There are always uncertainties ahead, but there is always one certainty—God’s will is good. –Vernon Paterson, businessman For the enemy has persecuted my soul; He has crushed my life to the ground; He has made me dwell in dark places, like those who have long been dead. Therefore my spirit is overwhelmed within me; My heart is appalled within me. […]
Give me the love that leads the way, The faith that nothing can dismay The hope no disappointments tire, The passion that will burn like fire; Let me not sink to be a clod; Make me Thy fuel, Flame of God –Amy Carmichael, missionary to India Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord […]
The fallout from the Ashley Madison scandal continues, and it isn’t pretty. On August 18, 2015, hackers exposed the names of more than 30 million people listed on the adultery-oriented website. Six days later, Christie Gibson found her husband John’s lifeless body in their home. The 56-year-old pastor and seminary professor had taken his own […]
“I’ll burn my stillerz gear in my yard and i’ll remove my tattoo from my leg!” If you’re not “from around here,” the statement likely makes no sense. But if you’ve ever spent time in western PA, you’re aware that our little slice of the world has a culture of its own. Ever since the glory days of […]
Memories; they can be a powerful force in our lives. Some of our more painful experiences we would prefer to forget. Others we choose to hold dear. But regardless of how it feels, every so often it’s necessary to take some time out of our busy lives to reflect. When processed in a healthy way, […]
Chances are at one point or another you’ve seen one or more of the odd-looking stone statues—known as moai—from Easter Island far off the coast of Chili in the South Pacific. Legend has it that these figures with large heads were a means to honor, deify, and draw upon dead ancestors. The name “Easter Island” […]
Admittedly, there are days when I say to myself, “I can’t do this. The mountain in front of me is way too big to climb.” I strongly suspect that I am not alone in thinking this way. We all have days—maybe even seasons—when life seems really hard. When faced with such difficulties, we have a […]
Entering a prison can be a foreboding experience. High fences. Barbed wire. Imposing walls. I was somewhat relieved when we checked in with the guard and went across the street to the low security prison camp where the inmates were predominantly non-violent offenders. After sharing a short message (yes, it is possible for a preacher […]
Mr. Nestye was a piece of work—or so we thought. “Why,” we wondered, “is our high school principal always hassling us?” As typical teenagers, we often looked for creative ways to buck authority, but as honors students, we also excelled in the classroom. In our youthful reasoning, we felt that we deserved a little latitude […]
Change, my friends is inevitable. Nothing is static in this transient world. Nothing! This is especially true in a world of rapidly evolving technology. Today’s new thing will probably be obsolete by the end of the week! But when we ask if change is possible, we aren’t referring to change in the general sense—our real […]
