“Goals” Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:13 & 14 This week I started … [Read more…]
“In This Time of Chaos” My numerous attempts to write something pastoral and insightful about the renewed violent atrocities in the Holy Land all proved to be futile. I felt like no matter what I could write, the words weren’t enough. Then I found the below prayer. This says it much better than I could … [Read more…]
“Lessons From the Past” As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called … [Read more…]
“Inconceivable!” One of my all-time favorite movies is The Princess Bride. The movie has so many quotable lines, and one of my favorites is when, in response to one of the characters saying the word “inconceivable” over and over, a character says: “You keep saying that word. I do not think it means what you … [Read more…]
“What Can I Do?” When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.” Matthew 9:36-38 Have you ever … [Read more…]
“His Eye Is On The Sparrow” God said, “Let the earth produce every kind of living thing: livestock, crawling things, and wildlife.” And that’s what happened. God made every kind of wildlife, every kind of livestock, and every kind of creature that crawls on the ground. God saw how good it was.” Genesis 1:24-25 As I … [Read more…]
“Experiences” …And He walks with me, And He talks with me, And He tells me I am His own, And the Joy we share as we tarry there, None other, has ever known. “Describe your personal experience of God.” I am privileged to be a part of a Committee on Ministry, which meets with those … [Read more…]
A Future of Impossible Hope As I write this today, any number of awful things are happening in the world. Communities have been devastated by fire, flood, and wind. Wars rage, violence erupts on city streets, governments that are supposed to protect oppress instead. Tragedy strikes, grief lingers, jobs are lost, and doctors can offer … [Read more…]
“Spiritual” So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him.” Romans 12:1 Earlier this week I was in a meeting … [Read more…]
“Training” “Train children in the way they should go; when they grow old, they won’t depart from it.” Proverbs 22:6 It has been busy this week in our house. Sunday afternoon we brought home our newest family member, Roxie, an 8-week-old Great Dane. It has been 7 or 8 years since we last had a … [Read more…]