Today I reconnected with someone we have lost track of over the last 3-4 years. Here name is Nancy. At several of the churches on the Indianapolis District Church of the Nazarene I have mentioned her story. We had become great friends. She entered our lives over five years ago. She was the lady who cut my hair. I have told the story of walking into the hair salon, after…
Read MoreJesus, Grandma, and the Church
Every week I have a front row seat to the stories of life. Stories of grace, redemption, change and lots of surprises. Perhaps you know, but you really do not know all you need to know about someone until you hear their story. We make assumptions by mere observation and believe we have everyone figured out. Listen to the stories people tell and you will be surprised. Everyone has a story.…
Read MoreWhen Is Enough Enough?
Quite often I hear folks declare that they have had enough. Usually they do not exactly spell out what ‘enough’ really means. Mostly we are left to fill in the blanks. Enough, trouble, enough, pressure, enough well frankly they have just had enough. I am thankful that up to this point in time, God has not said “enough” of me and my eccentricities and incremental progress in life. This concept…
Read MoreA View From the Road
Most of my adult life has been spent with the same group of people. I preached in the same place to basically the same folks every week. By spending time with the same people you really get to know folks. Life is lived daily. There is security in knowing and being known. For the past four years I live with different folks each week. Four years ago I was a…
Read MoreIs Anything Too Hard For The Lord?
Is Anything too Hard For the Lord? This statement from the Bible is a question to ponder. If you are a person of faith, you will feel that you are being forced to answer in the affirmative. How could I ever disagree with a Scripture? This question is one that cannot be answered, the answer is apparent. It might be called a rhetorical question. If God is…
Read More“A Desk is a dangerous place from which to view the World”
The statement that a desk is a not so good place from which to observe the world is credited to John le Carre. This a pen name of a British author of espionage novels. In my traveling about I had heard it attributed to a preacher. It is advice that I still give to young pastors. The technological age has brought us many advantages, so many in fact that they are…
Read MoreSome Serious News
It seems once again I have been confronted with the inevitability of our humanity. Life long friends have been diagnosed with cancer and other illnesses. Some have succumbed to the diseases others are soldiering on. At least two families I know have been hit by tragedy, tragedies that have seemingly come out of nowhere, and leave behind a wake of devastation. Having spent over 30 years as pastor, I…
Read MoreUnrelenting!
That seems to be the word of the day. Unrelenting is the new word to describe winter in our part of the world. We are used to occasional snow showers. Sub-zero temps are not unheard of in this part of the world. School cancellations, and icy roads happen this time of the year. For the past six weeks we have had snowstorm after snowstorm. The thermometer has dipped below zero…
Read MoreEndure or Embrace: A case for Living life
Today we are experiencing winter. There is snow on the ground, a chill in the air and a log on the fire. Winter is beautiful if you have the luxury of gazing at it from the warm side of a window, with a hot cup of coffee and a good book as companions. When I was a child I prayed for snow days. As an adult they are no longer…
Read MoreNo Two Days Are Alike!
What goes into the making of a day? Some days seem quite ordinary and some days seem to be remarkably unique. The real dilemma, I am not able to know for sure when I get out of bed in the morning, which kind of day it will be. some times when I arise filled with excitement that the day is going to be extraordinary by the end of the…
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