Pastor’s Blog (Page 8)
Life’s Mantra
Are you familiar with the Harley Davidson slogan? Life’s a journey; enjoy the ride! I enjoy hearing and reflecting on various slogans about life. Some of them are great. Others, not some much. For example: The purpose of our lives is to be happy. (Dalai Lama) l find it constructive to reflect on how they align with what Jesus says about life. We would…
What Do You do With Affliction?
Affliction is a state of pain, distress, grief, or misery. Who on earth would wish to be in such a state? Well, surprisingly, the psalmist found affliction to be a friend. Amazingly, he was even thankful for the affliction that had come his way: Something about affliction can bring us to our senses. It can soften resistance and make us ready to learn. Affliction…
What’s On Your Inside?
Termites. The word strikes fear in the heart of a homeowner. A few weeks ago, as part of the fellowship hall remodeling project, we were taking out a couple of walls. While doing so we came across some wall studs with… termite damage! Yikes! Things got real serious, fast. All of us who were working that day dropped everything to come study the situation. We removed more…
Give Thanks
You probably get the same answers I do when I ask people how they are doing. Responses range from “Great!” to “Rotten!” and everything in between. A friend of mine, whom you may know, often answers that question this way: “It is well with my soul, and I’m dealing with the rest.” Isn’t that great?! It’s a conscious…
Second Chances
The other day as I was out walking by our pond I heard the leaves rustle aggressively near my feet. I jumped back in fright! I was only inches from a well-camouflaged water moccasin snake. Yowee! That was close! “Thank You, Lord,” I said, “for protecting me from that snake.” Only then did I realize why the snake hadn’t bitten me! He had the body of a giant bullfrog in his…
Disbelief
Dogged, determined, defiant disbelief. Said the religious leaders to one another, “What shall we do with these men? For the fact that a noteworthy miracle has taken place through them is apparent to all who live in Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it” (Acts 4:16). What I think I hear them saying is, “Ok, much as we would like to, we can’t deny they performed a…