Jesus told his disciples, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:8) What does a witness do? A witness tells their story. A witness tells what they saw or experienced. A witness shares what they witnessed. A witness […]
“And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told to them.” Luke 2:1:20 ESV The shepherds responded to the angel’s message by immediately going to Bethlehem to see the Promise of God in person. They arrived and told everyone what had happened to them, and what was told to them about the precious child […]
As election day draws closer, the aggressive nature of the campaign continues to escalate. There is a steady stream of venom spoken in the public sphere. A parade of television and radio messages declare the litany of reasons why opposing candidates are the apparent incarnation of evil. Every mistake is magnified and used to demonize the opposition, which inspires a multitude of loyal followers to […]
This is the month our culture turns its attention to the celebration of the gift of love. Special dinners, chocolates and other special gifts become symbols of our emotions as we celebrate Valentine’s Day. While some may say it is little more than a holiday created to sell more cards and gifts, at least there is a moment when we pause to reflect on the […]
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 […]
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, […]
Why do we find it so hard to be nice to each other? I have been driving more than usual lately and all that time on the road gave me an opportunity to see a multitude of campaign signs. Many of them were typical “Vote for me!” advertisements, but some were just plain mean, with rude and nasty comments about opponents. This type of campaigning […]
“I didn’t do it!” oh, how I remember those shouts from my young children when we would ask them about how something got broken, went missing, or used inappropriately. Their immediate response was denial. It seemed, no one in our family did it. We even developed a humorous spirit about these moments, blaming the dogs, mystery visitors, even imaginary animals for the unexplained events. We […]
Why is is that some of the most simple lessons seem more challenging to learn and put into practice? Recently, I was browsing religion and faith blogs to find some personal inspiration and to make connection with other bloggers with similar interests. I found a number of interesting sites and posts and even discovered a couple of blogs I enjoyed so much I added them […]
Jesus told his disciples they were to, “Go.” The Great Commission, as it has come to be known, was an assignment to take the knowledge and experience of the saving grace of God and go to furthest corners of the world to share it. Such a task requires action to complete. There is no room for passivity and apathy, this is a mission of passion and purpose. […]