The Doug Ellingsworth Blog

Beating Fear This New Year

by Doug Ellingsworth @https://twitter.com/DEllingsworth on December 17, 2015

Okay, it’s that time again. Time for all Americans to embrace the new year and determine, in the next 12 months, how many pounds we will lose, how much money we will save, which bad habits we will change, and all the books we will read. For most of us, the task is easy: just dust off last year’s plan and we are good to go. We aren’t so good at making resolutions and sticking to them.

There are different reasons why – and all of them good ones. Who wants to drink water when you can have sweet tea? Despite the promises on the label, that fat-free stuff tastes nothing like ice cream. And no low-fat, sugar-free, watered-down substitute prepares you for sleep like that midnight snack of Oreos and whole milk.

But the most powerful reason that we fail to keep our New Year’s resolutions is because they force us to move out of our comfort zones and create new ones. It’s been proven that humans will often take a beating rather than face the unknown. (Can anybody say spousal abuse?). We don’t often identify it, but the underlying force that prevents our success is fear.

Living/Ministry

Owning Your Cross

by Doug Ellingsworth @https://twitter.com/DEllingsworth on December 10, 2015

“Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.” (Matthew 16:24).

Where is your cross?

That may be goofy question, but the discussion has to start somewhere. And, really, it is no more goofy than Jesus telling us that we have to pick ours up. How can you pick it up if you don’t know where it is?

So, what about your cross?

Family/Living/Ministry

Life’s Songs

by Doug Ellingsworth @https://twitter.com/DEllingsworth on November 17, 2015

944975_10206248340431877_3767890158821332714_n I’m sorry, but when I am pondering the wonder of God’s love for me, hurricanes, trees, and sloppy wet kisses do not come to mind. Not even a little bit.

That’s not a criticism, it’s a confession.

Talking bad about someone’s worship music is a quick way to start a fuss. I remember well the old preacher who told us that the music we sang and played back in the ’70’s “didn’t have no handles.” We couldn’t figure out what that meant, and he couldn’t explain it, so we just stared at each other across the Great Divide. At church, we’d sing some of ours and he’d find some “with handles” that he could lead, and we fashioned an understanding of sorts.

Family/Leadership/Ministry

More Prayer, Please!

by Doug Ellingsworth @https://twitter.com/DEllingsworth on November 13, 2015

A few months ago, doctors told a lady in our church that she had cancer. Her family and friends, obviously, were devastated. A follow-up visit was scheduled to gain more specific information about her condition. Folks agreed to gather at the church and pray for her the night before she was to report for that appointment.

Most of the crowd who came to pray that evening were younger – say, less than 40 years old. The sick woman has a brother who has children that age. Although he attends a Pentecostal church a few miles away, he came to our church that night to help pray for his sister.

Family/Leadership/Living/Ministry

The Bible Doesn’t Set Standards

by Doug Ellingsworth @https://twitter.com/DEllingsworth on October 30, 2015

The only thing more irritating than listening to a bunch of kids bicker is listening to a bunch of adults argue. How people can stand to listen to or watch those talk shows where each person tries to scream louder than the others is beyond me. If there is any intelligence involved, it’s lost in all the noise. Like my Uncle Floyd used to say, “Them folks ain’t got enough intellectuals to know how stupid they sound.”

Last week, I was listening to a few men debate whether churches should teach against using tobacco or drinking alcohol as a biblical standard or a man-made standard. From what I gathered, if the Bible prohibited something, then you could teach it as a biblical standard. But if the Bible did not specifically address a thing and you wanted to teach against it, you had to acknowledge that it was a man-made standard that God wasn’t necessarily obligated to acknowledge. I also discerned that by standard these fellows meant a rule that church members were expected to obey if they wanted to get to Heaven.

So, if the Bible says a specific thing, like stealing, is wrong, than you can teach against it – specifically and by name. But where the Bible says things like “denying ungodliness and worldly lusts,” you aren’t allowed to make a list of things that those words might describe or you will be guilty of teaching man-made standards.

Family/Leadership/Ministry

Men and Their Feelings, Part Two

by Doug Ellingsworth @https://twitter.com/DEllingsworth on October 21, 2015

Alright, back to where we left off last week. I was arguing that men do not have a feminine side. Remember?

The only emotion a man is allowed to own is anger. All other emotions, we’ve decided, belong to the females of the human race, and are completely inappropriate for men to display. He can’t cry, seem afraid, be insecure, appear hopeful, or acknowledge any of the feelings that God put inside him to help him appropriately navigate the challenges of life. Instead, he’s told a real man gets through life needing nothing from no one.

And we wonder why he punches the wall when he loses his job . . . or his kids get on his nerves . . . or his wife buys that purse . . . or the car breaks down . . . or just about any other time his life seems out of his control.

Great men in the Bible weren’t afraid to express what was in their hearts. They weren’t a bunch of sniffy-nosed hand wringers, but they understood that there were times when those around them needed to know what only they could express.

Leadership/Ministry

When We All Get To Heaven

by Doug Ellingsworth @https://twitter.com/DEllingsworth on October 12, 2015

Do you ever wonder how things work in Heaven? Will we all stand in line to receive our rewards and crowns? Or will they all be wrapped up nice and neat and placed on our bunk just like our badges and tee shirts are when we first get to summer camp?

If we have to stand in line, do you get to pick who you stand next to? I mean, I try real hard to do lots of things well, but there are some men and women whose dedication and commitment put me to shame. I’d feel real unworthy standing next to them.

We are losing our World War II veterans to the tune of almost one thousand each day. These heroes who endured so much, yet demanded so little, act as if their selflessness was no big deal. Each one that passes takes with him a legacy of commitment that is uncommon in my generation. They seldom talk about their experiences, and act as if the sacrifices they made for others was no big deal.

Leadership/Living

Men and Their Feminine Side

by Doug Ellingsworth @https://twitter.com/DEllingsworth on October 9, 2015

If you want to become an expert in human biology, I’m not the guy you need to talk to, but an oversimplified explanation of what determines the gender of a baby is the presence or absence of a Y chromosome in that tiny human. If the Y is present, paint the nursery blue. If there is no Y, buy pink blankets.

Because it is this “small” difference that separates the boys from the girls, some folks think that there is very little difference between the males and females of the human race. We are told that society and culture, with our stereotypes and traditional expectations, force girls to like baby dolls and frilly clothes. Remove those, some say, and the differences between boys and girls will go away.

I’ve already told you I’m no expert on these matters, but I’ve lived long enough to know that the difference between male and female runs a whole lot deeper than that. While both sexes experience life through our emotions, we project and deal with them differently. While our desires and ambitions run along the same course (we both want companionship, desire success, that sort of thing), we think and go about it differently.

Living

What Is Apostolic?

by Doug Ellingsworth @https://twitter.com/DEllingsworth on October 2, 2015

Kim Davis, the county clerk in Kentucky who has refused to grant same-sex marriage licenses, defines herself as an Apostolic Christian.

The whole world is asking, “What does that mean?”

First, understand that there is nothing significant about that phrase. It has no religious or doctrinal significance. They do not believe that the apostles hold special power or should be worshipped: they were simply the messengers Jesus chose to establish His church. Apostolic is just a label used to generically identify a religious group.

In a nutshell, Apostolics believe that Jesus commissioned His apostles to preach and teach His saving message to the whole world. That message, first preached in Acts chapter two, is repeated throughout the Acts of the Apostles, and calls all men to repent of their sins, be baptized in Jesus’ name, and to receive the gift of the Holy Ghost, which is evidenced by speaking in tongues (a language the receiving believer does not know). The believers continue to follow the apostles by embracing the doctrines taught in the remaining books of the New Testament which leads to a lifestyle that is noticeably different from how many others choose to live.

Because these folks hold to the instructions and experiences of the apostles as being the norm, they are called Apostolic.

Next week, I will provide a 35 minute video to those on my email list that uses your Bible to explain what I’ve written above.

If you know anyone who would be interested, please encourage them to join my email list. Just send them to the blog and they can sign up when the form appears as they scroll down. This way, they will be sure to get the video and the discussion that will follow.

If there are specific pieces of the Apostolic Christian life that you want to better understand, please send me a note and I will address it. This email will come directly to me: [email protected]

FYI – the ebook, Call Me Blessed!, (for sale to the right) will help you understand why Kim Davis does not cut her hair – which was the centerpiece of recent articles in major newspapers like the Washington Post and USA Today. (If you are on my email list, send me a note before you buy. You get a discount. [email protected])

I look forward to hearing from you!

Living

Barry’s Curse Or Taylor’s Revenge?

by Doug Ellingsworth @https://twitter.com/DEllingsworth on September 26, 2015

I had been at Bible college just a few hours when I was summoned to the office. I thought I’d buried all my teenage sins deep enough, but, as I walked across the green lawn to the administration building, I wondered if my college career would end before it started.

Turns out, they didn’t want me getting too comfortable in that nice dorm room thinking I had it all to myself. I would have a roommate. Barry Hardwick was on his way from Tennessee and that other bed in my room was his. I thought they gave me that nice big room because they recognized all the qualities of greatness I possessed and wanted to treat me with the deference I deserved. Instead, I was just a human RESERVED sign that held that quality space until Barry was ready to move in.