First Christian Church of Hartford KS

06/15/2026

06/15/2026

Attitudes to Counteract
Teach us to realize the brevity of life, so that we may grow in wisdom. (Psalm 90:12)

By Pastor Chuck Swindoll

The older I get, and the more I talk with and listen to older people, the more I sense a growing discontentment rather than acceptance. I witnessed it in my own father during the last decade of his life. My mother died in 1971, but he (although 15 years older than she) lived on to 1980. He lived a number of those years in our home with us, allowing us a never-to-be-forgotten occasion to observe firsthand the agony of aging alone, even though he was surrounded by our family of six who wanted to relate to him, express our love, and include him in the mainstream of our world. We detected that “Pee-Po” had adopted a series of attitudes that made a close relationship extremely difficult if not impossible.

Because they are not unique to him, I share them openly. Without wanting to sound critical, I believe it is correct to say that these attitudes come from our fallen, sinful nature . . . not from the Lord. They are therefore terribly demoralizing.

Uselessness
Guilt
Self-Pity
Fear
I do not want to seem without compassion when I write this next sentence, but it needs to be said right up front. As natural and understandable as feelings of uselessness, guilt, self-pity, and fear may be, they do not come from God. The Lord does not prompt those feelings—we do. They are strictly and completely human in their source, leaving us caught in their undertow. To strengthen our grip on aging, these feelings must somehow be counteracted.

God’s Word never fails to guide us into the right perspective on life. Psalm 90 is no exception. Written by an older gentleman (Moses) in his eighties—perhaps even older than that—the psalm takes a brief but accurate look at life. It begins by reminding us that God is ageless.

So how do we make heads or tails of it? Is there some guideline, some piece of advice, some divine principle to follow that will help us strengthen our grip on aging? Yes! “Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom” (Psalm 90:12, NIV 1984).

06/14/2026

A Great Outlook on Life
That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day.
(2 Corinthians 4:16)

By Pastor Chuck Swindoll

Let’s consider a couple of alternative responses to aging. First, view life as a challenge not a threat. You’ve been around long enough to know that nobody can predict our tomorrows. So, obviously the answer is that we adopt Caleb’s mentality and refuse all temptations to hibernate, worry, curl up, fold up, and dry up (Joshua 14:6–15). Grab each day (remember, the secret is handling each day) and accept each hour as a challenge.

If viewing life as a challenge were an unachievable goal, it would be mockery for me to hold it out as a carrot. But it is definitely attainable. I see older men and women all the time refusing to sink into the swamp of depression. While we were a part of the church in Fullerton, California, we began an exciting program for our older adults. They called themselves the Forever Young group, and they meant business! They enjoyed a meal together once or twice a week, they traveled to various places of interest together, they did projects together, but most of all they were together. It was thrilling to see some who were once alone, discouraged, and failing mentally come out of their shells and enjoy life.

The second alternative response to aging is to follow the Lord fully, not halfheartedly. That’s exactly what Caleb did. “Therefore, Hebron became the inheritance of Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite until this day, because he followed the LORD God of Israel fully” (Joshua 14:14).

I’m certain that was a major factor in his youthful response to life. In fact, a close look at this biography will reveal that on two other occasions the same thing is said of Caleb: he followed the Lord God fully (verses 8–9). In other words, Caleb’s walk of faith was constant, a regular part of his day. The man determined that the Lord his God would be his life’s Partner, regardless.

I encourage you to make the same commitment today. Yes, you can! The only thing standing in your way is that decision to turn your life over to Him. When (and only when) you do that will you begin to realize that no number of clouds will dim the Son from your life. Become a part of the Sons of Caleb. Join the club. As soon as you do, you will be amazed at the difference in your outlook on life.

06/13/2026

Committed Disciples
“So you cannot become my disciple without giving up everything you own.” (Luke 14:33)

By Pastor Chuck Swindoll

I must confess that I misunderstood the teaching of Jesus in Luke 14 for many years. Within the context of declaring the extreme terms of discipleship, He slips in two stories that explain why the terms are so costly.

The first study has to do with building and the second has to do with fighting. Both emphasize the high cost of doing each correctly and the importance of counting the cost. But be careful how you read these words. We are not told to count the cost. Look again at the verses and see it for yourself. Who, in the two stories, counts the cost? Well, the one in charge of the building project does that. And the king, who is responsible for the outcome of the battle, does that. Not the construction crews, not the fighting men. No, it’s the one in charge.

Obviously, it is the Lord Himself whom Jesus has in mind. He has designed the kind of “spiritual building” that will best display His glory. He is also fully aware of the battle that must be fought to get the job done. Having that perspective, He Himself has counted the cost and determined the quality of workmanship His “building” requires. And He Himself has counted the cost and determined the characteristics His soldiers must have to win the battle which will inevitably be waged against His plan. He (not we) has counted the cost.

Does that make better sense? I recall, many years ago, preaching strong sermons on counting the cost. I even sang songs with the same idea in mind. But after looking deeply into the whole scene, I really believe it is not the Christian who determines the cost; it’s our Lord. After all, the whole arrangement is His entirely.

Why are the qualifications so high? Why are the terms so costly? Stop and think about that. The “building” He has designed cannot be erected correctly without skilled, committed laborers. To lower His standards would lessen the quality of His ultimate product. He isn’t willing to do that. And the kind of battle that must be fought cannot be handled by weary, ill-trained, noncommittal, half-hearted troops.

That explains why the terms of discipleship must remain top level . . . and why the ranks will always be thinned when the general, run-of-the-mill crowd of Christians is faced with Christ’s no-nonsense call for committed disciples.

06/12/2026

Jack Flaherty was adopted at 3 weeks old. He ended up being raised by a single Mother. He wanted to quit baseball his Freshman year. His Mom told him she understood and he could, as long as he told his younger brother that when things get tough, it's ok to quit. Jack went to practice the next day.
Now Jack will be pitching in the NLCS with his Mother watching. This was them last night after his 6 inning start. Before going in the clubhouse. Before popping champagne with his teammates. Before talking to the dozens of worldwide sports networks begging him for his ego and attention.
He went to see Mom first.
Credit: Bryant Hileman and Project Pomona

06/12/2026

Making Disciples
Then the eleven disciples left for Galilee, going to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him—but some of them doubted! Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:16–20)

By Pastor Chuck Swindoll

A buzzword in Christian circles during the 1970s was discipleship. Everybody, it seemed, got on the bandwagon. I didn’t keep a written record, but during that decade I doubt that I read a dozen books or magazine articles on the church or some specific area of ministry that did not mention discipleship. Yet for all that talking and writing, so little discipleship actually took place. Lots of programs were started by well-meaning churches and pastors, but you can’t program discipleship. Disciples aren’t mass-produced; they’re reproduced one or two at a time as older disciples invest in the lives of younger disciples.

While this emphasis on “making disciples” had become a fad, it was nonetheless a refreshing change from years past when much of the emphasis was on big, impersonal, mass gatherings. The shift from simply attending church meetings and evangelistic crusades to “body life” (another buzzword) and discipleship involvements was long overdue.

But like all trends, the discipleship craze gave way again to mass gatherings—enormous collections of Christians packed into what we now call “mega-churches.” These movements were exciting to watch; they made church relevant again to a generation feeling disconnected from church life. But, as churches grew wide, they also grew shallower. Believers began to crave something more, something deeper, something even more relevant to them as individuals. So, we see again a resurgence of discipleship.

The new term is mentoring, but the meaning is the same. I prefer the older term because it retains the spirit of the Great Commission, which is to “make disciples.” Furthermore, mentoring can apply to any human endeavor. Business professionals can mentor younger business people. Older artists can mentor new generations of artists. But “discipleship” remains uniquely Christian.

Regardless of which term we use, Christians need other mature Christians to help them personalize their faith, to move them out of the spectator realm and onto the playing field. Discipleship is, after all, the mandate handed to us by Jesus Himself.