The Journey 
A Season of Listening…
(0)Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. (James 1:19) For the better part of the past 7-8 months, I have recognized the value of silence. This has been a hard lesson, because I love to talk. I love to voice my… Read More ›
How to Go Back to Church – part 1
So, it’s happened. Whatever IT is, you have dropped out. Why? You have your reasons. And while some people may simply be habitual quitters, maybe you are not. You have had something go wrong in the ONE place where it should not: God’s house. The “safe,” “welcoming, “accepting (no matter who you are)” place turned… Read More ›
Why I Still Love the Church
Years ago, I ordered a Beef n’ Cheddar sandwich from Arby’s. If I go to Arby’s, this was what I get. It is about the only thing I ever eat there. Roast beef, melted cheddar, onion roll, Arby’s sauce, and a little horseradish sauce thrown in for good measure. But on this particular occasion, things… Read More ›
Vision Check
When I was 18, I discovered I did not have good eyesight. I had not known that before. Sure, I strained to see the blackboard if I was in the back of a classroom. But who didn’t? (or so I assumed). I got by just fine. I enjoyed spectacular views. I appreciated the beauty of… Read More ›
What are you waiting for?
What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us? Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else? Who dares accuse us whom God has chosen for his own? No one—for… Read More ›
When good things go bad…
My dad once had the misfortune of finding a Hostess Ding Dong buried in the pantry when he was looking for something to snack on. He unwrapped it, took a big bite, and – instead of chocolaty, creamy goodness (if you can say such a thing about a Hostess Ding Dong) – he experienced a… Read More ›
Why Everyone Needs a Whale
Everyone needs a whale. Okay, let me more biblically correct: Everyone needs a BIG FISH. Jonah needed one. If you don’t know the story (or even if you do), let me sum it up and put it into perspective. God calls a Jonah to a task. Jonah refuses and flees on a boat. God… Read More ›
Loaded Words
Words are funny things. Take the word “bomb.” Apart from its literal definition as an explosive device, we have used it idiomatically in our every day speech for years. In the 80s, to call something a “bomb” was to indicate it was a failure. That movie was a “bomb.” That concert “bombed.” You still hear the… Read More ›
Shift
My first car was a 1985 Toyota Supra. It was a graduation gift from my parents and my grandparents. I was overwhelmed to receive this “prize” from my family. It was used with 68,000 miles on it (which I would more than double when I owned it), and it was more than anything I could… Read More ›
Obsession
Ob-ses-sion (noun): : a state in which someone thinks about someone or something constantly or frequently especially in a way that is not normal : someone or something that a person thinks about constantly or frequently Obsession can be a minister’s greatest strength. In fact, it’s our “not normal” preoccupation with those that are far… Read More ›
unORDINARY 