Well, Pastor Mike recently finished a sermon series from the book of Ecclesiastes, and while he's on vacation, I'm planning to preach on a couple of passages from the book of Jeremiah. These books have reputation for being the most depressing parts of the Bible, (along with Lamentations, of course). Ecclesiastes points to the futility of life apart from God, and Jeremiah p...

Ah, summertime! Besides hot, humid weather, summer means vacation. It means a break from the routine. And this week, it means fireworks. The 4th of July is coming up as I write this. So, all of these factors are figuring into what I have to say this week. We just finished our sermon series on Ecclesiastes, so it seems logical to promote the new series at this time. But I'm...

Why bother? Sometimes I wonder why I bother writing these articles. Most of these newsletters get tossed out along with the credit card offers and the cable TV promotions. So, it seems like my efforts in writing or saying something that will actually make a difference in someone's life is pretty much a waste of time. This is basically what The Preacher, whom we belie...

The weather has been gorgeous lately. Monday was almost perfect; the sun was shining, the air was warm, the humidity was low, and a gentle breeze wafted through the trees. It was perfect kite-flying weather. And I had the perfect excuse to fly a kite. Ephram and Naomi, two of our grandchildren, are staying with us this week. Their parents, Joshua and Bryn, are in Nicaragua...

You've probably never heard of Samuel Timothy Smith. But there's a story about Tim Smith that I think you'll find interesting. An only child, Tim was eleven years old when his parents divorced. When Christmas rolled around a few months later, Tim decided to conduct a search of his mother's closet while she is at work to see if he can find any Christmas presents she mi...

Summertime is here. It's the time of year for shorts and flip-flops. But some people never stopped wearing shorts and flip-flops. For them, shorts and flip-flops are year round attire. You can see some of these people out walking in a snowstorm wearing shorts and no jacket. It's as though they don't know that summer is a different season than winter. In life, it is import...

Tom Brady is arguably the greatest quarterback to ever play the game of football, as five Super Bowl rings can attest. After he won his third Super Bowl, Brady was interviewed by 60 Minutes. In an incredibly candid moment, he told the guy interviewing him, "There's got to be more to life than this, isn't there?" Something is missing. Success isn't enough. Money isn't enoug...

You can probably quote this sentence from the US Declaration of Independence: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." An "inalienable right" is a right that can't be taken away. And yet, as history as s...

For our 25th wedding anniversary, Kerra and I went into Manhattan to experience the wonders and uniqueness of the world's greatest city. In the shadows of the World Trade Center (a few weeks before 911), we decided to take a break and get something to drink. Sidewalk vendors are everywhere in New York, so it wasn't hard to find someone peddling cool, refreshing, soft drink...

What do you have to be to get to heaven? Pretty good Better than most A mother Perfect The answer is D. If you want to go to heaven, you have to be perfect. And I don't mean "sort of" perfect, "mostly" perfect, or 80% perfect. Being 80% perfect is like being 80% pregnant. Either you're pregnant or you're not. Either you're perfect or you're not. The kicker in all th...