At a recent congregational meeting the man in charge challenged the attendees with the question: “What do you like about our church?” A number of hands went up and several were selected to share their stories. One by one each told of how they had gone through a period of brokenness in their life –… Continue reading Everyone Needs Encouragement
Category: Character
Limitations are not always a negative
One of the Apostle Paul’s most oft-quoted declarations of faith is: “I can do ALL things through Christ who strengthens me.” I believe everyone who follows and believes God’s promises should be confident to make this same affirmation. Yet, as I look back on what I refer to as my “re-fire-ment years”, I’ve… Continue reading Limitations are not always a negative
Nothing Covered that will not be Revealed – but by whom?
During one break in Jesus’ preaching to the people, He took his disciples aside and warned them about avoiding all hypocrisy in their lives and ministries, explaining that “There is nothing covered that will not be revealed, nor hidden that will not be known.” (Luke 12:2) Every Christian, especially Church leaders,… Continue reading Nothing Covered that will not be Revealed – but by whom?
Who You quote tells a lot about You
What is your primary source for spiritual inspiration and direction? Is it your denomination’s leading newspaper or magazine? Or is it a book on the lives and teachings of holy men and women, living or deceased? Perhaps you are influenced by the teachings of the leaders and founders of other faiths – the Buddha, the… Continue reading Who You quote tells a lot about You
Neither Conservatism nor Liberalism is a Virtue
How would you describe Western conservatism and liberalism to a visitor from another planet? Some would designate each a political mindset, others a social and/or fiscal construct, and still others a belief system guided by which personal decisions will or will not be tolerated by proponents of the brand. But it only takes a… Continue reading Neither Conservatism nor Liberalism is a Virtue
A most unusual man – the President
It’s interesting that both President Trump’s adversaries and his supporters focus on his imperfections, of which, undeniably, there are many. The former group self-righteously attacks his imperfections, launching a never-ending barrage of criticism and complaints intent on tearing him down in the public eye. In contrast, it’s the President’s imperfections that actually ingratiate his supporters… Continue reading A most unusual man – the President
Time – the great equalizer or an enemy?
I have a pastor friend who insists that time is man-kind’s great equalizer. He frequently reminds his parishioners that in any given 24 hour period, each person has exactly 86,400 seconds to use wisely or to waste as they see fit. And each individual assigns value to each moment of time they are given by… Continue reading Time – the great equalizer or an enemy?
Dream Big for 2017
The gathering was small for our final Saturday Men’s Prayer Meeting of 2016 – nine to be exact – but our dreams for the coming year were BIG. As you might expect, a couple of the men’s dreams were of a more personal nature – for their immediate families had experienced great challenges over the… Continue reading Dream Big for 2017
Understanding an unbeliever’s unbelief
Most true followers of Christ are so confident and self-assured in their faith and trust in the message of the Gospel, that they have a difficult time understanding how another person could reject that message. The believer looks at the complexity and beauty and majesty of the world about us and we declare the obvious,… Continue reading Understanding an unbeliever’s unbelief
A God of Second Chances
How many of you have made a mistake or two in your past. The ones that haunt me the most, even to this day, are my shortfalls I made in raising my kids. My parents were my greatest influence for the first seven years of my child-rearing experience. They were very strict with my brother… Continue reading A God of Second Chances