2000 Articles by Ray Pritchard

More Self-Evident Truths for the New Year (Jan 02, 2000)
Several weeks ago I put forth a modest collection of “self-evident truths.” Here are a few more that seem appropriate for the beginning of a new year. 1. If it’s truly important, you will find time to do it. How many times have we made excuses for not doing something when in the end, we know we didn’t do it because it just …

Dear Abby (Jan 09, 2000)
The phone rang and the voice on the other end came from a high school student. "Pastor Ray, could I talk to you for a moment?" It was a "Dear Abby" sort of question. She wanted my advice on how to speak up when she is the only Christian in a class of 30. Actually, there may be other Christians but she is the only one who da…

Year of the Stump (Jan 16, 2000)
Last Sunday I preached on the story of Nebuchadnezzar losing his mind and becoming like a beast of the field for seven years (Daniel 4). It all started when the king had a dream of a vast tree with branches stretching out in all directions and birds of every kind coming to nest in the branches. Suddenly the tree was cut dow…

Can We Talk? (Jan 30, 2000)
Did you know that Calvary has an online discussion board where you can trade thoughts with people from around the world? Over the last few months more and more people are dropping by to offer an opinion, ask a question, or join in an ongoing discussion. The discussion board contains a number of sections, such as Community B…

Be a Link This Week (Feb 06, 2000)
Let's talk about evangelism for a moment. Sometimes Christians are afraid to share their faith because they feel totally inadequate to lead another person to Jesus Christ. They worry that they can't answer questions, they fear they won't say the right words, and when you get right down to it, they aren't certain enough of t…

The Blind Beggar at the Bus Stop (Feb 20, 2000)
Early in January I received an e-mail from Aletta Bell, our longtime missionary to India. Four years ago this month I was part of a team from Calvary that visited Dr. Bell to see firsthand her work at Duncan Hospital in a city called Raxaul, on the border between India and Nepal. Day after day we watched as Dr. Bell and her…

Hard Times at Bob Jones (Feb 27, 2000)
Until recently most Americans had never heard of Bob Jones University. It is a large (5,000 students) fundamentalist Christian school in South Carolina well-known for its academic standards, cultural emphasis, and very strict rules. Bob Jones is so strict that students may not attend movies, watch TV, date without a chapero…

Letter to a Young Man (Mar 05, 2000)
Recently I was asked to write a letter to a young man on the occasion of his 13th birthday. The father asked a number of men to offer advice, counsel, and wisdom that his son could use as he navigated through the challenging teenage years. After considering the matter I felt that I should address the topic of Christian cour…

The Real Reason We Pray (Mar 19, 2000)
This week the Associated Press carried a moving story about Kaia Jorgensen, a basketball player at David Lipscomb University in Nashville, Tennessee. Just before the season started she became critically ill with a form of bacterial meningitis. As her condition worsened, her family asked for prayer and students at the Christ…

Is Jesus the Only Way? (Mar 26, 2000)
The following e-mail arrived a few days ago: There is one fundamental thing I still have such a problem with. That is that Jesus Christ is the only way to God. What about the people who just don’t get it? I can’t seem to reconcile Jesus Christ and God with not giving good people another chance. Is there a loophole…

Happy Birthday, OPCA (Apr 02, 2000)
When did it all begin? Some things are blurry in my mind and others are crystal-clear. The vision to start a Christian school in Oak Park was planted in my heart the day I arrived in the village in 1989. At first no one (except my wife) took me seriously when I said that someday, somehow, it was going to happen. Looking bac…

A Visit to the Funeral Home (Apr 16, 2000)
This week a friend visited a funeral home and then sent me a few thoughts afterwards: “I think I may have mentioned to you how much I have struggled with the fears of losing loved ones. Now God is showing me that He can be with me as I face those fears. I am developing a different time perspective. Life seems very shor…

A Conversation with Jesus (Apr 23, 2000)
Someone asked me recently where Jesus’ spirit went between the crucifixion and the resurrection. I replied that Christians have debated that issue for 2000 years since the Bible doesn’t answer the question with total clarity. Then came a second question. What is the meaning of John 20:16-17, which tells us about a…

Bob & Amber's Excellent Adventure (Apr 30, 2000)
A few days ago Bob & Amber Leland stopped by to see me one final time before leaving this area. In a few weeks they will return to Irian Jaya for another term of missionary service. In case you don’t know, Irian Jaya is a part of the multi-island nation of Indonesia. It is on the other side of the world and the best th…

Twenty-five Affirmations Regarding God’s Will (May 07, 2000)
Like most pastors I spend a fair amount of time talking with people who are trying to discover God’s will for their lives. It’s been my experience that most people I talk to are sincere and truly want to do God’s will if only they could figure out what it is. And most people realize there is no easy answer to…

“I Want to be Like Jesus” (May 14, 2000)
A few days ago I received an e-mail from a friend writing to another friend with a carbon copy sent to me. These words from a new Christian contain enormous spiritual insight: “When you said, ‘Let Jesus fill you up with Joy,’ I re-read that line about 100 times. I would love that. I will do it. I say now ‘Jesu…

No Such Thing as a Bad Day (May 21, 2000)
I happened to catch a few minutes of an interview Tim Russert did with Hamilton Jordan, Chief of Staff under President Jimmy Carter. He has written a book with the intriguing title, No Such Thing as a Bad Day. It’s his own story about being diagnosed with cancer on three separate occasions before the age of 50. “W…

The Chess Master (May 28, 2000)
A recent article by Philip Yancey contains one of the best illustrations of the free will-predestination problem I have ever read. The “problem” simply stated is this: How can God be in charge of everything that happens and still give humans the power to make free moral choices? It’s easy for us to go to extr…

Notes to the Class of 2000 (Jun 04, 2000)
Hello and congratulations. You are the first graduating class of the new millennium. There won’t be another class like yours for a thousand years. That has a nice ring to it, doesn’t it? You might as well celebrate the occasion because what we used to call “real life” is about to hit you in the face. A f…

A Good Walk Spoiled? (Jun 11, 2000)
Mark Twain once said golf was “a good walk spoiled.” I had a chance to put that to the test this week when I played nine holes at Columbus Park with Fred Most, Glen Gale, and Vern Henrikson. I should admit right up front that I won the match handily in the sense that I had a much higher score than anyone else. Fre…

Can Good People be Gay? (Jun 18, 2000)
In a recent interview, Christopher Matthews asked Republican presidential candidate George W. Bush a thought-provoking question: “Can good people be gay?” The answer came back without hesitation: “Sure, absolutely.” Case closed, at least for a politician seeking the White House who wants to round up as m…

A Short Self-Interview (Jun 25, 2000)
Q: Name a good book you’ve read recently. A: Stonewall by John Dwyer. Q: Name two more. A: All the Best by George Bush; The Gold of Exodus by Howard Blum. Q: Do you read lots of books? A: I read parts of lots of books. I don’t read very many books all the way to the end. Q: Why is that? A: It must be a character f…

Dallas Willard on Humility (Jul 02, 2000)
Last week David Steinhart, pastor of Forest Park Baptist Church, shared some insights on humility from a tape on leadership by Dallas Willard. Humility is a quality that is hard to define and even harder to develop. Very few people would admit to praying for humility even though the Bible instructs us to humble ourselves un…

Senator Lieberman Gets It Right (Aug 31, 2000)
A few days ago Senator Joseph Lieberman came to Chicago to meet with a group of local religious leaders. A day earlier he was in Detroit speaking at an inner city church called Fellowship Chapel. During his remarks in both places he made headline news with his emphasis on the important role religious faith plays in the Amer…

Visitors at the Door (Sep 07, 2000)
"The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned" (I Corinthians 2:14). Two nicely dressed people knocked on our door, a man and a woman who said they were from the local Kingdom Hal…

If Archimedes Came to Oak Park (Sep 13, 2000)
Many years ago (almost 20, to be exact) I took a night course called "Advanced Apologetics" from Dr. John Warwick Montgomery at a place called Melodyland School of Theology. I'm not making up that name. The school met in a big church building located right across the street from Disneyland. At that time I was pastoring a sm…

What Billy Graham Told Barbara Bush (Sep 22, 2000)
Not long ago I was asked what happens to the people who either follow other religions or who die without ever hearing about Jesus Christ. It's an important issue because even if you take the most optimistic numbers possible, that is, if you add up all the people who might be remotely related to any group related to Christia…

Things I've Learned (Sep 27, 2000)
This week my cousin Barbara sent me an e·mail containing a list of aphorisms called "Things I've Learned." She got it from a friend in Florida who got it from somewhere else. I've taken a few from the list I received and I've added a few of my own. I've learned that ·You can do something in an instant that will give you…

What Is At Stake (Oct 22, 2000)
On November 7 the American people will elect a new president and vice president, 435 members of the House of Representatives, and one-third of the Senate. In addition, there are thousands of statewide and local races that will be decided on that day. How should Christians approach their responsibilities in the coming electi…

Winning and Losing (Nov 19, 2000)
Once again I am writing this column with the results of the presidential election still undecided. It occurs to me that although a week has passed, we don’t seem to be any closer to a solution-though of course the whole matter may be settled by the time you read this, but I’m not hopeful in that regard. Despite th…

Laughing Your Way to Heaven (Dec 03, 2000)
A blurb in USA Today reports that children laugh an average of 400 times a day while adults laugh 15 times a day. If anything, that latter number seems high to me. I know a few folks who apparently haven’t laughed since the Truman administration. But then again life is hard and no one gets a free ride and perhaps some …

Steve and Liz (Dec 10, 2000)
I’ve known Steve and Liz Massey for almost 17 years. Steve was an elder of the church I pastored in Texas and Liz often sang solos during our worship services. Their children attended Awana with our children. We lost touch when we moved to Oak Park in 1989. About eight years ago Steve came through Chicago on business a…

Is This Really Christmas Eve? (Dec 24, 2000)
Today is December 24. This is Christmas Eve, the day before Christmas. But is this really the day before Jesus was born in Bethlehem? Each year the question comes up and each year the answer is the same: We can't be sure. The Bible does not clearly answer this question. Evidently the first Christians didn't make a point of …

November in Jerusalem (Dec 31, 2000)
Someone recently asked me why we are traveling to the Holy Land in November. The answer is two-fold. First, the weather in Israel can be unbearably hot during the summer months. During November the days will be warm and the nights cool, thus making for an excellent traveling environment. Second, tour prices are lower in Nov…