Index

Inside and Outside the Kingdom Kingdom: You have been granted Eternal Life as a free gift of grace. It is a gift you can’t earn. It is a gift of…

 Prayer for Cement and Metal We were a church group from Louisiana in Silverton Colorado. Some of our women were in the small church conducting a Vacation Bible School. Others…

The French Professor When I was in college in 1961, yep that long ago, we had a new professor to teach French at our Baptist College. I barely passed the…

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THINGS JESUS BELIEVED 1. Jesus believed God is like a daddy. 2. Jesus believed that faith is the key to opening doors every door not correct thinking but childlike faith.…

 I am not a member of AA.   I attended an open meeting awards night.  Here are some observations I think churches should pay attention to.  Medallions were given for periods…

John 1:19 – 34 (READING NOTES- This was not written as a blog but is a rehash of my Journal notes)John knew who he was and was comfortable with himself.…

JESUS and CHURCH? Do we worship, praise, defend, build up, work for the church or Jesus? We talk about the church. We work to get people to join the church…

AMAZING Some Christians seem to always focus on the wrath of God. Others seem to focus on the love of God in Christ Jesus. It probably says more about us…

Did Covid mess up our country? Or did Covid reveal how messed up we had become?

Watching a Bird Feeder We have several bird feeders under our backyard Plum tree. I can easily see them from my easy chair. Barbara from her comfy spot on the…

A FEW THOUGHTS I recently celebrated 60 years of marriage with Barbara and now my 80th Birthday.  I have enough life experience to realize: The important things in life are…

What Do You See? Once upon a time, there was a woman who had a really serious weight problem. She was an extremely nice caring woman. In spite of all…

THE SHOT I received a message from a friend asking about my thoughts on the Covid vaccine.  These are my thoughts for me. They are not intended to make you…

New Wine Skins Scary Thought When I was a boy, we decided to make some blackberry wine. After we went blackberry picking, we put the blackberries in a gallon glass jug, added…

NOT WHAT GOD INTENDED? How often have you heard of or known a child born with some tragic abnormality? Your heart is stirred with empathy and emotion. “Poor child”, “hurting…

The World The Bible indicates that God is deeply involved in his creation. He is so involved that he dresses nature in beauty, such as the flowers of the fields.…

This video is not for everyone.  It speaks of how he feels  Evangelical Christians have reacted to the modern world including Trump.  It will make some of you angry.  …

  I Am Amazed I see Facebook postings that I agree with 100%.  I look at who posted it and see that it is posted by someone who does not agree…

A lot of people would like to get more involved in ministry to others. They just are not sure how/where they would fit in. A while back our pastor made…

When I was young our family attended a Baptist Church. The majority of people I knew were Baptist.  Most Baptists were good people. However, I wasn’t totally certain because at…

BROKEN EAGLE I was recently at a Raptor Rescue Center. They had a number of birds.  A Screech Owl was part of one demonstration.  I had heard a lot of Screech…

House Cats or Barn Cats  Let me lay this out for you, I am not a cat lover. Some of you are. That is fine. They make me sneeze.  Now…

I just got back from a Disaster Relief Hurricane Deployment near Lake Charles, Louisiana. As is often the case something about Bible Belt Christianity catches my attention. This time it…

MESSED UP? Our Pastor has a phrase I love. He says, “We are a messed up people, living in a messed up world”. It isn’t phrased in theological terms but…

Barbara, as most mothers, spent a lot of time, thought, energy—downright hard work on our kids. For a number of years, they were the primary focus of her life in…

Two men once lived in the same town.    Two men once lived in the same town. Man #1 was very religious. He went to church three times a week. He…

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…

The time between the 9 AM and 10:30 Worship Services on Sunday is a great time. To start with there are coffee and donuts. There is life. Children running around.…

I got mad this week. Really, really angry. A long time ago a friend had made two promises to me. For several decades the first promise had been kept and…

Barbara and I worked Disaster Relief just East of Houston. This area was not hit directly by the hurricane but had 52 inches of rain in just a few days.…

Barbara and I arrived in Liberty, TX Sunday afternoon. Liberty is about an hour drive east of Houston. We joined a couple from Wisconsin and will serve as the cook…

I went to the local grocery store. While there I bought a box of salt. It was a brand usually recognized as quality salt. The package looked great. Good design.…

It seems to me that modern Christians, I am one, have focused on John 3:16 NLT (For God loved the world so much that He gave His one and only…