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 David...
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 in...
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...
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 use...
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...
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...
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...
When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is mankind that you are mindful of them? Psalm 8:3-4 (NIV) What the psalmist here is telling us is that in the vastness of...
I grew up on a dairy farm that was, even by 1970s standards, very small. One of my chores was to get the 20 cows that were grazing in a pasture down our “cow lane” to the barn for milking. One of those times, I believe...
I realize that the title of this post potentially limits the audience to church goers. I suppose I could have titled it: “Why Do You Go to Church/Why Don’t You Go to Church?” I believe explaining God’s purpose for a church family can also speak...