Watts' Words

Super Sunday!!  The word evokes a vision of ‘football’, ‘championship’, and all the trimmings.  Yet, Creation Sunday and Resurrection Sunday are two of the “SUPEREST” Sundays in human history.  There is one more Super Sunday to consider.  Think about it this way; If your house were to catch on fire in the middle of the night and you awakened to discover that your only exit route was blocked by a raging inferno and the heat was so intense that your skin began to blister and you noticed your closet was momentarily safe from this inferno - so you entered the closet closing the door behind you.  Candidly, whether from the fire or smoke inhalation, your fate would be sealed and you would soon recognize your dilemma.  To continue this horrendous picture, think about the possibility of this difficult demise. Now, all of a sudden the closet door swings open and you are rescued by a brave fireman in protective gear. You have now been rescued from certain deat...

Although I lost interest in the Super Bowl this year, one must admit that Super Bowl Sunday always evokes much hype, interest, and money.  Many call this Super Sunday. Can you really imagine the atmosphere surrounding that first “Super Sunday” which I submit to be “Creation Sunday.”  God said, “Let there be”—and there was!  Genesis 1 goes on to reveal that on the 6 th day, “God created man.”  Here is the best news; God created man in HIS OWN IMAGE, blew into man the BREATH OF LIFE, and MAN BECAME A LIVING SOUL.  Mankind was different from the animals God had created because man has a soul, a mind, and the ability to commune with God. God’s creation was so perfect that He announced it “GOOD”.  Yet, in mankind God gave the ability to make a ‘decision.’  Adam and Eve could either “follow God wisdom through obedience” or “follow their own wisdom through disobedience.”  Sadly, they chose the latter by breaking the one rule God had given them....

The Packers did it again on February 6, 2011, the WON THE SUPER BOWL.  (Actually, I lost interest that year after the Saints went down.  That’s my confession for the day). Each year, Super Bowl Sunday is a day of high energy, high publicity, and in some cases, high drama.  But whatever the day happens to bring, millions upon millions of people are glued to this event and publicists have a field day with high price ads.  Because of the ‘hype’, all are drawn into the “Super Sunday” frenzy. However, I submit there are, at least, three days in history and life that eclipse this special day. First is “Creation Sunday”.  This is the day that God began to work on His divine idea of creation.  His first creation was not mankind or sky or earth, it was light.  He said, “Let there be” and there was.  We should make a note that He didn’t have to ‘create darkness’ because darkness has always been and always will be.  Darkness is the absence of l...

The old adage says, “You never stop learning & growing until you’re in the ground.”  As true as that may be, by our human nature we are sometimes tempted to get a bit complacent with ‘who we are’ and ‘what we are’ which results in a comfortable but stagnant life.  Yes, we get through life but somehow the passion just leaves us.  Arguably, our rationale is our age has stolen our passion when, in fact, our lack of passion comes from our lack of growing and reaching our potential.  Please consider three qualities or attributes which point us in the direction that the Bible teaches us to go. First, become an encourager.  This world, country, and culture need encouragers in a big way.  Quite honestly, were it left to me; I would put out the word that there exists no openings in this society for criticizers.  (All those positions seem to be taken - GRIN).  Becoming an encourager will change the environment in which you live.  People will...

It would seem that in the last years we have enjoyed one of the best ‘competitive’ times in all college football history.   Football, at any level, would not be possible without a ‘rule book.’   While the rules (and the man in the striped shirts) sometimes get on the nerves of the us ‘fans’, we all agree that a game with ‘rules’ is more fun and productive than the anarchy which would prevail with no rules. This thought has caused me to think about the game “of life” and the rule book for life.   The Bible says, “ All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.”   I suggest that if God has inspired a book that is good for ‘teaching, training, correcting, and even rebuking, then perhaps that is, indeed, THE RULE BOOK for life. Many would claim that the Bible IS their rule book and that they base their lives on the...

David and Goliath!  Just mentioning those names gives us a picture of the impossible situation.  It would be similar to a scrawny teenager up against a WWF champion or maybe bringing a knife to a ‘machine-gun’ battle.  It would seem there is no way to win!  And then, GOD steps in to completely change the situation.  When crunch time came (that is, the time to meet Goliath face to face), David gave the ground rule.  Genesis 17:45 records David’s words, “You come to me with a dagger, speak and sword.”  Goliath was reported to be 9 feet tall so he was a formidable foe to say the least, but to think that Goliath was armed would indeed bring a chill of fright to anyone.  Well almost anyone because David’s words continued with, “But I come to you in the name of the Lord of Host, the God of Israel’s armies—you have defied HIM.”  It would seem to me that, at this point, the situation changed entirely.  Every person who reads this column has...

At this time of year it is a good idea to ‘take stock’ of things.  Although I have not researched the origination of this phrase, my last job in High School gives me an educated guess about it.  For my Junior & Senior years of High school, I worked as a ‘Grocery bagger/Stock Boy’ at our locally owned grocery store.  (We never called it a “Supermarket.”) One of my tasks was to look at the stock on the shelves, consider the time of month (and of the year), recall how long it had been since we had restocked the shelves, check our back warehouse, and then talk to the owner about re-ordering anything of which we were out.  Basically, it went like this; look around, look back, look inside, and look ahead.  Today almost 40 years later, this is still sound advice (and I’ll even add one more place to look.) With the advent of 2011, now is the time to look around our lives and see where we are.  Where are we compared to where we thought we would be?...

The Apostle Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 13:5, “Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith. Examine yourselves. Or do you yourselves not recognize that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless you fail the test.”  This verse begins and ends with my least favorite word, “TEST”. I have NEVER liked taking test.  All through High School, I (can I say it) HATED test.  But I discovered why I disliked test so badly. When it came time for my Senior English Literature final exam I knew that I had to pass this test to ‘walk the line’ and graduate.  Our teacher gave us the needed information to study and, in an uncharacteristic move, I STUDIED.  For two days I studied.  When I actually studied and prepared for the test, a unique thing happened; I WANTED TO TAKE THE TEST.  In fact, I couldn’t wait.  And by the way, I made a 98. Here’s the truth, because I was prepared I didn’t mind answering those 100 questions.  The Lord Jesus only asks us one que...

The weekend of November 10, 2012, was a tough weekend for me as a Native Mississippian and a present resident of Alabama.  As I write this column, I am reminded of that Saturday.  Here are the results of that day: The University of Southern Mississippi, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Auburn, AND Alabama, all LOST their ballgames.  (On the following day, I was fretting whether or not the Saints would lose to the UNBEATEN Falcons – but THANKFULLY, the Saints prevailed that day!) Admittedly, I have not ever been a huge College Football fan, but I have watched the Saints since the 1960’s.  Yes, I remember the days when the stadium was less than half-full and those ‘fans’ who did show up wore bags over their heads.  Such is the nature of a fan.  The fan is defined as an ‘ardent admirer & usually a spectator.’  Fans can be fickled. Although people don’t appreciate hearing this truth, “Jesus didn’t die on the cross to build a fan base.”  Listen ...

We have a 31-year old daughter who loves to say to me, “Keeping it real dad.”  While I understand and appreciate what she’s saying, it occurs to me that, in today’s culture, we are not real big on ‘reality.’  In fact, one of the most interesting things I see in every Presidential election is something called the “Spin Rooms.”  While my opinion is in no way indicative of a larger consensus nor is it a formal definition – it seems to me that we have now created a room in order to (as my mammaw would say) ‘spin a yarn.’ In the “Spin Room”, truth is rarely heard because every person there is twisting reality ‘their way.’  But think about some more realities. This country is dying.  While we deeply love the USA, if we honestly look at this Nation who was once a “Nation Under God”, we discover that every quantifiable sign tells us that she is hemorrhaging.  Economically, productivity, are foreign policy are but a few of the areas bleeding.  But these ar...

A young man asked his girlfriend, “May I kiss you?”  She was silent.  After a little bit he tried his luck again by asking, “Can I kiss you?” Again, she was silent.  In frustration he asked, “Are you deaf?”  Quickly she said, “Are you paralyzed?” Have you ever felt like God wasn’t hearing you prayer?  I have.  I have prayed for a young person to be healed from their cancer – and they have not survived.  I have prayed for a couple who were having problems to be healed and reunited only to watch them go through a divorce.  I have prayed for someone to come to Christ and be saved only to watch them reject God’s offer.  I have prayed for MY FOOTBALL TEAM, the New Orleans to Saints to win – only – well never mind! In these times when God does not respond to our prayers, we tend to ask, “What’s wrong with God?” Or “Where is God?”  While we do this without thinking, the truth is, we seem to get the idea that ‘it’s God’s fault.’  Y...

We have all seen the television shows which boast of an “Extreme Makeover.”  Some shows makeover houses while others makeover people.  You know what I’m talking about, they get new clothes, new hair, new nose, new lips, new chin, or other parts, and they call it a makeover.  I remember the old mountain man who brought his family to ‘town’ for the first time. They were overwhelmed by the skyscraper so they all scattered, but dad was enamored with the magic door that would open, people would get on, the door would close, and the in a little while people who looked different would get off.  Finally, the mountain man saw an elderly lady on a walker go in the room (we know this room is an elevator) and when the doors opened five minutes later, a very young & very attractive lady walked out.  The man began earnest to look around & turned to his oldest son and said, “Boy, go get your mom!!” When I think about the ‘makeovers’ I am reminded of what my mom to...

As the 20 th  century dawned in the USA, most of the land was still rural.  Life in rural American was difficult.  Those people made their living by the sweat of their brow and the callouses on their hands.   For the most part, transportation was limited to ‘horse & wagon’ – which was both hard and slow.  Communication was sparse.  One of the traditions of that day was that the local pastor would arrive at the church building on Sunday mornings shortly after daylight.  As he began his daily tasks, one of his morning duties was to RING THE CHURCH BELL.  Ideally, this bell could be heard throughout the community.  The sounding of the bell sent out the message that “Today is the Lord’s Day, get your chores done, your horse & wagon ready, put on your “Sunday” clothes, and make it to church.”  (The reason most churches meet at 9:45 on Sunday mornings is that this was the earliest those rural people could get to church) Att...

Jesus had just called the fishermen with the simple words of “Follow Me” when He went to synagogue and began to teach.  Mark 1 records that this was not the normal type of teaching which was regularly heard.  Mark says that “Jesus taught as one who had authority, not like the scribes who normally taught.” In the middle of Jesus’ teaching, a man who was possessed by an ‘unclean spirit’ stood up to shout Jesus down.  Mark identifies this man only as one who was demon possessed.  Obviously, this man had lucid moments where his problem was not evident. Candidly, this may not have been the first time this man had been in church.  Perhaps he had been there many times with no incidents, but when the Lord showed us – it was more than he could take. The scripture says that the ‘unclean spirit’ recognized Jesus.  He called Jesus by name then identified Jesus as “The Holy One of God.”  Can you believe it?  The one who was supposed to be turning peop...

Luke 6:38 records the words of Jesus as this, “Give, and it will be given to you; a full measure will be poured into your lap – pressed down, shaken together, and running over.”  What a promise!  What a thought for this culture. It seems to me that the mantra of this culture is ‘get all you can, can all you get, and then sit on the lid!”  We are made to believe that the #1 thing in our life should be #1!  This society says, “It’s all about me.”  Years ago Pastor/Author Rick Warren began his best-selling book, “The Purpose Driven Life”, with these words, “It’s not about me.”  While this is a principle from God’s word, it is not a popular concept. For the person who calls himself a “Christian” – a spirit of giving is required because Jesus taught and modeled this spirit.  The New Testament reports that Jesus said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.”  The most well-known verse in the Bible, John 3:16, begins “For God love the world s...

This culture is in a tailspin.  Most pundits want to dismiss the truth and convince us that all is well, but an honest look at any part of this culture reveals trends which range from disturbing to disastrous. Most people expect a "preacher like me" to rail against the evils which are so prevalent and pervasive.  It is true the evil and works of darkness are destroying lives and negatively impacting our culture.  That said, evil is doing what evil does.  However, the works of darkness are no worse than they have been or were in times past.  This begs the question: “why are things going so wrong?” The Bible says, “It’s time for judgment to begin at the house of God” and the truth is, “Judgment has come to the house of God.”  What this culture needs and the Lord God expects is for those who wear the name “Christian” to live like Jesus lived.  It was in the Upper Room less than 24-hours before His death that Jesus said, “A new commandment I give to...

Years ago I was a guest on a TV talk show when one of the hosts (who happened to be a friend) turned to me and made this statement: “Many people have been killed in the name of Christianity.”  History reveals that his statement, while disturbing, is essentially true.  Yet the Christianity that ‘kills people’ is a type and style of Christianity which is foreign to the brand of Christianity which wears the name Christian because it actually resembles the life and actions of Jesus Christ.  The word “Christian” literally means, ‘little Christ’ which is what the authentic Christian should be known for. The word ‘authentic’ denotes the real, the genuine, or the original.  Most of us readily recognize that the ‘authentic’ is worth much more than a ‘copy’ because a copy lacks something.  Think about the lock and key to your front door.  When the lock was installed you were given the ‘first generation’ or ‘original’ key and it worked like a charm.  Aft...

When I was a little boy we used to play on the “Jungle Gym.”   Actually, ‘us’ less sophisticated types called it the “Monkey Bars.”   The only reason it was called “Monkey Bars” was because we (little boys) would get on the bars and act like monkeys.   We would hand upside down from our knees and our feet.   As I remember, this was a lot of fun, well, at least for a little bit. Physiologically, it is not a good idea to hang upside down for an extended period of time.   Dr. Ashley Grossman tells us that to hang upside down  for an extended period of time , “Fluid will start to ease out of your blood vessels, you can’t get oxygen, and the lungs will become rather stiff so you will get breathless.”   By the way, to remain in that position can lead to a stroke or death.   Another problem which develops is with your circulatory system.   The heart uses gravity to perfuse your lower extremities so it doesn’t use much pressure to send bloo...