Jason Locke's Blog

My dad Larry Locke took his final breath this afternoon. He was in the comfort of his own home in Lebanon, Tennessee. It was as beautiful a spring day as Middle Tennessee can provide. Lovely breeze. Chirping birds. Blooming flowers. But Dad had been unable for weeks to notice the glory of God's created world. He was ready to go and be with the Lord forever. Over the last 2+ years, Larry had struggled with dementia and previously undiagnosed depression. A lifelong runner, he had never spent a night in the hospital prior to this sickness. The loss of his vitality was a blow to all who knew and loved him. While his first hospitalization returned him to a level close to his old self, subsequent declines and hospital stays left him a shadow of the man we knew. His time for this life would number 76 years. Larry Locke was born in 1942 in Shelbyville, Tennessee. His father, W. H. Locke, owned a small diner. His mother, Pansy Worley Locke, had done office work but as a mother was mos...

The massacre of fifty people at an Orlando night club is a horror story. Unless you are emotionally numb, you ought to feel incredible sorrow when hearing about the victims. And as you learn about the gunman's perverted views on the value of life, you should feel some sense of revulsion. But is it enough to feel anger or empathy? Isn't there something we ought to do? How should believing people respond to tragedies like the one in Orlando? What should our words look and sound like in the wake of disaster? How do we bear witness to the hope of Jesus Christ when folks are torn by grief and fear? Here are three biblical responses to tragedy. 1. Be present and be silent. Job's personal disaster would make headlines in our world today. Job was a leading figure in his society, one of the wealthiest and largest employers around. Yet in one fell swoop, Job experienced a terrorist attack and natural calamity rolled into one. He lost all his family (except his wife),...

What stands as an antidote to the decline of Christianity in the Western world? What can stem the tide of ridicule and disrespect directed toward many pastors and churches? "Those who love God must love their brothers and sisters also" (1 John 4:21). What would this look like in real life? Well, it should look like the church to which you belong. You cannot claim to be a Christian and yet only care about yourself. You cannot be a minister and yet abuse people & take advantage of your position. You cannot claim to love God and yet be foul-mouthed and ridicule your fellow human being. Your church should not claim to be a Christian community if they are not known for their love for one another. Love of brother and sister is what sets the true Christian community apart. "They'll know we are Christians by our love" is more than a clever lyric for an old campfire song. It should be our way of life. Tertullian (~200 A.D.) said this about how true C...

The pen is mightier than the sword. This old adage has been put to the test lately. Before Christmas, Sony Pictures pulled its farcical comedy about an assassination plot on North Korea’s dictator. Cyber-attacks along with additional threats struck fear into the hearts of Sony's higher-ups. After public pressure from the White House and from various free speech advocates, Sony rethought its stance and released the movie. This week, two terrorists stormed the offices of Charlie Hedbo , an irreverent yet serious weekly paper in France. Their scathing critiques of politics, society & religion provoked a broad range of responses from across French society: fandom, laughter, scorn and apparently hatred. Their depictions of Muhammad were a lightning rod for Muslims. They repeatedly poked fun at Muhammad and at Islam. This so angered radicalized Muslims that multiple threats had come to the editors of Charlie Hedbo who were under constant guard. The terrorists were st...

We spent several days in Las Vegas during the Christmas holidays. Being there helped me reflect on a couple things that are relevant as we turn the page from 2014 to 2015. Outside the glitz and the slots and the sleaze, Las Vegas is actually a lot like Fresno. It’s the same hardscrabble town in an arid landscape. Both have a major university, thousands of immigrants, a large homeless population, and many success stories built on the back of the local economy. Las Vegas is the country’s 30th largest city, Fresno the 34th. They both face serious social, economic and environmental challenges. Yet unlike Fresno, Las Vegas has crafted a profitable niche for itself that draws millions of visitors a year. Fresno’s airport served 700,000 passengers in 2013, Las Vegas’ airport 42,000,000 (not a misprint!). Fresno markets itself as being CLOSE to major attractions. Las Vegas is close to major sites as well, but it is a destination in and of itself. It’s a fascinating contrast between tw...