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...
We recently had something very exciting happen here at Samaritan’s Heart Mission Church (well, we found it exciting). We had our parking lot replaced. It had been in terrible condition for years, so it was exciting to see the old pavement broken up and removed...
Every so often, I see an HVAC service truck on one of my daily walking routes. It has the motto “no empty promises.” That’s a pretty strong statement to live up to. First, what is an empty promise? Simply put, it’s a promise that...
I have developed a strange fascination with the nests of stinging insects. Our neighbors had a huge hornet’s next under the eaves of their house that was nothing short of a work of art. I couldn’t help but admire the design, despite knowing what’s inside....