Years ago when we lived in Indianapolis, Indiana, I was called by a funeral home to perform the eulogy for a person I had never met. I connected with the family and then performed the funeral.  During the funeral, one of the family members skipped the service, went to the home of the deceased, changed the locks on the house, and began taking items they wanted from the home.  Greed, it’s ugly...  Read More

     In 1 Kings 2, King David is on his death bed having a conversation with his son Solomon, who will succeed him as the king of Israel.  David tells Solomon to kill a man named Shimei after He is gone.  Wow!  David orders a murder right before his death.  The backstory is that years before, there was a civil war in Israel.  Absalom, David’s son, led a revolt against him causing David to flee the...  Read More

     Who is the difficult person in your family? At work? Picture them.  Maybe they are a constant critic, or very controlling.  Christians are called to be peacemakers, even ministers of reconciliation; how do we do this with the difficult people that we find in our context?  How do we pursue relational peace?        First, PRACTICE HUMILITY.  I am embarrassed to admit that I was an adult before ...  Read More

     I read recently that the fastest growing “religious” group in America are the “nones;” those who would claim no faith (The Rise of the Nones, James Emery White, 7).  Many of these once considered themselves Christians.  We know that doubt is often destructive to faith.  Yet most of us have some doubts, right?  We read the book of Acts and it seems like they saw constant miracles; but that has...  Read More

     Have you ever had someone important to you, leave?  Your grown child says, “Mom, I am taking the job across the country,” or you are married to a soldier and he says, “I am sorry. I just got my orders and I will be overseas for a year.” How do you feel?  Painful right.  Peter, James, John and the other apostles had given up everything to follow Jesus.  They had seen incredible miracles and be...  Read More

     When I began my first ministry as a Senior Pastor, I preached a sermon in which I had put a great deal of time and effort.  After the service, an older man came and chewed me out, telling me if I ever preached anything like that again he would leave the church.  This was a long time member and it really shook me up.  I called my dad, a ministry veteran with decades of service under his belt. ...  Read More

      In our present day, many people are discouraged.  Watch the news for an hour and your mood will tank.  Numerous marriages are hanging on by a thread.  Some teens wrestle with identity issues.  Families struggle to make their budgets work.  Almost all of us could use a little encouragement.  I think of the apostle Paul who wrote to a church struggling with persecution and said, “Therefore enc...  Read More

      Recently, I spent a week and a half laying on our couch more sick than I have been in over a decade.  I had a nasty flu (not COVID).  It was miserable, but in the midst of it I tried to stay grateful.  The Scripture tells us “to give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. (1 Thessalonians 5;18).  How do we walk out such a seemingly impossible command?  A...  Read More

      Today is my wedding anniversary.  At age 51 I have been married more years than life without Dellie!  She is not only my wife; she is also a counselor.  While I grew up in a solid home and got to watch a good marriage for my entire childhood, I still had a lot to learn when we married.  I think each of us who marry learn a great deal from our spouse, I thought I would share some of the lesso...  Read More

     Arnold Glasow sums up hospitality:  “Hospitality is making others feel at home.  Some folks make you feel at home.  Others make you wish you were.”  All kidding aside, hospitality is serious business.  So many wonder, do I belong?  Am I welcome here?  Many people struggle to believe that God cares about them at all.  Our hospitality is one way God says “Yes, I care about you.”     For many of...  Read More

     We live in a culture of distrust.  What is true?  I chuckled the other day when I read in my Facebook feed a quote; “Not everything you read on the internet is true”--Abraham  Lincoln.  Where can we stand?  Just as a building needs a good foundation.  We need truth on which to build our world view.  My suggestion to you is the Bible.      This ancient collection of books has stood the test of...  Read More

     What is God’s dream for your life?  The answer is your vision of God’s calling on your life, your specific, unique calling.  This calling includes your career but is more than that.  The Apostle Paul wrote “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” (Ephesians 2:10 NIV).  The word “handiwork” means creation or masterpiece....  Read More