Faith in a Faithless World
Growing up watching TV in the 1950’s meant 3 stations in black and white with a sign-off accompanied by the national anth6em and a “test pattern” indicating that was all the TV until the next day.
We had our favorite shows which came on for weekly… No streaming and seeing TV any hour of the day. A weekly publication came in the Sunday newspaper with the TV schedule. If you were a true fan you would subscribe to the TV Guide which was delivered to your house in the mail… that was “big time!”
During the 60’s our choices expanded. We traded in Kukla, Fran, and Ollie and Howdy Doody for Queen for a Day and Perry Mason.
The lawyer who was the impetus for increased law school recruitment pulled a rabbit out of his legal hat week after week. We all had faith in his ability to dramatically prove his client innocent while exposing the true perpetrator simultaneously. No one ever beat Perry Mason!
The weekly opponent was the prosecutor, Hamilton Burger. Every time Mason would make a provocative statement Burger would rise to shout out, “I object… that is incompetent, irrelevant, and immaterial!” The writers loved to spur him to this mantra-like expression.
Those of us who follow Jesus live in a world that is adversarial. When we share our beliefs we often get a spirited “incompetent, irrelevant, and immaterial!” as the response. Those of us who hold to the doctrines of the Bible are often demeaned. Our positions on the authority of scripture and trust in Jesus as the only way of salvation are ostracized. But like Perry Mason, our God has the answers. Vindication is His as is the triumph. The true “perp” is exposed and judged for his evil doing. The enemy of our souls is relegated to forever judgment and punishment.
Television entertained us, but the Lord God Almighty brings revelation and forever… all in living color!
Prayer Network
by Brenda A. Smith, BWFLI.com, BreakfastWithFred.com
“His name will be Jesus because He comes to save His people.”
These words empower each of us who are Christ-followers, especially in December. It makes me think about the mandate and challenge given to each of our Christian higher education institutions. They are called to serve in the name of Jesus. They are called to prepare the next generation for the work of the Gospel. They are challenged to put excellence as the standard for each and every one associated with the school as it is the Lord God Almighty they serve.
In the final days of 2025 let’s lift up men and women who study, teach, lead, and provide service. Why not take a minute to drop a note to someone, thanking them for their devotion to Jesus Christ and their dedication to biblically based education? Remember to pray for these last busy days of the semester and if possible, send a financial gift.
Thank you for joining in prayer. We are a fellowship of believers who stand with Christian higher education knowing the Lord wants us to study and shine for Him.
Blessed Christmas to you.
Christ’s Incarnation and Humility
by Bob Deffinbaugh, Bible.org, BWFLI.com
3 Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind let each of you regard one another as more important than himself; 4 do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. 5 Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross (Philippians 2:3-8, NAS).
Sadly, there are those – all too many of them – who speak of Jesus Christ only as an example, rather than as the Savior of men through His sacrificial death, burial, and resurrection on the sinner’s behalf. This should be our first, and ongoing, focus. But, that said, Jesus was also an example. We see this in 1 Peter 2:18-25ff., as well as in Philippians chapter two (our text).
Paul is seeking to promote unity in the Philippian church (and others) by showing how our Lord’s submission to the will of the Father was implemented through a humility which viewed meeting the needs of others as more important than serving one’s personal interest. A church (or school) filled with such people will experience a great deal more unity.
In the accounts of the temptation of our Lord by Satan, we see Satan seeking to tempt our Lord to satisfy his own needs and desires, and to sacrifice God’s purposes for Him. But Jesus stands firmly on obeying the will of the Father by becoming a sacrifice for others. At His incarnation, Jesus came to meet the needs of sinners, rather than to be self-serving.
As we celebrate Christmas, we will be tempted (encouraged) to think more of our own interests and desires than of the needs of others. Let us keep this text in Philippians 2 foremost in our minds, and let us consider ways that we may place the needs of others above our own desires.
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Holding a Taut Line
Weekly Thought – December 2, 2025
Fred appreciated the book Stress versus Distress, Written by Canadian psychologist Hans Selye. He frequently talked about the value of tension. The book differentiates between vertical and horizontal stresses… one pulls together, and one pulls apart.
Holding a Taut Line
Successful leaders have learned to appreciate tension. I am convinced that positive stress is a wonderful thing. Where else would we get the energy to carry out our responsibilities? Botanists teach us about the importance of turgor – that normal fullness that comes from the tension produced by fluid flowing through the veins of plants. Lack of people tension makes plants droop. We are no different. Without a healthy degree of stress and tension, we wilt.
Certainly we must control stress but we must not eliminate it. One of the finest ways to control it is by learning to correctly using it, and not fearing it. If you don’t have tension, you won’t have the enough ambition to become successful.
We had a young man who, when asked the question, “How long have you been working here?” answered, “Ever since the boss threatened to fire me!” This young man didn’t have the fire in the belly needed by true leaders. Successful men and women have an intense rhythm and energetic pace.
I sometimes hear wives complain about how tired their husbands are at night. I think this is part of the price of leadership. You can’t have the placidity of a mule and the earnings of a race horse.
A psychiatrist friend of mine was sent to Guadalcanal following the bloody battles with the Japanese in 1942. He was to talk with both heroes and cowards to ascertain why each reacted as they did. My friend told me both were motivated by the same great fear, but the heroes ran forward and the cowards ran backwards. The heroes redefined the fear as a positive motivator.
The same principle applies to business. We either face problems as challenges or withdraw into the shell of inertia. We can choose to see either obstacles or opportunities.
This week think about: 1) Do I handle stress in a healthy way? 2) How do I process important decisions? 3) What changes do I need to make to make tension work better for me?
Words of Wisdom: “Successful men and women have an intense rhythm and energetic pace.”
Wisdom from the Word: “Stay alert, stand firm in the faith, show courage, be strong.” (1 Corinthians 16:13 NET Bible)