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”Root Causes
Philosophers, sociologists, theologians, and politicians have had their turn at explaining why we have problems and how to fix them. It is ironic that simultaneously some want to blame one problem on root causes while avoiding the root causes of others. Many problems have a beginning with some standard that was either twisted, ignored, or outright transgressed.
Continue reading “Root Causes”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”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”Simple Pleasures
Some folks just don’t know how to be happy! They chase a dream that is just beyond their grasp and are blind to the blessings in their hand.
Continue reading “Simple Pleasures”Revelation and Confession
Evangelism is not salesmanship. People are not funneled into Christianity with smooth human tactics. There is a revelation component that is often missed in our Christian circles. There is an eighteen-inch difference between true salvation and mere mental assent—the distance between the head and the heart yet it is eternity long.
Continue reading “Revelation and Confession”Journey Update: April 2021
I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that we in the American church probably like to talk about prayer more than we pray. Prayer takes time and we are too busy checking out YouTube and Facebook. Ouch!
Anytime I have ministered in a church in one of the eastern nations, at least 80% of the congregation wants personal prayer at the end of the service. I have even had some bring their own oil with which to be anointed.
Continue reading “Journey Update: April 2021”Overcoming Evil
A lingering question is asked these days given the situation we see in our world, “What can we do?” It is an earthly question with a spiritual answer. Much of what people see as a cultural shift, political upheaval, or religious persecution is a spiritual manifestation.
Continue reading “Overcoming Evil”The Broken Among the Broken
My mother grew up during the Great Depression in a sharecropper’s family. I remember her saying that she did not think of herself as being poor because just about everyone she knew was in the same situation.
We live in a very broken world, but we have adjusted our eyes to the darkness and call it normal.
Continue reading “The Broken Among the Broken”
