THE TENTH DAY OF JULY IN THE YEAR OF GRACE TWO THOUSAND AND SIXTEEN. Our preacher and my good friend Jeff Christian talked about Stephen last Sunday, and invited us all to prayerfully read Acts 6-7 afresh, listening for God's word to us today. That is always a godly enterprise which I am happy to undertake, and the following is the message I "heard" from this important extended text. Once the first generation of Christian believers had passed, each succesive church generation shares much in common. For starters, each new generation must make its peace with Tradition. Tradition is … [Read more...]

THE TWENTY-NINTH DAY OF JUNE IN THE YEAR OF GRACE TWO THOUSAND AND SIXTEEN. The tale of the Rich Man and Lazarus in Luke 16:19-31 has long been a magnet for controversy. Does it report actual events or is it a parable? Should we read it literally or does it convey truth in symbols? What is the backdrop before which this drama unfolds? Does it picture some state between death and resurrection--or does it provide a glimpse into an everlasting hell? It is widely thought that Jesus did not originate this story but rather adapted it, taking for his own use a rabbinic parable with a … [Read more...]

THE TWENTY-SIXTH DAY OF JUNE IN THE YEAR OF GRACE TWO THOUSAND AND SIXTEEN. Jesus-people are generous by nature. Most of them regularly support with gifts of time, talent, and treasure a wide variety of workers and works that they desire to perpetuate, enable and encourage. They give because they love God and in gratitude for his mercy and kindness. Many of us serve God as both givers and receivers. It is possible for us to become so accustomed to this cycle of giving and receiving that we either take it for granted or attempt to explain the process in purely human terms. In fact, it … [Read more...]

THE TWENTY-SECOND DAY OF JUNE IN THE YEAR OF GRACE TWO THOUSAND AND SIXTEEN. Tomorrow, June 23, 2016 marks the completion of 49 years in the marriage of Sara Faye Locke and Edward William Fudge. It is customary to make a grand celebration on a couple's fiftieth matrimonial anniversary. However, there is no magic in numbers, our lives are like a fleeting shadow, and today I wish to pay special honor to tomorrow's bride of 49 years. The 90,000 adventurers who traveled to California in 1849 in search of gold were given the nickname "Forty-niners," a term that spread to include all the … [Read more...]

THE NINETEENTH DAY OF JUNE IN THE YEAR OF GRACE TWO THOUSAND AND SIXTEEN. Today is Father's Day in the United States, and since neither the biological offspring (the child) nor the generating parent (the father) chooses the other, a positive father-child relationship is the product of both divine grace and human effort. I had a good but imperfect father by the name of Bennie Lee Fudge, who, with my mother Sybil Short Fudge (later Dewhirst) raised their six children in Christian instruction and practice. The following recollections describe a memorable lesson by my father in … [Read more...]

THE TWELFTH DAY OF JUNE IN THE YEAR OF GRACE TWO THOUSAND AND SIXTEEN. A graceEmail subscriber asks what Paul means when he says in Ephesians 2 that once we all were children of wrath. Likewise David in Psalm 51 when confessing that he was conceived in sin. * * * Some believers suggest that both David and Paul are deliberately overstating the matter to make a point. But there is more to these pronouncements than that. Sin is not only a specific wrong deed. It is also a malignant force, thoroughly imbedded in our fallen nature making us predisposed to sin. That was one result of … [Read more...]

THE EIGHTH DAY OF JUNE IN THE YEAR OF GRACE TWO THOUSAND AND SIXTEEN. [Full disclosure: I am a Baylor dad (and an ACU dad), an acquaintance and fan of Ken Starr, and a forgiven sinner. I abhor wrongdoing by anyone, including myself. I try to be objective but probably never fully attain it. These are my known biases relevant to this gracEmail.] The news broke on May 26. Several members of the now-legendary Baylor Bears football team, largely recruited and shepherded by super-coach Art Briles, over a period of time sexually assaulted more than one Baylor woman. Victims allege that … [Read more...]

THE FIFTH DAY OF JUNE IN THE YEAR OF GRACE TWO THOUSAND AND SIXTEEN. A research firm asked Americans ranging from poor to very wealthy how much money they would need to feel happy and secure, and they all answered about the same. Across the board, happiness and security required only a 20% raise in income over present salary. And once basic needs are met, more income does not necessarily mean greater happiness. Financial advisor Dave Ramsey defines America's credit card mania as people spending money they do not have, to purchase things they do not need, to impress people they do not … [Read more...]

THE TWENTY-NINTH DAY OF MAY IN THE YEAR OF GRACE TWO THOUSAND AND SIXTEEN. A gracEmail subscriber asks if the Bible reveals the age of the earth, perhaps in some covert fashion. Where did the idea come from that the earth is about 6,000 years old? * * * There is much confusion on this subject. No wonder, when even some Bibles that print dates in the margins place the Creation of humankind at approximately 4,000 B.C. The first biblical event that can be dated on any historical basis is probably the call of Abram (Abraham) in Genesis 12:1-3, which likely occurred about 2,000 B.C. Such … [Read more...]