Have you ever asked, “Why?” I often wonder why God does some of the things He does. Some people mistakenly think that God is the source of natural disasters and every type of human tragedy. News flash: God doesn’t have a cruel streak! At the same time, however, our Heavenly Father does have this tendency to […]
Well, have you taken some time to think and pray about it? What do you think God likes? Here’s my story: The morning air still had a slight chill. It was going to be a hot one so I wanted to water down the garden before the heat of the day. I would love mornings […]
In the Parable of the Sower (Matthew 13) Jesus spoke of four types of responses people have in receiving the life of God’s word. Some have become hardened from being trampled by the world—they understand nothing. Others receive the word with excitement, but lack the depth of resolve to stand the rigors of opposition. The […]
It is day 50 of the BP Gulf of Mexico oil spill with no foreseeable fix in sight. In spite of the fact that the current cap is helping to siphon a significant volume of oil, it is also revealing a magnitude to this spill that is far greater than we were initially led to […]
Sam the intern and I were privileged to spend some time last week in upstate NY at Elim Fellowship’s annual leadership conference—an encouraging event for sure. I came away with many good things, especially what I believe is a renewed perspective of the big picture of the U.S. church. Including, but certainly not limited to […]
Summer is almost upon us and the time is here for the amusement parks to open and the carnivals to begin popping up in the north. Walking through the midway at a county fair or local carnival is a totally unique experience. Oh the smell of greasy hot sausage simmering on a dirty, fly infested grill! […]
On September 10, 2001 the world didn’t necessarily seem like such a great place, but in retrospect I guess it wasn’t really all that bad. On that day the twin towers still stood as symbols of American strength and supremacy. How things have changed since that time! How I wish that 9/11 had never happened! […]
A new round of elections is quickly approaching, but not fast enough for my tastes. Voting is certainly a privilege, but I find the grossly negative TV ads to be totally gagnaminous. And how I wish I could say something more positive about some of the conservative Christian (of which I am one) dialogue I hear about […]
It’s been a long, long winter here in the northeast USA. February was the snowiest month on record for many cities. Tons of snow, very minimal sunshine—if ever there was a time for the winter doldrums to set in, this was it. In contrast to the massive piles of snow are the deep ruts common […]
Many of us have had that Kumbaya experience. Perhaps it was at a retreat as everyone sang around the campfire, basking in the warm, fuzzy feelings of fellowship. The moment was so special and everyone was just so wonderful—that is until you returned to the lodge only to discover that some schmucks had eaten the […]
