I returned home from the annual Men’s Retreat on Sunday afternoon.  The lead story on the local evening news announced a quadruple murder in Milwaukee.  It began with the brutal murder of a 24 year old mother and two of her three young children.  The report indicated that the fathers of these children have been absent and provided no support financially, emotionally or spiritually.  The report went on to say that the 24 year old mother, some 18 years earlier, witnessed the murder of her mother and grandmother at the hand of her mother’s live-in boyfriend.

We shake our head and ask, “When did men give up their responsibility of providing a stable home?”

I’ve got good news…

This past week our family celebrated my parent’s 60^th wedding anniversary.  We have a good amount of people in our congregation who have been married for 50 or more years.  Unfortunately, as I look at our culture and its casual approach to marriage there seems to be a coming irony.  Even with all the medical advances offered to prolong our days on earth the number of couples who celebrate 50 and 60 years of marriage will actually decrease.  There is a reason…

Wouldn't you think it would be easy to be a Christian?  After all, Christians follow Jesus who is the one and only true God.  He is all-powerful and all-loving.  He promises to take care of His people, guarding them and protecting them.

So, why is it so hard to be a Christian?  Society makes fun of us.  People tempt us.  There are even those who seek to destroy us.

Why isn't it easy to be a Christian?