Jon Caudill

I haven't always been a fan of the 'attack on the attack on Christmas' movement over the last few years. Honestly before it was popular, I thought "Happy Holidays" was a great way to express a greeting to someone throughout December. Something, however, has gotten my attention throughout the last few years. Crosses are being removed from public areas, freedom of speech for Christian students and workers has been attacked, secularism of corporate America and the government have grown incredibly, and church attendance has continued to decline. Crime and family depravity are on the rise, horrendous news articles about shootings and child abductions are all too frequent, and even as the most prosperous nation in written history - we have families who are struggling to put food on the table. Society as we know it is in a downward spiral, but must we so quickly and forcefully abandon our faith? I fear for the world that my children will know when they trade in their...

Wow, you have been through quite a bit over the last several months, haven’t you? Astonished that I know that? Well it is because we all go through struggles in our lives. I don’t have the answers as to why we have to go through all of these things in life, but I do know that we go through them – and so does God. I have heard many people say (myself included) that it is all part of this journey we are on in life and that it serves to make us stronger. I don’t necessarily buy into that answer any longer though. I have friends who are separated from their loved ones, have parents who are entering their final days on this earth, have kids who appear to be going down the wrong road, and those whose marriage is crumbling right before their eyes. How are these things supposed to make us stronger? I think we have gotten it wrong, at least wrong in the sense that we have to toughen up and stop acting like a child, because that is essentially what the advice is. “What doesn’t kill you m...

This question is typically an easy one to answer, even for the non-Christian. Or...well, that is what I used to think anyways! A few nights ago, my wife and I were going through YouTube videos and found some that were filmed by churches or evangelism groups walking the streets asking people: “Who is Jesus?” I was surprised to find out that many people knew of Jesus, but they really had no idea who he really was or what he really did. Some people were able to give a great answer, and explained that Jesus was the son of God – or God incarnate – who lived a perfect life in order to die for the sins of all mankind. Others spoke of Jesus as being a great teacher, someone who came and just showed people how to love. Still, others talked about how Jesus was really more of an idea of how people should live, and that some people accepted belief in him while others accept belief in some other form of religion or humanism. The results were extremely mixed, and there was no abso...

Do you know what I hate more than red lights? Yellow lights! Seriously, I can see the red light coming, so I prepare to make my stop. A yellow light, however, doesn't give me the luxury of planning for it - the street is totally clear and I can see the green light about a half a mile or so before I get there.  No big deal until I get close and the light turns to yellow! A decision suddenly thrusts itself into my life, not a planned decision, but one that is on the verge of right and wrong - the question that I have to answer: can I make it?  It takes what seems like 5 minutes to decide that I shouldn't run the almost-red light, so I come to a screeching halt. Then the three cars behind me go through the intersection.  Why bring this up? I am sure that many people run into this type of situation on an almost daily basis. Well, what if we were to relate a yellow and then red light to our spiritual lives? Think about it. I know for me, I go into some sort of tr...

The Christian life is one that is filled with several ups and downs and highs and lows. There are times when we, as Christians, feel like we can accomplish anything and everything, and then there are times when we doubt our faith and feel like we are worthless. The reasons for this are many, but the main reason for this, I believe, is that we belong to two worlds. We have two ideologies, two commitments, two wills that we try to serve. The differences that are found in the world and the differences that are found in Christ are what set us apart from everyone else. We have committed our lives to Christ, but we still must conform to the world to be able to live in it. We also must try to be relevant enough in the world to be effective for Christ. It is quite a unique challenge that we run into. This whole idea reminds me of Zelda, the Nintendo video game. My family and I recently completed the 1991 game, called ‘Zelda: A Link to the Past’ and it was pretty fun showing my kids how simpl...

Happy Superbowl Day! Well, I am not sure if that is officially a known holiday, but you have to admit that the Superbowl is a fairly large event in North America. There are great things about the big game. It brings families and friends together, it helps us remember amazing games and teams of years past, and you would have a hard time convincing me that it isn’t good for the economy after the line I just got through standing in at the grocery store! Unfortunately, one could argue that there are many downsides to the Superbowl, as well as the NFL altogether. The ever rising focus on individuals over teams, the lack of respect players, coaches, owners, and everyone in-between give to one another, and the serious lack of role models that are produced by the most popular event of the year. I am obviously speaking in pretty general terms here, but regardless of the truth, this is the perception of the Superbowl and the NFL today. I love football, and I love the NFL. I wish I could sa...