Across the Preacher’s Desk: One Step At A Time

August 21, 2025 - It is an exciting time when a toddler abandons crawling and takes those first faltering steps. Once that happens, it is not long until they are going to attempt to climb the stairs. If they have reached the talking stage, they will inform you that they will do it “all on their own”.

Across the Preacher’s Desk: I Can’t...

August 14, 2025 - It was Mark Twain who said, “They did not know it was impossible, so they did it.” When you give that some thought, it is a very inspirational concept. It conjures up thoughts of perseverance, courage and accomplishment.

Across the Preacher’s Desk: Turn Down The Heat!

August 7, 2025 - I was cooking my oatmeal the other morning, and before you could say, “how did it happen,” it had! I didn’t turn the heat down on the stove and my oatmeal boiled over. Now, let’s be honest, any good cook turns the heat down when the pot begins to boil. There is nothing good accomplished by uncontrolled boiling. The food in the pot sticks to the pan and burns or bubbles over the side and is lost.

Across The Preacher’s Desk: The Confidence of Paul

July 31, 2025 - When Paul writes II Timothy, he is an aged soldier of the cross. He is facing death and writes this letter to young Timothy, his son in the gospel. In chapter 1 and verse 12 he writes a beautiful passage when he says, “I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him.” It is a touching and inspiring picture.

Across the Preacher’s Desk: Jesus Wept

July 24, 2025 - One of the shortest passages in the New Testament is in John 11:35. It simply says, “Jesus wept”. Yet, those two words are packed with meaning and significance for us. That passage tells us that Jesus came to live with people and to love them.

Across the Preacher’s Desk: The Brokenness of Life

July 10, 2025 - In a world such as ours, we are often appalled at man’s inhumanity to man and the brokenness of life we see around us every day. We see broken homes, broken health, broken hearts and broken hopes. The Psalmist writes in Psalms 147:3 “He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds.”

Across the Preacher’s Desk: Living Peaceably – Seriously?

July 3, 2025 - We are living in turbulent times. Our political landscape has become a minefield and it seems that every day the rhetoric becomes more hateful and divisive. Yet, there is a very significant passage of scripture from Paul in Romans chapter 12. Paul tells how we should treat each other. He tells us to be kindly affectioned toward each other, to bless them that persecute us, to rejoice with those that rejoice and weep with those who are weeping.

Across the Preacher’s Desk: Be Generous With Butter!

June 26, 2025 - If you come to our home and look in the refrigerator for the margarine, you won’t find any. You will, however, find real, sweet cream butter in both salted and unsalted varieties. We use butter at our house, lots of butter and I have the waistline to prove it! This morning, as I applied a generous amount of butter to my biscuits, I watched it turn into a beautiful golden liquid as it soaked into that dry biscuit. That beautiful golden liquid made me think of the words of Jesus in Matthew 7:12, you know, the passage we call the “golden rule.”

Across the Preacher’s Desk: “I Know...”

June 19, 2025 - Paul’s second letter to Timothy is the last of his letters that has been preserved for us. In chapter 1 and verse 12 he writes, “I know whom I have believed”. Dr. Moffatt’s translation reads: “I know whom I have trusted”.

Across the Preacher’s Desk: Doing The Will of God

June 13, 2025 - I well remember some years ago, a well meaning lady telling me, “Tim, you are so tied up with rules and commandments, you just miss the whole point of loving the Lord.” Her statement reflects a popular idea in our culture.

Shelby County Today

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Submitted by Tim Perkins