June 24, 2021 - Sorrow is a universal experience, it comes to the rich and poor, to the powerful and the weak. So much of the sorrow in our world is unseen, often it is hidden from view purposely. Many times it is known only to the individual and to God. It can be buried beneath a cheerful countenance and earthly baubles. Yet, even the most cheerful often have troubled hearts.
June 17, 2021 - Faith is a common denominator in all of our lives. We daily express faith in something. In fact, we cannot live a single day without exercising faith. To be sure, we have faith in the physical world.
June 10, 2021 - After Simon had denied Jesus for the third time, Jesus looked at Simon. He didn’t say a word. He just looked at him. When Simon saw Jesus, he went out and wept. He wept bitterly.
I remember times when I would do things that disappointed my earthly father. Times when he didn’t say anything. He just looked at me with disappointment in his eyes. It was worse than any whipping he ever gave me (and I got my share of those!).
June 4, 2021 - Did you ever wake up early Sunday morning, the neighbors are all in bed, the streets are quiet and the yards are empty? The world is asleep as you prepare for worship on the Lord’s day. That’s what you get for being a Christian.
Did you ever leave dishes in the sink, a blouse un-ironed and the floors un-swept to visit a sick friend or run an errand for someone confined to home? That’s what you get for being a Christian.
Did you ever say no to a social gathering for all day on the Lord’s Day? That’s what you get for being a Christian.
May 20, 2021 - To my mind, “Sonnets From The Portuguese” is one of the most beautiful works to come from the pen of Elizabeth Barrett Browning. The most familiar passage from that great work reads, “How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.” My favorite is a bit more obscure.
May 13, 2021 - The habit of faultfinding is a bad habit that lots of people fall in to. The tragedy is that it is easily acquired and not readily broken. In case you haven’t noticed, we live in an imperfect world. Everything is flawed and defective. Institutions all blunder and fall short of the ideal. People are all erring creatures and sometimes we are offended by their faults. However, we should not pay so much attention to the faults and failures of others. Neither should we dwell on the defects of the world we live in.
May 6, 2021 - It was Mark Twain who said, “They did not know it was impossible, so they did it”. When you think about it, that is a very inspirational thought. It conjures up thoughts of perseverance, courage and accomplishment. It is amazing to think how many interesting and worthwhile things most of us could do, if we did not put mental handcuffs on ourselves.
April 29, 2021 - Have you ever seen items on sale at a greatly reduced price and in the fine print you read “slight imperfections?” Have you ever thought about how that describes us? The church is composed of folks that have imperfections. There are members, preachers, bible class teachers, song-leaders and others with “slight imperfections.” Amazingly, God has over the years been able to work wonders through imperfect people. In fact, God has never had a chance with any other kind.
April 22, 2021 - The occasion might be a family dinner, a time for special memories. Perhaps it is Thanksgiving, Christmas, a birthday, or anniversary or just the weekly Sunday dinner.