“You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love.” – Galatians 5:13 Today is Independence Day in the United States. We celebrate freedom with family, friends, food, and fireworks. Some will celebrate the day off with little thought to the value of freedom, or its cost. Many […]
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” – Philippians 4:6-7 Worry, it affects us all at various times in our lives. Some experience it more than others, and its impact varies from […]
In the last series of posts I wrote, one person commented about a distinction between God using our negative circumstances and God causing them. The latter was hard for them to embrace. I originally planned to respond to the comment in my post the following week in May 2015, and then, life took a serious change. As I approached the end of May, I started […]
Last night, a violent storm front came through our region. For an extended time, lightning flashed almost continually, thunder shook the house, and massive amounts of rain fell, mixed with near 70 MPH wind gusts. It was quite intense. This morning, I awoke to the sounds of birds chirping as they enjoyed breakfast in our yard. The air was fresh, the foliage lush, and the […]
Some things are simply too amazing to ignore. I am currently reading through the Book of Acts during my devotional time. This morning, my focus was on chapter 12, including the story of the Peter’s imprisonment by King Herod. Beginning at verse 6, the story reads, “The night before Herod was going to bring Peter’s case forward, Peter was asleep between two soldiers and bound […]
“This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us – whatever we ask – we know that we have what we asked of him.” – 1 John 5:14-15 For many years, I struggled with the difference between confidence and arrogance. I would hear some statements […]
After nearly three weeks, we are beginning to feel settled in our new appointment. Transition between churches and moving to a new community in a new region shake up comfort zones and break most of established routines. These changes can be as simple as whether to call carbonated beverages “pop” or “soda,” or they can be the obstacle of navigating unknown roads to new destinations. […]
It was supposed to be a debilitating spring snowstorm, but for much of the area it was only frosting on the grass and a lot of rain. All expectations focused on broken tree limbs, downed power lines and plenty of ice. Thankfully, the expectations were wrong. What could have been the “April Surprise” was just surprisingly cold. As the news media began reporting the forecast […]
Yesterday, I announced that I was being appointed to another church. The congregation I serve did not expect that news and a few weeks ago, neither did I. I already indicated my desire to stay where I was and the church shared their hope that I would remain their pastor. We were comfortable with each other and enjoying ministry together, then God stepped in with […]
Last night, a band of dangerous thunderstorms moved through our area and brought with them high winds and tornados. It was a harrowing time for some people and the damage while isolated, was significant. As is typical of these times of natural destruction, the pain and destruction were deemed, “an act of God,” by media and others. It is interesting that God gets the blame […]