The Northwest Florida Daily News’ April 19 edition featured a letter from Gwen Break of Santa Rosa Beach, who addressed morality and religious beliefs — particularly human sexuality.

But it was a question she posed that caught my attention.

“I understand [Christians] consider such behavior immoral, but what power does a transgender or gay person have that keeps a Christian from practicing his or her religion?” she said.

I found her question appropriate for many topics that tend to divide persons of the Christian faith and those outside the faith — and even those within the faith.

How, indeed, do others’ actions prevent a person from practicing his or her religion? What power do others have over us?

The only power they have is what we grant them.

Those who anger you control you — whether you, or they, realize it. The only one that should control you is the Lord — with your willingness.

In many ways, a growing number of people seem to be taking the Bible, the greatest love story ever written, and turning it into a book of rules and regulations.

This is the same kind of behavior Jesus tackled with religious authorities during his time on Earth.

Using the scriptures to hit people over the head — to corral them into a specific way of living, to keep them in line through religious law or intimidation — misses the mark on so many levels.

A great deal of attention is placed on the behavior of “other” people.

Fingers are easily pointed.

Judgments are freely passed.

In many ways, this is an unconscious tactic for a person to deflect attention away from their own behavior (or misbehavior) toward someone else.

Jesus asked, “Why do you see the speck in your neighbor's eye, but do not notice the log in your own eye?”

While we may not condone other people’s behavior or lifestyle, the Lord calls us to not wrongly judge them.

We are called to be accepting of everyone — not necessarily their behaviors, but the persons. That is how Jesus treated people. He did not condemn a person, but their actions.

As Ms. Break said in her letter, “I have great respect for true Christians. Such people are inclusive. They are eager to share their beliefs in a positive and loving way. They might not condone a behavior, but they would seek to forgive and convert a sinner, not stone him.

“They live their lives according to Christian principles and are not afraid to be an example for others to follow.”

The Rev. Mark Broadhead is pastor at Laurel Hill Presbyterian Church and First Presbyterian Church of Crestview.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: BROADHEAD: Christians should accept everyone

As I write this, I just spent 8 hours traveling from Crestview to Philadelphia for a meeting. With a lengthy layover in Atlanta, I had the opportunity to engage in one of my favorite pastimes – observing humanity.

Years ago comedian George Carlin had a quip that said something along the lines of, "You know you have to kill a lot of time at the airport. And you know there has got to be a spy there somewhere. Your job – find him!" I didn't find a spy.

At the Atlanta airport were thousands of people. They were all shapes, sizes, ages, and colors. There were individual travelers, groups of people, and families. Some people had cell phones plastered to their ears. Some had laptop computers churning away. Some were reading books or newspapers. Others were listening to music through earbuds.

But one thing struck me plainly. Every person in that airport, regardless of what they were doing, with whom they were traveling, or their destination, all had one similarity.

Each one is a child of God. In the very beginning, God said he created human beings in his image. Therefore, every person on the face of this earth has been created in God’s image.

And along with that, each one has feelings and emotions. Each one has had joys and sorrows in life. Each one has the same potential as any other. Each one has hopes and dreams.

Those whom God created filled that airport. I didn't know a single person there in that airport. And yet, I know God knows each of them by name. He knows the number of hairs on their head. He knows their hopes and dreams.

Many were different from me. Did that mean I was free to think less of them? Absolutely not. Did that mean I could judge them because of their appearance or the lifestyle I could assume about them? Absolutely not.

Remember that each person you encounter is a child of our Creator. Each is worthy of respect. Jesus welcomed all persons into his love. He died for all persons. Can we not also welcome all as he did, as we serve as his ambassadors? I believe so.

The Rev. Mark Broadhead is pastor at Laurel Hill Presbyterian Church and First Presbyterian Church of Crestview.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: BROADHEAD: As children of God, everyone is worthy of respect

Have you ever had your means of communication interrupted?

Whether it was from a computer crash, a dead cell phone or an e-mail hack, it is unpleasant. You may feel that you have been left out in the cold, completely shut off from those around you.

Sometimes, we may feel that we are also shut out from God. You cannot feel His presence, cannot sense His touch. It seems that your prayers go no higher than the roof.

However, during these times, we must depend on our understanding that He will never leave us or forsake us. He has always proven to us that our loss of vision does not mean He doesn't care.

Perhaps we are doing things that cause our prayers to be hacked — sin, stubbornness, ignorance; all are often our go-to answer for unanswered prayers. However, daily life also can be a hacker. Monetary problems, sick children, difficult work and bad weather all can direct us away from precious time with the Father.

My friend, you will never be alone. You cannot shut God out, so why not open up the lines of communication?

Allow Him to get back in to contact with you. He is waiting. 

The Rev. Richard Helms serves at Miracle Acres Ministries, 3187 E. James Lee Blvd., in Crestview.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: HELMS: Be open to communication with God

Once, an artist painted a winter scene: a snow-covered ground and pine trees.

The artist’s hand brought the day to a close, and night fell on the canvas, with the entire scene covered in semi-darkness. A grim log cabin was barely visible in the shadows.

Then, the artist dipped his brush in his pallet’s yellow paint and, with a few strokes, placed in one of the cabin windows a lamp’s warm glow. As he finished the painting, the lamp’s golden rays reflected on the fresh snow.

That single light totally changed the picture’s tone, replacing the gloomy, chilled night with a warm, secure homestead.

What happened on that canvas happened 2,000 years ago on the world’s canvas. Jesus entered a world enveloped in darkness and despair, but his light brought hope and anticipation.

Jesus said, “I am the light of the world.  Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.”

Many people heard him speak those words, and their perception of life changed. They were filled with hope. They were filled with joy. They were filled with warmth and security.

When Jesus was crucified and placed in a tomb, it seemed the light of the world had been extinguished. But that was a misconception. Because, as bright as the light was during Jesus’ earthly life, that light exploded into mind-boggling brilliance just three days later!

There is light that shines in this world’s darkness. There is hope that shines brightly and glows with the promises of God’s loving presence, of God’s healing powers, of God’s purposes being accomplished.

This is the kind of hope that puts a spring in our step. It is the kind of hope that puts a smile on our faces. It is the kind of hope that enables us to say, “Things are pretty challenging, but I will live today to its fullest to the glory of God.”

And, when today is finished, we look forward to tomorrow, not because we are dissatisfied with today, but because we know God will be with us tomorrow, and the day after that, and the day after that. 

We look forward to how God continues to unfold his promises for us.

The Rev. Mark Broadhead is pastor at Laurel Hill Presbyterian Church and First Presbyterian Church of Crestview.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: BROADHEAD: Light still shines in this world's darkness

These are some daily devotionals. I would encourage you to clip this article — or print it — and place it somewhere you can readily see it. Then read one each day, allowing God to speak to your heart.

●"When we continue to hate, we continue to lose. When we amplify mutual respect and love, we have a lot to gain. Quite simply, there is more for us to gain through love than hate." — Suzy Kassem

The old saying is, "You catch more flies with honey than vinegar." If you wish to make friends, if you wish to make a difference in someone's life, if you wish to receive respect as a person, learn to love others as children of God.

Loving others can open your heart in ways you never expected — and open avenues to new ways of life that will fill you with delight.

●"I could encourage you with my mouth, and the solace of my lips would assuage your pain." — Job 16:5

●"The purpose of human life is to serve, and to show compassion and the will to help others." — Albert Schweitzer

How often is the focus of your attention completely on yourself? Does that attention bring you happiness, or does it cause you to focus on what you don't have? A happier attitude toward life comes when you focus on others’ needs. Their joy will bring you joy.

●"I have seen their ways, but I will heal them; I will lead them and repay them with comfort, creating for their mourners the fruit of the lips. Peace, peace, to the far and the near, says the LORD; and I will heal them." — Isaiah 57:18

●"Remember the banana — when it left the bunch, it got skinned."

●"And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage and warn each other, especially now that the day of his coming back again is drawing near." — Hebrews 10:25

Being part of a church family is important. It helps keep you in touch with others who wrestle with some of the same issues. And, in so doing, they help you keep in touch with God.

It is when people stop participating in the life of the church that they start to give in to temptations, and thus wind up farther away from God.

People often long for a care-free and pain-free life. They long for the "good things," whatever those may be. But hear these words of Billy Graham. They speak volumes.

"Comfort and prosperity have never enriched the world as adversity has done. Out of pain and problems have come the sweetest songs, the most poignant poems, the most gripping stories. Out of suffering and tears have come the greatest spirits and the most blessed lives."

How true!

When things are going well in life, people tend to turn away from God. When there is struggle, they turn to God and gain valuable lessons and insights which can be shared with others who suffer.

Which lessons are you learning?

The Rev. Mark Broadhead is pastor at Laurel Hill Presbyterian Church and First Presbyterian Church of Crestview.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: BROADHEAD: Why being part of a church family is important

For a couple of days before the Resurrection Day celebration, I had the privilege of having one of my granddaughters spend the night with us. 

I thoroughly enjoyed her being here; if I had known grandchildren were that great, I would have probably skipped having children and went straight to grands! 

Thankfully, that’s impossible. You see, children come along and, while we are still young, we often shelter them too much, thus putting enormous pressure on ourselves. As my children were growing up, I would take them to a store, make them behave and be quiet, and I would not tolerate any type of outbreak. 

Along comes a grand. She is in the grocery store; I am in sporting goods. She yells at the top of her voice for Papaw. I yell back across the store, happy to hear her calling for me. 

What a change!

I wonder sometimes how God reacts to us as He raises His children. He is definitely more mature and experienced than we were, and yet He still wants us to follow His guidelines for behavior. 

He allows us to go along, obediently or disobediently, and then rewards us or punishes us to keep the right behavior in tact. 

As all good parents know, to correct a child is to show that you love them, and God is the same. He keeps touching our lives in the hopes that we will one day wake up and realize just how deep His love is, and then we can assist Him in leading others to become His children.

If you were in the store, in the grocery aisle, and He was in the garden center, and you yelled out for Him, do you think He would respond?

If I, a simple man, loved to hear that small voice calling for me, how much greater shall be the Father’s love when one of His children call out to Him.

The Rev. Richard Helms serves at Miracle Acres Ministries, 3187 E. James Lee Blvd., in Crestview.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: HELMS: Reflections from a grandparent

Easter is Christianity’s holiest day of the year. It’s the day we remember the ultimate demonstration of God’s loving power: when Jesus Christ, God’s son, destroyed the power of sin and death.

God created human beings to be in a loving relationship with him. But from the time Adam and Eve disobeyed God in the Garden of Eden, humanity has rebelled by pursuing its own pleasures and desires.

The Bible is an eons-long account of God’s never-ending pursuit of restoring that loving relationship with humanity, and humanity’s continuous rebellion.  God tried wind, fire, flood, men and women with special messages — you name it.

But humanity remained hard-hearted.

God finally chose to come here himself in the person of Jesus to teach and demonstrate what he has to offer.

His teachings called into question religious leaders’ practices — to which they took great exception. His teachings called into question the harsh ways people treated each other. Such admonishments cut so deeply to the heart of the wrongness of an ingrained way of life that it angered people.

So angry were they, so afraid of losing power and authority, they killed Jesus, whose body was placed in a tomb, and a stone was rolled across the entrance. The troublemaker was dead, and life, as usual, could go on.

The religious establishment and the people did not realize what they had done or who they were dealing with. And their act of killing him put into action the final phase of God’s plan.

Three days after being placed in that tomb, Jesus burst through death’s gates. He came back to life to demonstrate God’s life-giving, unequivocal and undeniable power.

The sin of rebelling against God in the Garden of Eden now has a cure. The sin of refusing to obey God now has a cure. Humanity’s sins can be forgiven.

God’s pursuit of humanity and restoration of that desired loving relationship now has an advocate and an avenue through which to love God completely. It is by acknowledging Jesus is the Son of God, and that he overcame the power of sin and death for all who believe in him.

This is the Gospel’s good news. This is Easter’s great news.

The Rev. Mark Broadhead is pastor at Laurel Hill Presbyterian Church and First Presbyterian Church of Crestview.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: BROADHEAD: Humanity remains hard-hearted, but God prevails

Resurrection Day, when we celebrate that Jesus has risen from the grave and sits at the right side of the Father, is quickly coming.

On this day, we reflect on how much God the Father loves us — enough that He was willing to allow His Son to go through the torment leading to His demise on the cross, as well as the pain and humiliation upon that same dreaded tree.

And on the third day, it was revealed that He is the Son of God and indeed the king of all kings! Every prophecy about Him was fulfilled, and all that we await now is His imminent return.

I know I have some special folks already in His presence, and one day will be reunited with them. My Papaw taught me about Jesus, not only with his words, but also through the dignity and patience with which he lived his life. He no longer hurts from cancer.

In my eyes, there is a giant playground in heaven — where little ones who went on without their mom and dad, through sickness, disaster, even abortion — are now. In the middle of this playground is a giant slide and a huge swing set. You see that man laughing and playing with the children? That is Papaw. That young lady scolding him for pushing them too high? That's Mamaw.

Others I know — too numerous to name here — are enjoying life there, a life that because of that first Resurrection Day I have the hope of enjoying, and not only me, but all who will call upon His name.

He arose on the first day of the week, the day we now call the Lord's Day, a Sunday morning. Because He followed His Father's will, we can have the hopes and dreams of healing, deliverance, peace, and most important, salvation brought about due to His blood being shed.

Find a good church on this Lord's Day, smile and be with God’s family, and thank God that He loves us so much.

The Rev. Richard Helms serves at Miracle Acres Ministries, 3187 E. James Lee Blvd., in Crestview.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: HELMS: Waiting for that foretold, giant playground in the sky

Generally, people don’t like to dwell on painful memories. Most want to forget the difficult ending to a relationship, a betrayal or a loved one’s death. Such memories often cause heartache or anger to resurface.

To not be stuck in painful memories, we must remember two things: We must let go of emotions that surround the painful incident, and we must remember the incident and the lessons learned.

Does this sound contradictory? It’s not.

I went through a painful period. For years afterward, I harbored great resentment and anger toward another person. I held great anger and disappointment toward myself. This kept me from trusting others, and prevented forgiveness.

While I continuously prayed for relief from the pain of that time, I was stuck. I couldn’t allow God to intervene. But God kept working on my heart.

When I was finally able to let go of the emotional prison that held me captive, I found the freedom and capability to let forgiveness flow toward the offender and myself.

Those emotions no longer control me. Life has continued on, our Lord continues to guide me along my path of faith, and joy has returned to my heart.

Have I forgotten that time in my life? As you can tell, no! The lessons learned remain, but the emotions no longer control me.

God said through the prophet Isaiah (43:18-19), “Do not remember the former things, or consider the things of old. I am about to do a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?”

God has done a new thing — in Jesus Christ! Jesus offers new life, a way of letting go of past hurt, anger and resentment. He offers the kind of forgiveness for which so many of us cry out. He offers new life, new hope, new joy.

Jesus will heal the wounds in your heart. Ask him to soften your heart to let go of emotions from the past, but to let you remember the lessons learned.

The Rev. Mark Broadhead is pastor at Laurel Hill Presbyterian Church and First Presbyterian Church of Crestview.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: BROADHEAD: Learn life lessons, but overcome past pain

In the book of Mark, chapter 10, beginning in the 46th verse, we read the story of Bartimaeus, a blind man whom Jesus healed. 

Bartimaeus was begging for assistance for his livelihood; evidently, he had heard of Jesus and His miracles, and had enough faith to cry out in the hope that Jesus would notice him. 

Even though he was told to be quiet, he yelled out more and, amid all those crying out to the Savior, the excited comments, and the day’s general noise, he somehow got Jesus' attention.  

Jesus stood still.  His attention had been drawn to this blind man, and He called for the blind man to come to Him.

Bartimaeus threw off his outer garments and went to the Master. The request was made known, and his healing was granted. Then Bartimaeus followed Jesus down the road. 

If we cry out to Jesus, I know from experience and His Word that He would stand still to hear our cry. 

If we will cast off our garments of unrighteousness, doubt — anything that trips us up, as a blind man's robes might — we can approach Him for our needs. 

God will hear our plea and our spiritual sight, as well as physical needs, can be granted. 

However — and this is where many stumble — we must follow Him. 

God is willing to stop and assist any who call earnestly upon His name, yet pride stops us; so does shame from sins we have committed. 

You can hide nothing from God, so you cannot surprise Him, but if you approach Him in desperation, or in need, He can surprise you with the great love that He has for His creation — you! 

The Rev. Richard Helms serves at Miracle Acres Ministries, 3187 E. James Lee Blvd., in Crestview.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: HELMS: Learning from Bartimaeus’ example