I know most of us have traveled to a strange place and after a few days the surroundings became oddly familiar to us. As humans, we are very adaptive to new environments and situations. I believe God has wired us this way. Some of us are more adaptive than others, yet we all have some capacity for this adaptive nature. I have unpacked my bags and made myself at home in many different situations.
Continue reading “Enemy Territory”Our Little World
I usually sit toward the front of the church. For many decades I pastored local congregations and of course, I sat in the front. As a pastor, I preferred to sit on a front pew rather than on one of those “throne” chairs on stage. I rarely sat in the back.
This past Sunday, my wife and I sat in the back because we had to slip out quickly at the end of the service to attend a family function. I wasn’t used to looking at the back of people’s heads. It was a different perspective.
Continue reading “Our Little World”Once Upon a Time…
Many children’s stories opened up with the phrase, “Once upon a time…”. When I was a child, the old timers started many of their stories with, “When I was a boy…”. It was the men in Liberty overalls form of “Once upon a time…” Now, I am probably labeled an old timer by most even though I don’t wear overalls.
Continue reading “Once Upon a Time…”Some Thoughts About The Journey
I just received my fourth passport in the mail, and it sparked a little reflection. Most of you know that passports are valid for ten years. I received my first passport in 1991 and have kept them current since then. My new slick and shiny passport will expire in 2031 and I will be 76 years old. Hence the reflection…
Continue reading “Some Thoughts About The Journey”Head-Nodders
“Virtue signaling” is a catchphrase in the current cultural confusion. In the last few years, it has been exhausting to keep up with the new terms and re-definitions. I often wonder if some folks even know what they are saying or if they are just parroting the latest mantra from their side of the fence. By the way, virtue signaling is not a right or left problem, it is a human problem.
Continue reading “Head-Nodders”Journey Update: July 2021
In this month twenty-seven years ago, Pathway Outreach Ministries pushed off from the dock to begin its voyage as an organization. Our simple goal was to reach out with the Gospel of Jesus Christ to some of the difficult corners of the world.
Continue reading “Journey Update: July 2021”When Sister Thelma Died
She was lying on a hospital bed in the living room of her 60’s styled home. The month before, she had turned 86 and had lived as a widow for five years. Her paid caretakers had watched over her as her family had increased their visits knowing her departure was sooner than later.
Continue reading “When Sister Thelma Died”Hands of My Father
We were at a reunion gathering of our extended family when a distant cousin excitedly called his wife over to see my dad’s hands. He was amazed that Daddy’s hands looked like his deceased father’s hands. I looked at my hands and they looked like Dad’s. Two of my brother’s hands are also similar.
Continue reading “Hands of My Father”Journey Update: June 2021
To say that our world here and abroad has changed in the last year is a big understatement. Cultural attitudes and societal norms have shifted. As a Christian, I have begun to think more deeply about the implications these things will have on the church going forward. I wonder how long it will be before our American culture revs up its opposition toward Christianity bringing about open persecution. This is not a popular topic but a real possibility.
Continue reading “Journey Update: June 2021”Enough
I have never understood why many words in different languages are not spelled as they are pronounced. “Enough” is one of those words in our English language. I would write it in my phonetical brain as “Enuf”. But this post is not about phonetics—I’m just chasing another rabbit.
Enough means different things to different people. So, from a hoarder to a minimalist, the word would have a wide swath of meaning. Sufficient is a good definition.
Continue reading “Enough”
