By David Phillips 

The HFTB Factor

That acronym stands for Hope For The Best.  What could be wrong with that, right?  Let’s dig a little deeper.  I’ve spent more than half of my life in and around the utility construction business, and at times, it can be risky work.  Some in that business are willing to flirt with greater risks, in order to accomplish a greater gain in the end.  Often, it is nothing more than just refusing to take a little extra time, or not going to a little bit more trouble to be careful, and hoping for the best.  The fact that it often works out without producing disaster makes some folks keep doing it over and over again.  A properly trained flagman who skillfully directs traffic through a dangerous construction zone is quite a bit more expensive than just having the lowest paid laborer step out and wave his arms occasionally when traffic gets really snarled.  The former is doing all he can to keep things safe.  The latter is making a slight effort, and hoping for the best.  There are plenty of other illustrations, from all industries across the board, but I think there’s a spiritual lesson to be seen here.

Continue reading→

By David Phillips

My supervisor at work likes to tell me that, as a frequently needed admonition. It’s not because I’m a bad driver, or because I’m always sticking my nose in other people’s business, but rather because I sometimes notice things that could be done, and try to take care of them, even though someone else should be responsible for them. Sometimes I wonder if his admonition stems from an attitude of, “You only get paid for doing just so much, so don’t do anything more.” If so, that really goes against my grain. Why not be as helpful as possible, when you can?

Continue reading→

By David Phillips 

My Father’s World

Depending on when, where, and how closely you look at it, this world in which we live can appear to be a really rough place.  I think this is due to a combination of a couple of things, namely, the real-time nature of media coverage, and the seeming desire to present a sensationally alarming picture.  Whether we are looking at reports on the COVID-19 virus or something like the current unrest, protests and riots stemming from the horrific death of George Floyd, it may be easy to get the impression that few to none of us can reasonably expect to survive the next few days.  As pretty much every state in the US has begun to “open back up” and allow some measure of normal travel, work and commerce, the headlines are dominated by warnings of the dangers of “reopening the economy despite coronavirus pandemic” (The Washington Post).  As protests against racially motivated police brutality make headlines, CNN declares this morning, “George Floyd protests spread nationwide”.  Also, social media will always be an inaccurate, inflaming and alarming avenue for current event reporting, as many of the participants have even less wisdom and restraint than media editorial boards.  But with the speed of communication these days, anyone can be instantly heard, by millions of people at a time.

Continue reading→

By David Phillips 

Hush now, you’ve said enough.

Your mama ever say that to you?  Yes, me too.  And sometimes, I’m tempted to give that bit of unsolicited advice to some I come in contact with.  Recently, I was in Walmart (It’s much more accurate to say, Frequently, I was in Walmart, but we’ll talk about that later) and I heard a lady (shopper) berating a man (shopper) for daring to be out in public without a mask on.  He disagreed with her position, and from the words exchanged, it was clear that he was a stranger to her, but something had set her off. Continue reading→

By David Phillips 

Attrition Warfare

The dictionary defines attrition warfare as “a military strategy consisting of belligerent attempts to win a war by wearing down the enemy to the point of collapse through continuous losses in personnel and material.”  This is certainly one of the methods Satan uses against us today.  Make no mistake about it, within the realm of right and wrong, we are engaged in war.  Here are the particulars:

Continue reading→

By David Phillps 

The Command to Rejoice

Have you ever given much thought to the fact that God has commanded us to rejoice?  No?  Well, me either.  At least not as much as I should have.  Many would probably say that rejoicing is something we should do on those occasions when we feel good, and everything is going our way.  How’s that working out for you?  The fact is that rejoicing doesn’t have anything to do with feelings, neither are favorable circumstances a controlling factor.

Continue reading→

By David Phillips 

The Fruitful Heart

Jesus makes it clear that the honest and good heart is a critical part of the equation for bearing spiritual fruit.  We know how important it is to God that we live spiritually fruitful lives, based on what Jesus said in John 15:8 – By this is my Father glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.  One of the things that Paul prayed for on behalf of the church at Philippi was they would be filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ…(Philippians 1:11).  More than just eating a spiritual apple a day, this filled with the fruit has a view toward what we do as a result of having this fruit.  It’s there in the last phrase of the verse: to the glory and praise of God.

Continue reading→

By David Phillips 

Looking Ahead

I wish I could say that I’ve always done that, always made sure of what I was getting into.  Truth is, I haven’t always done that.  I’ve barreled ahead blindly into more than one decision in my life, and then had to deal with the bumps and bruises that resulted from them, often missing out totally on whatever it was that I was in such pursuit of.  I am thankful to be able to say that, as I’ve gotten older and more thoughtful (signs of maturity, I hope), I tend to approach choices and decisions a little more carefully now, even carrying along a handful of “tools” to help bring about a more pleasing result.  What’s that old saying, Most good judgment comes from experience and most experience comes from bad judgment.”  Hopefully, we are all good learners.

Continue reading→

By David Phillips 

Good morning!  Thought you had gotten away from me, didn’t you?  Well, not so fast.  For a lot of us, quarantine is mostly over, at least so far as church services are concerned.  But for a lot of folks, it still is in place, due to health problems, immune deficiencies, and so forth.  For the rest of us who are able to return to the assembly, we’re still under some burdensome restrictions, so technically, it’s still going on.  We had a very good service on Sunday, with 70 worshippers present, and it was really good to see us back together again.  We look forward to when everyone will be comfortable with sitting together, hugging and shaking hands.  We’re getting there, a little at a time.  In the meantime, I’ll try to continue these messages, spaced a little farther apart now, until we get back closer to normal.

Continue reading→

By David Phillips

The dictionary defines “resolve” as firm determination to do something. In the New Testament, the word follows this same pattern, usually indicating the result of careful deliberation which produces a firm sense of purpose. In fact, the word purpose, as in 2 Corinthians 9:7, as he has purposed in his heart, so let him give… comes from the same root.

Continue reading→