. In the midst of this despair David pens words that appear a bit peculiar. Twice in the psalm he says: Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? (Psalm 42:5a, 11a) Essentially he is speaking to himself. In the midst of his despair he speaks to his own soul and instructs his own soul how to deal with despair. What are his instructions to himself? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God. (Psalm 42:5b, 11b) David tells himself to hope in God in the midst of despair, because God will not ultimately leave his child in despair. Eventually God works every situation for our good and for his glory. Have you ever felt despair? Speak to your own soul these words; Hope in God! Things will not always be as they are now. Love ...

Last week we saw God do many great things through our week of VBS. The atmosphere of our church was changed for an entire week. It was refreshing and joyous. One comment that was repeated quite often concerned the relaxed dress code. When we kicked off VBS two weeks ago we decided that it would be fun to wear shorts and Hawaiian shirts to church that week. Due to the heat outside, we had an easy time getting people on board with this idea. More than one person commented that we should dress casual throughout the summer. This sparks a much bigger question. Can Christians come to church in shorts and Hawaiian shirts? Well, that is a small question. But the bigger question is, “Does the Bible give instructions on how a Christian should dress?” The answer to that question is, yes! From the very beginning God has called his children to lives of holiness. Part of modeling holiness is modesty. The very fact that we wear clothing is a reflection of our fallen nature and shame. Our bodies are t...

I do not understand everything in the Bible. That thought alone bothers me, but it is a fact. It is a fact that I am certain will never go away. I am not, however, willing to use this fact as an excuse to never think about or attempt to understand hard things. That is called laziness. Thinking about difficult things is good for the mind. Predestination is one such difficult item. This week it surfaced in my mind again, as it has dozens of times. I immediately threw the old arguments at it like I always do, hoping some new insight would break forth in the process. Usually it does not. On this day it did. The word ‘predestined’ occurs five times in our Bible (Acts 4:28, Romans 8:29,30, Ephesians 1:5, 1:11). If it did not appear in the Bible I would avoid it. But it does, so I cannot. To say, “I do not believe in predestination” is to say “I do not believe the entire Bible is true.” I will never say that. I believe the Bible is without error and true in all that it affirms. So if I were t...

Pastors are notorious for airplane stories. In college and in seminary visiting preachers would often introduce their sermons with a story about a conversation they had with the person seated next to them on the airplane. So predictable is this phenomenon that you might think it to be a class taught at seminary. It’s not by the way. But this past week as I flew to Wake Forest for class, I felt compelled – almost obligated – to strike up a conversation with the people next to me on the plane. The first person was a well dressed young man from Atlanta, returning home. He was in the music business and wanted nothing more than for the guy beside him to stop asking him questions. When he put his headphones on I took it as a clue that he wanted me to shut up. The next lady was a thin, gray haired great-grandmother from Indiana. She was headed to North Carolina to see her great-grandson graduate from college. She quickly picked up on the fact that I was a preacher (maybe because I was reading...

This week a friend asked my wife a question about prayer. She prays with her children at bedtime and has taught them a simple prayer that they can memorize and repeat. This is a very good practice in my estimation. A friend of hers, however, said that she should not teach her children to repeat memorized prayers. Apparently, this friend believes that memorized or repeated prayers contradict Jesus’ instructions on how to pray. While I admire her friend’s desire to do what is right, I think she has reached an inaccurate conclusion. It is true that Jesus taught his disciples not to “heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words.” (Matthew 6:7) The empty phrases here concerns prayer that is a string of many words such as, “bless me, bless me, bless me, bless me…” and so on; thinking that God will honor your work in prayer. It does not concern praying the same pray every night or even several times a day. When Jesus prayed in the Garde...

Have you ever seen a laboratory rat learn to navigate a maze in order to get to the cheese at the other end? It is a fascinating thing to watch. In an effort to teach the rat to take the correct path the scientist will rig the maze with wires to give the rat electrical shocks if they go the wrong way. Eventually the rat learns that it is better to take the path directly to the cheese and avoid the uncomfortable shocks. It is amazing when a rat learns this lesson, but it should not be amazing when a human learns the same lesson. Humans often do learn through trial and error. Eventually the pain of running contrary to laws and social norms will catch up with them and they will concede to a life of obedience. Sadly, many Christians will see this change in the life of a loved one and label it “getting right with the Lord.” It is not. It is a learned conformity that still seeks to please self, just by taking a different path than previously attempted. It is very possible to adjust your life...

Sometimes life is painful and there is no immediate explanation or reason for the pain. When pain sets in, our mind becomes a flurry of feelings and emotions. Doubts swirls in this storm. So, it is fitting, sometimes, for someone outside the storm to speak a word of truth – a simple ray of light – that can beacon us back to safe shores. This week a friend of mine had a miscarriage. Many of you have gone through this same pain. There is hurt, a sense of loss, and circulating around all of this is the question, “Why?” My friend was grieving because she thought she had done something wrong, or maybe failed to do something right. These are my words to her: You have done nothing wrong. We live in a world where sin, destruction, and pain rule the day. That day is drawing to a close and one day Jesus will right every wrong. So, trust him in the storm. I build this faith on several passages of Scripture. Here is one: “And [Zechariah and Elizabeth] were both righteous before God, walking blamel...