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There’s something a little crazy about family love.  My wife Donna and I listen to podcasts about missing people.  No matter how far apart the family members were living when the individual disappeared, no matter how many difficulties they had had in getting along during their formative years, no matter how many family challenges they […]

Here’s something that never ceases to amaze me.  Church members sit in their favorite spot in the worship service on Sunday morning.  They pray, praise, sing, listen and, through the words of hymns, creeds, prayers and covenants, they commit themselves anew to following Jesus and loving the brethren. The service ends, there’s a ten-minute break, […]

“He must not be a recent convert, or he may become conceited and fall under the same judgment as the devil. He must also have a good reputation with outsiders, so that he will not fall into disgrace and into the devil’s trap.”  I Timothy 3:6,7 “Anyone you forgive, I also forgive. And what I […]

“He must not be a recent convert, or he may become conceited and fall under the same judgment as the devil. 7He must also have a good reputation with outsiders, so that he will not fall into disgrace and into the devil’s trap.”  I Timothy 3:6,7  “Anyone you forgive, I also forgive. And what I […]

“Anyone you forgive, I also forgive. And what I have forgiven—if there was anything to forgive—I have forgiven in the sight of Christ for your sake, in order that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes.”  II Corinthians 2:10-11 “Put on the full armor of God so that you can take […]

I hope you like the “horror” genre, because I have an assimilation horror story for you: A pastor friend of mine was visiting a congregation which was joyfully celebrating the ordination of the young man who was about to become his associate pastor.  During the service, the pastor announced that there would be a potluck […]

“People aren’t looking for a friendly church, they’re looking for friends in church.” Anonymous Most evangelical churches today sincerely desire to be friendly. Most evangelical churches today believe that they already are friendly. Most, in fact, believe that theirs is the “friendliest church in town,” and, of course, as a statistical reality, most have to […]

Christmas of 1978 was turning out to be a tough one.  My dad had died suddenly in April.  My wife Donna had been “found to be with child” in September; bad news at first, but we got over it quickly, suspecting, in fact, that Donna was “with” 2 children, not just one.  As fall fell, […]