Yearly Archives: 2018

For much of my life I thought of God as a policeman. He was constantly on the alert watching to see if I did anything wrong. If I did he…

Remember the Christmas song, Santa Claus Is Coming To Town? I heard it on the radio this week. Santa Claus Is Coming To Town You better watch out You better not…

All day I have been walking around with a hole in my sock. It is right by my big toe and right now my big toe is through the hole…

Recent news from Europe indicates a rise in anti-Jewish sentiment. It seems that throughout their history the Jews have been a persecuted people. The Jews that lived in Russia and…

Fortress or Outpost? Matthew 16:18 The Message. This is the rock on which I will put together my church, a church so expansive with energy that not even the gates of hell…

On a few occasions, I have been able to travel outside the US and off the beaten “tourist” paths. It is always fun. Even though I have been to some…

We are all influenced by our culture. It influences us in ways we often are not aware of. It influences the way we think which in turn becomes actions. It…

I knew a man once who seemed very proud of the life he lived before he became a Follower of Jesus. With a grin, he would elaborate on drunken episodes, sexual…

Jesus told us to love our neighbor. That usually isn’t too bad. I have generally had good neighbors although once or twice while living in an apartment I have had…

Researchers want to be at a big University. Military people of high rank want to be at the Pentagon. Politicians want to be in D. C. Religious leaders want to…

Evangelical Christians and Churches are seen as a fairly traditional conservative group, a group who holds fast to the past. As a group, they see value in stability and resist…

The world we live in. The world we don’t. Recently while working Disaster Relief in Marshalltown, Iowa, we stayed a few miles out of town at “The Ranch”. Red barns, a…

Traveler or Squatter I often call myself, A Follower of Jesus. I think that captures the essence of what being a Christian is all about. We have committed ourselves to…

I know several people that when you communicate with them whether in person, electronically or however you never get the impression you are really connecting with them. They never seem…

Two men once lived in the same town. Man #1 was very religious. He went to church three times a week. He served as a (Deacon, Elder, Church Council member,…

As I was watching the news this morning I saw a TV evangelist justifying to his supporters the purchase of his 3rd private jet. He said something like, if Jesus…

The following was written when I was recently in Louisiana. Barbara’s brother, who was 89, had developed dementia. Barbara and I traveled to Louisiana to stay with him for three…

In a recent sermon, our pastor said something to the effect that Following Jesus is Always Simple But Never Easy. It was a very good sermon. The simple part was trust.  The part that wasn’t easy was both trust and…

#2 To Love like Jesus, give people the freedom to walk a different path. In the Gospels, Jesus encountered many people. He treated them individually. To some, he said, “Follow…

How to love people as Jesus did? #1 Don’t judge. Jesus told us that we were to love others. It is repeated often in the letters to the Churches. How do…

When I was young our church was against. We were against smoking, (in spite of the fact that all of the men did. It looked like the church was on…

Our pastors would never make such a statement. Our Bible Study leaders would never make such a statement. Most of us would never make such a statement. But do our actions…

People sometimes say, “they are looking for God”. Others will not use those words but are looking for something to fill an emptiness in their lives. They are searching for…

People sometimes say, “they are looking for God”. Others will not use those words but are looking for something to fill an emptiness in their lives. They are searching for…