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Articles by Steve Qualls
Swallowed up by the great divide - Sparta Live Original
It’s election season, and the loudest selling point from each candidate is fear. If that person can sell enough fear concerning the other candidate, or the economy, or any other hot topic, then they can control the way we think. As our thinking goes, so goes our vote, and nothing divides quite like fear. We find ourselves entrenched into one of two camps. You’re either blue or red, Republican or Democrat. We seem to create a political landscape every four years that looks like a scene from WW1.
The monsters we create and feed - Sparta Live
In the movie “Jurassic Park,” the wealthy John Hammond spared no expense in extracting dinosaur blood from mosquitoes long ago trapped in fossilized tree sap. I know it sounds far-fetched and actually is, but we flooded to the movie theaters, stood in the rain for tickets and spent over $1 billion that year alone to see the monsters on screen. They created monsters they thought they could control but soon found out they could not.
Sneaky thing about deception - Sparta Live
The sneaky thing about being deceived is, you can easily not know you are being deceived until you’re already deceived. Joshua was called to lead the nation of Israel into the long awaited promise land. He was charged by God 5 times in the first chapter to be strong and courageous, or to not be afraid. The last of the “be strong’s” came through the leadership that surrounded him in verse 18.
A Jesus problem | Sparta Live
Have you ever just had a problem you didn’t know what to do about? Maybe it was a pest problem, something financial or personal. Many of our problems are self-inflicted, and other issues just seem to happen on their own. However, most of our problems pale in comparison to the issues the Pharisees had during the last week of Jesus’ life on earth. Luke chapter 22 tells us that it was the Passover celebration in Jerusalem, people were flooding into the city from all over.
The tree on the road to Jerusalem - Sparta Live
Sometimes we may get a little upset or even hurt feelings over what was said, done, or what we think was said. Maybe we’ve become so enraged that we stormed away in anger or even punched a wall or two. Everyone has been there from time to time, I’m sure. Hey, you’re in good company because Jesus even had a day like that. Let’s dive into scripture and spend an evening and the following day with Jesus as recorded in Mark chapter 11.
Don’t take your eye off the ball - Sparta Live
I spent a lot of days in the back yard with one of my granddaughters teaching her to hit a softball. I would work with her on the basic fundamentals associated with hitting, but the most important teaching was always and continuously “keeping her eye on the ball.” I would pitch, she would hit, and my wife would catch the balls. Our ritual was always “eyes on the ball” because you can’t hit what you can’t see.
Passing by the man in the sand - Sparta Live
My 4-year-old grandson and I sat on the couch a few weeks back and watched clips from a classic 50’s black and white horror movie. The show depicted a giant spider that came out of the mountains to kill the people in town. I was amused at the level of drama from back then. I noticed with limited technology what they lacked in effects they made up for in drama. People would scream, throw their hands up and become frozen in fear just before their demise.
This Classic Reuben With Homemade Russian Dressing Is Pure Sandwich Bliss
Credit: Soleil Roth This classic stacks corned beef, Swiss, and sauerkraut for a diner-style lunch at home. Homemade Russian dressing adds tang, heat, and extra value since the batch makes more. Dark rye turns crisp in the pan while Swiss melts around two layers of corned beef. The Sacramento Bee published a recipe for a Reuben Sandwich which sounded so good we just had to make it. That day. What Is a Reuben Sandwich? “What is a Reuben sandwich?” you might ask.
God’s intentional miracle in the moment: Christpoint Church
Steve Qualls Most of us live our lives these days with a “start and finish” mentality. Every aspect of our daily routine has a beginning, from the test we take at school to the jobs we clock in for at work, and our lives are conditioned with completions, like finishing breakfast or shopping for groceries. The apostle Paul spoke of completion in Galatians 4:4.
Blending in instead of standing out: Christpoint Church
Steve Qualls We very easily throw out cliches in general conversations. Many of us have opinions on every situation, from parenting to arm chair quarterbacking. We are quick to let someone know what we would do or how we would act, usually in disagreement to something we’ve witnessed. Paul Harvey recorded 57 years ago a segment entitled “if he were the devil.” With that in mind, let’s take a look at what Jesus said and how he said it when it comes to living out the Christian life.
A robe, a ring, some shoes and a calf: Christpoint Church
Steve Qualls Have you ever wondered what Jesus would say about today’s issues? We can all imagine what his opinion would be on global and even national levels, but we need to ask ourselves what he would have to say about “me?” About the condition of my heart. What would he speak to concerning our judgement call of others? In Luke chapter 15, Jesus is being crowded by “so called” undesirable company, tax collectors, and sinners. The religious leaders rebuked him for even associating with them.
Getting through it: Christpoint Church
Steve Qualls Have you ever noticed that God never made a habit of removing an obstacle in scripture? There always seemed to be an “it” in the way for the children of God. “It” would be Philistines, sometimes seas and rivers, other times deserts and approaching enemy. Notice he never made the great “it” go away. He would, however, give them strength and guidance through it.
In the heat of the moment: Christpoint Church
Steve Qualls It always happens when we are not watching, when we’re not careful or even tired and worn out. I was installing some trim once, and, because of time constraints, I was working late at night. I cut a few pieces either too short or with the wrong angle. It was late, I was tired, and my judgement wasn’t as sharp. Many accidents happen because of sleep deprivation and compromised judgement. Sometimes we’re just too worn out and wearied to proceed.
Nobody’s somebody: Christpoint Church
Steve Qualls A popular song’s lyrics say “I’m just a nobody, trying to tell everybody, all about somebody that saved my soul.” The truth is nobody is a nobody, and everybody is a somebody, but nobody is THE somebody that saves souls. Last week, Tena and I spent some time in Ft. Myers, Florida, helping storm victims clean up debris, get hot meals and cold water, and basic supplies.
We’re just not hungry enough: Christpoint Church
Steve Qualls There’s a contrasting difference in the fat and lean times for us. Life is easy in the fat years, people beg in the lean years. They steal, lie, and starve in the lean times, and people get lazy and spoiled in the fat years. Let’s jump back to Genesis chapter 41. There’s a story that unfolds in the life of Joseph and the nation of Egypt. Joseph was falsely imprisoned for an attempted rape charge.
Bartenders, church pastors, and steeples: Christpoint Church
Steve Qualls A few years back, a warm couple from the Chicago suburbs retired to our area of Tennessee. One observation the wife made was that in the South there’s a church on every corner, and in the city of Chicago on every corner is a bar. She concluded one thing they both had in common and that was people long to be together. People are gregarious and seem to be drawn to fellowship.
What town are we in cause we sure ain’t there yet: Christpoint Church
Steve Qualls Most of you can remember traveling on vacations and asking the question after long hours on the road, “Are we there yet?” I can honestly say that most of my childhood was never “vacation riddled.” Outside of weekends on the bank of the lake and an occasional Sunday afternoon gathering, we only trekked out on the open road one time, and that was to see family in Florida. Tena and I have made it a priority to take grandchildren to the beach each year.
An Arnold instead of an Elijah: Christpoint Church
Steve Qualls One of the greatest, yet saddest, accounts in our nation’s history lies in our own American revolution in the early years of conflict. A young colonial officer had longed to fight for his country as a young teen but was bound to have to wait his turn. As he aged from teen to his early 20’s our nation graduated into a full-blown revolution. The years were stretched out in warfare from 1775 throughout the next several years. This one young man became increasingly reliable and passionate.
Trenches of national warfare: Christpoint Church
Steve Qualls How could the greatest military in the world be defeated by a rag tag group of farmers? That was the question on everyone’s mind in 1781. However, after half the remaining British army was blown down river, resulting in a British surrender the next day, the answer was simply stated by Benjamin Franklin when he said, “God governs in the affairs of men.” God brought rain, mud, freeze, wind, fog, storms, and sudden flash floods to ensure an American victory in the Revolutionary War.
Out-manned, out Navy-ed, and out-aircraft carrier-ed: Christpoint Church
Steve Qualls Leading up to the great anniversary festival for all Americans on the Fourth of July, I would like to spend some time with you this month discussing the hand of victory placed upon this nation by almighty God. So slip on your sandals, pull out your favorite Hawaiian shirt or sun dress, and put on the shades because we’re going to Hawaii. In early December 1941, at 7:55 am, on a warm Sunday morning, nearly 200 Japanese aircraft attack our naval fleet at anchor in Pearl Harbor Hawaii.
The powerful words a mother can speak: Christpoint Church
Steve Qualls Every time God spoke to a mother in the Bible, he was about to birth something powerful for his glory. God spoke to Samson’s mother before he birthed the strength of Israel. He spoke to Mary before he birthed the salvation of the world. God spoke powerful words into many different women throughout scripture, but the one thing we tend to overlook is the powerful words a mother can speak over her children.
An unnamed woman with an intentional pregnancy: Christpoint Church
Steve Qualls Being a parent is hereditary, chances are if your mother never had children, then you probably won’t either. Mothers accomplish something that fathers can’t and that is to give birth. A father can seed the birth, but only a mother can give birth in the natural. Mothers are mentioned throughout the Bible from Genesis to Revelation. They’re honored, mistreated, unnamed, and sometime forgotten.
Seasons do not change our God’s promises: Christpoint Church
Steve Qualls The days are getting longer with each passing day. Trees are either green or in full bloom. Grass is lush, and birds are chirping. Spring is here, and we are experiencing more warmth and more sunshine with each sunrise. One thing to notice is the tree in the back yard as it passes into, through, and out of each season.
We are only blind to what we cannot see: Christpoint Church
Steve Qualls I think we have an identity crisis in our world today. I’m not talking about what pronoun is preferable, or bathroom preference, or even high school sports. Our identity is in crisis in the world today because we don’t know who Christ is. It’s impossible to know who we are when we don’t know the one who created us to begin with. We clearly struggle with our own identity, which leads to confusion, which leads to us settling for a false or watered down identity.
The covering over us will identify us: Christpoint Church
Steve Qualls Way back in the book of Genesis, Jacob’s younger son, Joseph had an active relationship with either his own dreams or the interpretation of someone else’s dreams. He also had an active relationship with the favor of God on his life, a history of slavery, imprisonment, and royalty. However I would like to spend a few minutes talking about his relationship to the garments he wore. You see the covering over us will identify us.
Ponds, rivers, lakes and kings, oh my!
Steve Qualls Growing up on a small southern Tennessee farm, we had a few ponds to keep us busy from time to time. We would fish or skip rocks, we swam in them when it was warm and walked on them when they were frozen. We even had a dog that would jump in them on command. However, even as a child, we always noticed that ponds were never as clean and inviting as the lake or a fresh-flowing river. Ponds are different than lakes, and lakes are different than rivers.
“Almost there” is still incomplete
Steve Qualls The old saying, “Close only counts in horseshoes,” was right. In the game of horseshoes, a ringer and a leaner are addable points, but you also get to count who is closer in the event there is no ringer thrown. However, in life “almost there” just doesn’t quite cut it. During a wedding, the groom doesn’t want to hear his bride-to-be say that she’s “almost there” in her fidelity and love for him. A baseball team needs a full roster of committed players to take the field.
Speaking spiritual calm into human fear
Steve Qualls I can remember being scared of a few things as a child, and some of those were locations such as an aunt’s and uncle’s house and both grandparents’ houses. When I was asked or invited to stay at one of these houses as a kid, I can remember being scared out of my mind at night, especially when I was there alone. My mind would race and imagine every possible reason to fear. I would hear noises outside or scratches from branches on the roof and retreat tighter into the covers.
Passion plus position equals encounter
Steve Qualls It’s been a couple of thousand years since the first Easter. It’s been a long time since the stone was rolled and Jesus walked out of an empty tomb. We have celebrated thousands of Easter mornings and probably hundreds of thousands if not millions of church services together to focus on and worship the only person to ever hold the distinct position of being fully God and man.
It’s where all the cool kids are
Steve Qualls Easter 2021 was a bit different than last year. One year ago at this time, the entire country was shut down, businesses and restaurants were closed, church services cancelled, and schools were a ghost town. However I noticed one thing very common in last year and this year’s Easter celebrations, and it’s the same thing I’ve noticed for years, and that is, “you can’t cancel Easter,” no matter how hard you try.
Trying to cancel the revolution
Steve Qualls Last week, we talked about living in a cancel culture in today’s society. We mentioned that Jesus is the most offensive person to have ever lived and that to call ourselves followers would be absorbing the persona of his abrasiveness. Now, please don’t misunderstand the message; Jesus is not a threat to any of us. He is quite the opposite, he is our king that came from everything to live as somebody to reach everybody so that a nobody can be somebody in Christ.
We were never designed to be bilingual
Steve Qualls We’re only a few days away from the biggest celebration in Christianity. Easter is the appointed day each year to celebrate and honor the sacrifice and resurrection Jesus Christ made for our sins 2,000 years ago. Easter is a floating holiday that is determined each year by the spring equinox. It will fall on the first Sunday after the first full moon after March 21. The simple location of the date is synonymous with life. Trees bloom, days are longer, and the grass a bit greener.
What does it take to be #1?
Steve Qualls When we think of being number one, our minds will usually gravitate to academics, a sport, or some sort of athlete. We push very hard in this life to be number one at something. Notice I didn’t say “the best” because there’s a difference. You can be the best at something and still not be number one. I have this funny little thing I do around church and that is to tell people they’re my favorite. The catch is, I tell everyone that.
When Jesus stoops to your level
Steve Qualls Years ago, when our son was learning to write his name, we noticed a few things; we will always write what is on our hearts or minds at the time, and we will usually pen what is most important to us. Our son would sit his little self in the sand and write his name perfectly mirrored. It was during these early days of formability that we began to discover his learning difficulties that would later be diagnosed as dyslexia.
When God says enough is enough
Steve Qualls OK, so imagine with me, you’re sitting at the dinner table having a large family gathering. Everyone is eating and talking, and then, out of nowhere, a hand with no arm appears before you and begins to write a message on the wall with a finger. Do you get upset because permanent markers are hard to clean off the wall? Do you freak out and get scared? Do you pretend it didn’t happen and just move on? Do you call someone to help determine what the message means?
February love letters
Steve Qualls Feb. 14 is the day we observe Valentine’s Day in this country. There is a lot of mystery surrounding the origin concerning the giving of letters, gifts and flowers associated with this day. Most accounts date back to the third century when the Roman emperor Claudius believed that a young single man made for a better and more faithful soldier than if he were married. Thus, he made it unlawful for a young man to marry.
Giving birth to the same old slavery mentality
Steve Qualls I spent a few days last week with a group of pastors, and among those was Ted Winsley. Ted has been the chaplain for the Philadelphia Eagles for the past 10 years. He has journaled his time with the Eagles and has recently written a book about his view from the end zone. He said something that resonated with me as I would like to pass that along today concerning our role in the past 10 or 11 months of isolation.
Maybe it's time to run
Steve Qualls I think a lot of people right now could agree that it’s time to gear up, get the running shoes out, blow the dust off, and get ready to run. This entire planet has spent the last 10 months being held back like a race horse waiting for the gates to swing open. Winter is upon us, and, when it gets this late into the season, I, for one look forward to longer days, warmer temps, and freedom without restrictions. Maybe it’s time to run, and I don’t mean just physically.
Becoming barefoot and pregnant
Steve Qualls Have you ever noticed a small child for some reason would rather move about barefoot than to wear shoes? Being a grandparent makes you a bit more aware of the clothing habits of a child. It seems that whether they’re a toddler or a pre-teen they will shed the shoes the minute they hit the door.
Remembering all of our tomorrows
Steve Qualls Two of my granddaughters have this need to pack and carry their attachments with them. One always has a backpack filled with stuffed animals, and the other usually carries her things in her arms. She will pack her arms so full that she drops most of it as she moves about. She possesses a sense of patience beyond her two-and-a-half years, and, in her mind, she thinks she can hang onto it all while piling on more.
We’ve never been here before
Steve Qualls Many of you know my wife Tena. She’s a large power supply packed into a small container. We were at a conference once many years ago when the speaker asked the question concerning the childhood game, “follow the leader.” The speaker asked those in the room who had ever followed the leader as a kid to raise their hands. The entire room responded with hands raised except for one person,- my wife.
Small, insignificant and harmless
Steve Qualls There’s a verse tucked away in the Old Testament book of Song of Solomon. It is vaguely familiar in that we have heard it quoted and even misquoted.
Trusting the science
Steve Qualls In today’s society, we seem to trust more greatly that which we can see. We place our faith in the experts of health and politics, and we even convince ourselves to purchase a lottery ticket for a jackpot we will never win. Men and women put their trust in NASA to launch them into the heavens. They strap themselves to a million pounds of fuel, then it is set on fire and propelled skyward, all while being constructed by the lowest bidder.
Let there be light
Steve Qualls I love the Christmas season. After all, I’m an ambassador for what it stands for. The message of Christ and his life, sacrifice, death, and resurrection could not have been possible had it not been for his birth. The miracles he performed as the son of man had to be preceded by the miracle of conception. In short, Christmas is what makes Easter possible. I’m not penning this article to try to re-tell the same annual Christmas story, I write today to point to the light.
All dressed up, no place to go
Steve Qualls There is a story that I’m afraid is altogether true in many cases across this country and for way too many families. The story is told of a little girl waiting on her father to come and pick her up. She packed her little bag and waited at the door, watching the street for his arrival.
Welcome Home for Christmas
Rachel Auberger The third annual “Welcome Home for Christmas” celebration on Liberty Square was hosted on a beautiful, clear Sunday evening as the community gathered to watch the city’s tree lit for the first time this holiday season. The event included visits with Santa for children who wanted to make sure their Christmas wish Lists made it safely to the North Pole.
Welcome Home for Christmas
Rachel Auberger The third annual “Welcome Home for Christmas” celebration on Liberty Square was hosted on a beautiful, clear Sunday evening as the community gathered to watch the city’s tree lit for the first time this holiday season. The event included visits with Santa for children who wanted to make sure their Christmas wish Lists made it safely to the North Pole.
Swords, helmets, and arrows
Steve Qualls We’ve spent the last few articles discussing the armor of God Paul talks about in the sixth chapter of Ephesians. The most important aspect to remember is that if God had not intended for us to see battles, then he wouldn’t have given us an armor. Three of those pieces of armor are the shield, the helmet, and the sword. Paul compares the shield to our level of faith. The shield was called “the scutus” and was designed to be used in concert with others.
Why do we need armor?
Steve Qualls Football teams, soccer clubs, doctors, nurses, businesses, armed forces members, police officers, and even 70s rock bands have a common denominator, and that is they all suit up for work. Each of these individuals and many more wear uniforms that serve to unify, promote continuity, and, most importantly, identify them as a member of their profession.
Good soldiers show up
Steve Qualls A soldier crouches, readying himself for the attack. When the fighting begins, it will be swift and decisive. He is only as strong as the team around him and only protected and successful as the armor he wears. His only offensive weapon is the sword. He doesn’t have the luxury of launching spears or firepower from an undisclosed location. He is not offsite from his enemy. His only pathway for success is to engage his opponent face to face.
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