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...
“Testify” and “testimony” can be challenging words. Most people in American society would associate them with courts of law. They are important words in the economy of Jesus Christ. Your testimony is your story of how Jesus changed your life. When you share that story,...
This year has seen Seymour Park, just north of Samaritan’s Heart Mission Church, become home to several unhoused people. It’s a blessing to be able to serve them. It’s easy to forget that the homeless must carry all their possessions with them wherever they go. ...
In the past year or so, I received two unpleasant reminders that I’m not getting any younger. One is that I can’t comfortably jog anymore, so I now walk. The other is that I’m cold, pretty much all the time. This reality struck me the...
As a child of the late ‘60s and early ‘70s, I grew up riveted by the space program to put humans on the moon. I remember being glued to the TV during the Apollo 13 disaster as Mission Control worked feverishly to bring home the...
Matthew chapters 5-7 are some of the most daunting pages of the Bible: The Sermon on the Mount. It is here that Jesus tells us what being a Christ-follower looks like. We tend to find this instruction daunting because we misunderstand Jesus. He’s not telling...