Years ago, Ramona and I saw pianist Spencer Brewer in concert and during the show, he made an observation that has stuck with me for some three decades. He pointed out that during post-adolescence it occurred to him that he had interrupted his dad’s life...
It’s one of the most famous scenes in the New Testament. Jesus is in a village named Bethany. There, a woman named Martha lives with her sister Mary and her brother Lazarus. Most translations say Martha welcomed Jesus into her home. Some say she opened...
Our first Sunday morning gathering at Samaritan's Heart Mission Church. Part one of a three part series. Who we Are: We are Family. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Bg75_nP9w4 ...
This past week was a difficult one, as my family laid my 95-year-old mother to rest. I was blessed to be able to give a “memorial talk” about Mom at her funeral mass, and I shared with the audience who she was in Christ. I...
Surrender is a word that has taken on a generally negative connotation. For many, it has become synonymous with defeat or failure. Consider some of the dictionary definitions of the word: Cease resistance to an enemy or opponent and submit to their authority. Give up or hand...
A friend recently pointed out something very important from Genesis Chapter 1. It wasn’t anything I didn’t know, but the Holy Spirit used my friend to show me the verses in a new light. As God creates all that we know there is a common...
I vividly remember a Thanksgiving Day some 25 years ago. I don’t remember the meal or the weather, or the football games. I remember that our younger child, two or three years old, went missing. I remember the stages we went through. Calmly looking, calling...
I recently struck up a conversation with a man in a park. I mentioned that I was a pastor and after a brief conversation he revealed that he drank and smoked and asked if he would be welcomed in my church. I jokingly pointed out...
I will soon turn 61 years old. I remember when I thought that was old. Unfortunately, there are a lot of things I don’t remember these days. Perhaps the most frustrating memory lapses are when I forget passwords to online sites. And just this week,...
An old friend from college recently posted something on Facebook that held within it much more than first meets the eye: “People who wonder if the glass is half-empty or half-full miss the point. The glass is refillable.” This post was alcohol-themed, but I replied...