Little Men

A Series on Lamentations
(Click on the link below to read the verses.)
Lamentations 2:1-22; Jeremiah 19:1-15 

[The book of Lamentations was written by Jeremiah to the Jews in Babylon who had been exiled and were lamenting the destruction of Jerusalem. Known as the “weeping prophet”, his tears flowed from a broken heart for Jerusalem – the “City of God” – and her people. This series will look at Lamentations to learn about God’s justice and mercy, the consequences of sin and the hope for redemption.]

  

When I was about eight years old, I loved playing with my “little men”. One time I had a good western story going. It included a prairie home built with Lincoln Logs, fences, horses and “little men” cowboys.

 

However, when mom called me to dinner, I wasn’t quite ready to stop. After the third time and no response from me, my dad responded. He stomped into the living room and, with one swift kick of his foot, destroyed everything that I had built.

 

I was devastated. It hurt more than if he had spanked me. Not only was he angry at me, but I felt like he didn’t love me.

 

The people of Jerusalem may have felt the same way towards the Lord. They had been disobedient by worshiping the false god Baal. They’d even sacrificed their own children by fire.

 

The Lord told Jeremiah to take a clay jar and meet with the elders and priests at the Potsherd Gate. This is where people would throw away their broken and worthless pots. It was also adjacent to the Valley of Hinnom, which in the New Testament was translated as hell. It’s where the people sacrificed their children.

 

Standing on broken shards of pottery, with the memories of dying children in their minds, Jeremiah gave them one last opportunity to repent. They refused. Therefore, as a metaphor of the judgment that the Lord would bring upon them, the Lord gave Jeremiah the following instructions.

 

¹⁰ “As these men watch you, Jeremiah, smash the jar you brought. ^11a Then say to them, “This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: As this jar lies shattered, so I will shatter the people of Judah and Jerusalem beyond all hope of repair.     NLT   Jeremiah 19

 

When I was disobedient as a little boy, the only thing that I lost was the story of my “little men”. But the people of Jerusalem? They lost everything!

 

^1b In his day of great anger,
    the Lord has shown no mercy even to his Temple.

 

^2a Without mercy the Lord has destroyed
    every home in Israel.
In his anger he has broken down
    the fortress walls of beautiful Jerusalem.  

^11b Little children and tiny babies
    are fainting and dying in the streets.

^12a-b They cry out to their mothers, “We need food and drink!” …
They gasp for life as they collapse in their mothers’ arms. 

 

^21a “See them lying in the streets—
    young and old, boys and girls,
    killed by the swords of the enemy.     NLT   Lamentations 2

 

We are all disobedient to the Lord. We may not sacrifice our children, but our sin is still detestable to him. Just like it did for the people of Jerusalem, sin brings death and destruction. Thankfully, the Lord sent his son Jesus to take our punishment.

 

²¹ So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. ²⁴ What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? ²⁵ Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!     NIV    Romans 7

 

Copyright 2026 Joseph B Williams

Feel free to share this blog with others.

www.lifelinebasketball.blogspot.com

 

September 11, 2001

A Series on Lamentations
(Click on the link below to read the verses.)
Jeremiah 52; Lamentations 1 

[The book of Lamentations was written by Jeremiah to the Jews in Babylon who had been exiled and were lamenting the destruction of Jerusalem. Known as the “weeping prophet”, his tears flowed from a broken heart for Jerusalem – the “City of God” – and her people. This series will look at Lamentations to learn about God’s justice and mercy, the consequences of sin and the hope for redemption.]

 

Do you remember where you were on September 11, 2001? I do. I was at a meeting when someone got a message on his pager from his wife. When he called back, she told him that a plane had flown into one of the World Trade Center Towers.

 

For the rest of the day, Americans were glued to their TV’s unable to believe what they were seeing. People openly wept as they watched victims jumping out of the towers and were stunned as both towers collapsed like a house of cards. A total of 2,606 people died at the towers that day, not including those in the planes.

 

Jeremiah is known as the “weeping prophet” because he wept over the sins of Jerusalem. But not only for their sins, but also for the consequences of their sins. That is, the destruction of Jerusalem – the “City of God”.

 

In 586 BC, the Babylonian army of King Nebuchadnezzar laid siege on Jerusalem. Eventually, Jehoiachin, the king of Judah, surrendered. As a result, Jehoiachin, his family members and all of Jerusalem’s elite were taken prisoners. Only the poorest people remained. Nebuchadnezzar also seized the Temple treasures.

 

Following this, Zedekiah, who was appointed as the puppet king of Judah, rebelled against Babylon. As a result, Nebuchadnezzar once again laid siege upon Jerusalem. Because it lasted for over two years, the famine became so severe that there was no food left.

 

¹¹ Her people [Jerusalem] groan as they search for bread.
    They have sold their treasures for food to stay alive.
“O Lord, look,” she mourns, “and see how I am despised”.   NLT

 

Finally, the Babylonian army breached the walls of Jerusalem. Zedekiah was taken prisoner and forced to watch as the Babylonians killed his sons. Then they gouged out his eyes and led him to Babylon where he died in prison.

 

In addition, the Babylonians did much more than take the Temple treasures.

 

¹³ He burned down the Temple of the Lord, the royal palace, and all the houses of Jerusalem. He destroyed all the important buildings in the city. ¹⁴ Then he supervised the entire Babylonian army as they tore down the walls of Jerusalem on every side.  NLT            Jeremiah 52

 

The Lord used Babylon as a tool of judgment for the sins of the people of Jerusalem. Jeremiah was the prophet who warned them of the consequences of their sin. But they didn’t listen.

 

¹⁸ “The Lord is right,” Jerusalem says, “for I rebelled against him.
Listen, people everywhere; look upon my anguish and despair,
for my sons and daughters have been taken captive to distant lands.      NLT

 

Yet, there is hope. Despite the Lord’s judgment, he opened another door for forgiveness and redemption. Almost 600 years later, a tiny baby boy was born in Bethlehem. As it turned out, one of the ancestors of that baby was King Jehoiachin, who survived the Babylonian judgment.

 

Just like Jeremiah wept over the people of Jerusalem, so did Jesus during his triumphal entry as king. Only he wasn’t coming to establish a worldly kingdom but a spiritual one. One that is still available for us today.

 

¹⁵ “The time promised by God has come at last!” Jesus announced. “The Kingdom of God is near! Repent of your sins and believe the Good News!”    Mark 1           NLT

 

Copyright 2026 Joseph B Williams

Feel free to share this blog with others.

www.lifelinebasketball.blogspot.com

 

A Pivotal Play

A Series on Spiritual Turning Points
Moments in Time: Pivotal
(Click on the link below to read the verses.)
Mark 8:27-35 

[God is always at work in our life – drawing us to him, helping us to become the person he created us to be and leading us to opportunities to serve him. In this series we will look at spiritual turning points in the lives of real people and the moments in time that it happened. Applying this to our own life, sometimes this happens suddenly, sometimes gradually, but always with purpose.]

  

Sometimes during a football game, you can point to one moment, or one play, that shifted the outcome of the whole game. Sometimes, one play can even be pivotal for the remainder of the season. Such was the case on October 17, 2015.

Michigan State was playing their instate rival, the University of Michigan. With ten seconds left in the game Michigan was leading 23-21. However, they had to punt. 

“There’s trouble with the snap” yelled the TV announcer. Then a Michigan State player picked up the fumble and ran for the winning touchdown!

 

Jesus had taken his disciples on an unexpected route outside of Galilee into the pagan city of Caesarea Philippi. The city was well known for its worship of Greek gods as well as a temple devoted to Baal. Noticing this, it may have prompted Jesus to ask his disciples “Who do people say I am”.

 

He didn’t ask out of idol curiosity or a need for his ego to be stroked. Instead, he used the opportunity to gauge if it was time to make a pivotal shift in his ministry. Most likely his second question was what he really wanted to ask them.

 

²⁹ Then he asked them, “But who do you say I am?”

Peter replied, “You are the Messiah.”    NLT

 

Peter’s confession was pivotal in Jesus’ ministry. For one thing, it changed the course of where they would go. From that point forward, Jesus set his face towards Jerusalem and the cross. But also, now Jesus would teach his disciples what to expect once they arrived in Jerusalem.

 

³¹ He then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again.  NIV

 

Although Peter was correct to say that Jesus was the Messiah, he had the wrong understanding of the word. At that time, Messiah had come to describe the king who was expected to rescue Israel from its enemies and establish his kingdom.

 

Therefore, when Jesus spoke about suffering and being rejected and killed, it didn’t compute for Peter. In fact, he confronted Jesus. However, Jesus rebuked Peter with this stunning statement: “Get behind me Satan”.

 

Then Jesus called the crowd over, along with his disciples, and told them, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me”. The paraphrase of this in The Message is insightful.

 

³⁴ Calling the crowd to join his disciples, he said, “Anyone who intends to come with me has to let me lead. You’re not in the driver’s seat; I am. Don’t run from suffering; embrace it. Follow me and I’ll show you how.             MSG

 

This was a pivotal lesson for Peter to learn. Truth be known, it’s a pivotal lesson for all of us to learn. Jesus accepted Peter for who he was and where he was at in his understanding. He does the same with us.

 

A pivotal play can change a moment of our life; a day, a season, or even the rest of our life. But it boils down to one thing. That is, how do WE answer Jesus’ question… It’s pivotal!

 

¹⁵ “But what about you?” Jesus asked. “Who do you say I am?” ¹⁶ Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”      NIV    Matthew 16

 

Copyright 2026 Joseph B Williams

Feel free to share this blog with others.

www.lifelinebasketball.blogspot.com

 

 

Small Beginnings

A Series on Spiritual Turning Points
Moments in Time: Seminal
(Click on the link below to read the verses.)
Genesis 11:27-12:9 

[God is always at work in our life – drawing us to him, helping us to become the person he created us to be and leading us to opportunities to serve him. In this series we will look at spiritual turning points in the lives of real people and the moments in time that it happened. Applying this to our own life, sometimes this happens suddenly, sometimes gradually, but always with purpose.]

 

The Emmy Award winning TV miniseries Roots was released in 1977. In many ways it was a seminal event that changed people’s attitudes about African Americans and slavery. Millions were confronted with its realities and brutality.

 

I can still remember the dramatic scene where Kunta Kinte takes his infant daughter Kizzy and holds her up, like an offering, to the star filled sky. The contrast between the tiny, insignificant baby, and the enormity of the universe was striking.

 

The story of Abraham is also a seminal event. Born in Mesopotamia in Ur of the Chaldeans, where they worshiped the moon god, the Lord had called Abraham to go to Canaan.

 

¹ The Lord had said to Abram, “Leave your native country, your relatives, and your father’s family, and go to the land that I will show you.      NLT

 

Abraham’s call included this promise.

 

² “I will make you into a great nation,
    and I will bless you;
I will make your name great,
    and you will be a blessing.       NIV

 

However, the promise may have seemed hollow to Abraham as his wife Sarah was childless and unable to conceive. In addition, at seventy-five years old he wasn’t a young man. It would also mean uprooting his family to go to a land that he knew nothing about. Despite all of this, he went.

 

That didn’t make life easy though. Over ten years later, Sarah was still childless and Abraham was very discouraged. But the word of the Lord came to him in a vision and reassured him of his promise.

 

⁵ The Lord took him outside and said, “Look up at the sky and count the stars—if indeed you can count them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” ⁶ Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness.            NIV    Genesis 15

 

The Lord had promised Abraham that he would be a blessing to “all the peoples on earth”. And because of his faithfulness, he became the father of many nations.

 

¹² And so from this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore.            NIV    Hebrews 11

 

Not only that, but Abaraham is an ancestor of Jesus. And like Abraham’s story, the birth of Jesus was a seminal event… a small beginning with big results.

 

³¹ Jesus told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. ³² Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches.”            NIV    Matthew 13

 

The Lord uses small beginnings with impossible circumstances to accomplish his will; to build the kingdom of heaven; to bring the Good News; to be a blessing. What seminal event(s) have you experienced?

Copyright 2026 Joseph B Williams

Feel free to share this blog with others.

www.lifelinebasketball.blogspot.com

 

 

Dirty Diapers

A Series on Spiritual Turning Points
Moments in Time: Epochal
(Click on the link below to read the verses.)
Mark 1:1-15 

[God is always at work in our life – drawing us to him, helping us to become the person he created us to be and leading us to opportunities to serve him. In this series we will look at spiritual turning points in the lives of real people and the moments in time that it happened. Applying this to our own life, sometimes this happens suddenly, sometimes gradually, but always with purpose.]

 

Children… change… your… life! That’s a fact. When you start a family, nothing is the same. Your life is not your own. You’re rudely awakened at all hours of the night. You clean, or change, poopy diapers at the most inconvenient times.

 

As a new dad, I remember coming home from work one day really needing to use the only bathroom that we had in our house. But when I ran upstairs and lifted the toilet lid, to my dismay, there was a dirty diaper in it. So first, I had to clean the diaper which meant picking it up out of the “water”.

 

Having a baby is epochal. It’s the beginning of a new era of life. The Gospel of Mark is also epochal. The first verse of the first chapter makes a bold proclamation!

 

¹ The beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God.       NIV

 

Jesus was, and is, the King of Kings. His kingdom is not a physical one, but one of the Spirit. It can’t be seen. And John the Baptist, as prophesied in Isaiah and quoted by Mark in his Gospel, announced that the king would soon be arriving to claim his kingdom. 

 

^2b “Look, I am sending my messenger ahead of you,
    and he will prepare your way.
³ He is a voice shouting in the wilderness,
‘Prepare the way for the Lord’s coming!
    Clear the road for him!’”           NLT

 

In order to “prepare the way for the Lord”, John called people to repent of their sins and be baptized. In fact, Jesus himself was baptized by John. And when he did, the Holy Spirit descended on Jesus and a voice came from heaven saying, “You are my Son, whom I love.” This wasn’t just a baptism. It was the anointing of the king.

 

Following this, the Spirit sent Jesus into the wilderness to be tempted by Satan for forty days. Jesus was being prepared to begin his kingdom under the crucible of severe temptation. And when he returned, he began by making a profound statement – a declaration really – worthy of a king.

 

¹⁵ “The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!”     NIV

 

Jesus’ declaration that “the kingdom of God has come”, was an epochal shift. From that time forward, redemption changed from the daily animal sacrifices of the Law of Moses to the human sacrifice of the Son of God – once and for all.

 

The Lord’s prayer that we still pray 2000 years after Jesus walked this earth, recognizes and embraces his kingdom.

 

"Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name; thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. 

 

That kingdom is ours to continue. Let us do so purposefully as we pray his prayer and do his will to share the good news.

 

Copyright 2026 Joseph B Williams

Feel free to share this blog with others.

www.lifelinebasketball.blogspot.com

 

 

Spoiled

 A Series on Spiritual Turning Points
Moments in Time: Revelatory
(Click on the link below to read the verses.)
Isaiah 6:1-13 

[God is always at work in our life – drawing us to him, helping us to become the person he created us to be and leading us to opportunities to serve him. In this series we will look at spiritual turning points in the lives of real people and the moments in time that it happened. Applying this to our own life, sometimes this happens suddenly, sometimes gradually, but always with purpose.]

  

Growing up, I was really, really, really spoiled. I was the youngest of four kids and my next oldest sibling was six years older. In effect, it was like growing up as an only child. The weird thing is that I didn’t realize that I was so self-centered. At least, not until college.

 

My revelation came when I read a book titled, “The Taste of New Wine”. The marketing overview on the inside flap reads: “Its message is a breakthrough for honesty, integrity, and openness in our relations with God and with each other”. This was one time when the marketing material of a book was true.

 

Uzziah reigned as the king of Judah for fifty-two years. In the beginning, he was described as “doing what was right in the eyes of the Lord”. He built up Jerusalem, improved the infrastructure, kept large herds of livestock and maintained a standing army. In a word, Judah prospered under Uzziah’s steadfast leadership.

 

As long as he sought the Lord’s guidance, God gave him success. However, with success and power came pride which led to his downfall. He sinned against the Lord and because of that, he was afflicted with leprosy, banned from the Temple and lived out his days in isolated shame.

 

The year that King Uzziah died was tumultuous due to the change in leadership and a rising threat from the Assyrian empire. In addition, the people of Judah were still worshipping foreign gods because Uzziah never removed their high places.

 

During this same year the Lord called Isaiah to be his prophet. It was a dramatic calling, as well as a revelatory moment. Isaiah saw the Lord sitting on his throne and the train of his robe filled the Temple. There were seraphim flying above him and their voices shook the Temple to its foundations, which was filled with smoke.

 

³ And they were calling to one another:

“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory."        NIV

    

 

Because he had seen how holy the Lord was, Isaiah realized how sinful he was.

 

⁵ “Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King the Lord Almighty.”                NIV

 

One of the seraphim picked up a burning coal from the fire on the altar and touched Isaiah’s lips with it saying, “Now your guilt is removed, and your sins are forgiven”.

 

⁸ Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I. Send me!”                      NIV

 

As we draw closer to the Lord, it becomes apparent how “holy, holy, holy” he is, and how sinful we are. That’s what happened to me when reading “The Taste of New Wine”. For the first time, I could see just how really, really, really spoiled I was.

 

One of my favorite hymns is taken from this passage in Isaiah. Here is one verse that summarizes what it means to recognize the holiness of God, and how much we need his love and forgiveness.

 

Holy, Holy, Holy! though the darkness hide thee,
Though the eye of sinful man thy glory may not see,
Only thou art holy; there is none beside thee,
Perfect in pow'r, in love, and purity.

 

Apparently, there is hope… even for a spoiled kid.

 

Copyright 2026 Joseph B Williams

Feel free to share this blog with others.

www.lifelinebasketball.blogspot.com