What would you do if you truly believed all things are possible with God? Early this morning, while I was still up wrestling with the symptoms of a sinus infection I am fighting, I made a decision to jump into the middle of the river. No, I am not planning on literally getting wet, but figuratively, I am in up to my neck and it […]
I have many favorite hymns, but one of them is definitely “O For a Thousand Tongues to Sing.” The hymn always touched me but recently, it became even more meaningful. There is a stanza in this classic hymn that includes the words, “He breaks the power of canceled sin, he sets the prisoner free.” I cannot begin to imagine how many times I sang these […]
When I lead mission trips, one of the key tools I take with me are journals. I encourage each member of the team to keep a personal journal where they can write memories and insights then reflect upon them in prayer to see if they can sense the Holy Spirit leading them to a deeper understanding of themselves, of God and of their experience. I […]
We exercised our right to vote and now we face an even bigger responsibility: supporting our leaders and becoming a part of the solution. Our commitment to God and country reaches far beyond a day here or there when we cast an informed ballot. We are called to build community, work together for the common good and seek God’s direction on how to lift up […]
Recently, my wife and I went out for a lunch together at a local restaurant. It was wonderful to spend some time together. What was not as wonderful was the discovery of a hair in my sandwich just as I finished eating the first half. The waitress was very understanding when I explained the situation and immediately went to get the manager. When she arrived, […]
“He who finds a wife finds what is good and receives favor from the Lord.” – Proverbs 18:22 Twenty-seven years ago, I awoke in a Pittsburgh hotel a married man. The previous day was a flurry of activity leading up to our wedding, and after celebrating with family and friends, and making time to visit a few of our relatives who could not come to […]
Yesterday was All Saints Day. Admittedly, this is a day created by the church of the past to offer a more Christian focus for celebrating the transition from October to November. It never quite eclipsed the celebration of Halloween, but it did add an important day of remembrance to the church calendar. When the Bible refers to “saints” it is clearly a reference to all […]
“In the coming days, I will be sharing some suggestions to help encourage and empower your study.” I remember writing those words, surprisingly weeks ago. I would love to tell you that my time was filled with study; digging into great spiritual depth, but that would be a lie. In the days that followed my last post, church life, family life, even community life became amazingly […]
It was a challenging month. Work responsibilities and some family concerns consumed an inordinate amount of time, and I confess my exhaustion left me somewhat uninspired. That, however, was the past and it is time for a new beginning. On November 1st, my regular posting will resume. I look forward to sharing the journey together with you and thank you for your patient understanding. A […]
“I don’t want to study!” I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve heard those words, and how many times I said them. There are times when all of us would rather not expend the metal effort to take in more information. Sometimes we feel too tired or maybe the material does not excite us, but whatever the reason, we don’t feel like learning any […]