It had to be a deflating if not devastating moment for Jesus’ twelve Apostles. Jesus had just explained to them how soon they wouldn’t see Him, but in a little while they would: 29 Then Jesus’ disciples said, “Now you are speaking clearly and without......
13 April, 2025
My wife Ramona and I are working on a new ministry for the church (to be unveiled soon, watch this space) and have had a series of meetings with a gentleman in Texas. We meet with Brian via Zoom, and he is a self-described agnostic......
06 April, 2025
One of the daily devotionals I read gave me a new perspective on a passage with which I am very familiar. We read in Luke 4 that shortly after Jesus is baptized, He is whisked off into the desert where he is tempted for 40......
30 March, 2025
It’s one of the more jarring passages in all the Bible. Jesus and three disciples have just descended from a mountain where He displayed the full glory of God to the trio in the transfiguration. Jesus discovers His disciples were unable to heal a demon-possessed......
23 March, 2025
It could be one of the most stunning moments in the Bible. John 6: Jesus calls Himself the true bread from heaven… “that gives life to the world.” Those in the audience (beyond His 12 apostles) reply with: “always give us this bread.” Others grumbled......
16 March, 2025
Samaritan’s Heart recently started a new Monday night Bible study, and it has been amazing. We have more than a dozen people taking part and the Spirit is active in leading the discussion. Recently, we studied 1 Peter 3:15. It’s helpful to take a look......
09 March, 2025
The title of this post is admittedly provocative. I’m quite sure your answer to the question it poses is “NO”, and you might be surprised or even shocked that I would ask it. So, allow me to pose another question: have you gossiped lately? You......
02 March, 2025
I’d like to ask you a question and please think about it before you answer. Assuming you believe you have one, how would you describe your soul? Most people think of our souls as the non-physical essence that survives after our physical bodies die and......
23 February, 2025
Seconds after this year’s Super Bowl ended, Philadelphia Eagles players were sporting hats proclaiming the champions and their fans could already order shirts and hats of their own. Each year the NFL is prepared to sell “team merch” for both teams playing in the game.......
16 February, 2025
I won’t sugarcoat it: the six weeks of mid-December through January were challenging for me as a pastor. There was church drama/trauma, lots of it, involving various people. I will also confess that I reached a point (very briefly), where I had thoughts of retiring.......
09 February, 2025
I had breakfast this week with a wonderful lady who attends our church. She brought with her a well-loved King James Bible that another woman had given her. So many verses her friend had underlined, so many margin notes. I was enriched by all of......
02 February, 2025
I learned something about myself last week from one of my daily devotionals. I’m “importunate.” I had never heard the word before. It means persistent, especially to the point of annoyance or intrusion. Yeah, that’s me. Before 2016, my importunity was on my own behalf. I......
26 January, 2025
I had a radio career that spanned three and a half decades. One of the first things I was taught was: “NO DEAD AIR.” Dead air is unplanned silence, usually the result of human error. To a station owner, dead air is throwing away inventory,......
19 January, 2025
It’s one of the great biblical mysteries. And it’s a sneaky one; so much so, a lot of people miss it. It’s in 1 Samuel 17 when the humble shepherd David is about to take on the 9-foot-tall Philistine soldier Goliath: 38 Then Saul dressed......
12 January, 2025
I started 2025 with a new Bible in a year program, guided by Terra Leigh Cobble. Her analysis of Genesis 3 included an observation I had never considered: Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking......
05 January, 2025
It is no secret that the Christmas season is not joyous for everyone. Financial issues, family issues, addiction issues, homelessness, loneliness, health issues: they can all rob people of their joy, especially when the expectation is we are filled with Christmas joy. Samaritan’s Heart Mission......
22 December, 2024
So, five plus years ago, we got a small chainsaw to help manage the trees around our house. If you follow the instructions for starting it, I mean precisely, it usually fires right up. Ah, but if you don’t, it’s usually a frustrating experience. I......
15 December, 2024
At Samaritan’s Heart Mission Church we tend to live by something I heard a few years ago: “Don’t ask God to bless what you’re doing, do what He is blessing.” What God has shown us in 2024 is that He is blessing our efforts to......
08 December, 2024
I realize that you may have the sound of Christmas music in your ears and an aversion to more turkey in your stomach as I write this. But before Thanksgiving becomes too distant in the rearview mirror, let’s take one more look at what Christ-following......
01 December, 2024
In my relatively short time as a pastor (five years at age 63), I have ministered to more than my share of imprisoned people. Some were in prison, or county jail. Others were imprisoned by alcoholism, drug addiction, or mental illness. Some were imprisoned by......
24 November, 2024