Thoughts from Your Pastor
Making plans is a big, big part of our lives. Making plans is a good, natural, and necessary part of a life purposefully lived. We make little plans and we make big plans. On any given day we certainly have our normal routine during our present time of life and the routine stays much the …
Continue reading "Sounds Like a Plan"
As I look over the past two decades of my life I realize that so much has happened. So much has changed. In my family we have gone from all our kids being at home and in the midst of child rearing to now being empty nesters with four of our kids married, five grands, …
Yesterday was Resurrection Sunday the day most people call “Easter”. Have you ever wondered how the name Easter come to be associated with the resurrection of Jesus? Bruce Landau, Lecturer in Religious Studies, University of Texas at Austin writes: “The naming of the celebration as ‘Easter’ seems to go back to the name of a pre-Christian goddess in …
We have just observed Palm Sunday; the day Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey to initiate the Passion Week of his life culminating in his death, burial, and resurrection. Sunday school children down through the decades since Sunday Schools were initiated have been given palm branches (or slivers thereof) to commemorate that day when Jesus was welcomed …
Have you ever had an “identity crisis”? We are in Minot, North Dakota as I write this. Matt, my daughter Emilee’s husband is in Alabama for six weeks on a training mission. We took some time to come out here to help Emilee with the kids and be an encouragement to her for part of …
I was reading in Gen. 44 – 45 about the account of Joseph and his brothers in Egypt. It has often been said that whereas Scripture reveals the sins and failures of her “heroes,” Joseph is left unscathed never being presented in a negative light. I disagree. Joseph displays duplicity and disingenuity as he “toys” …
Since Christmas, Michal and I now wander around our suddenly large and quiet house still ringing with the echo’s of “What dis is?” from Draycen, Griffin’s guttural communications, Tootie’s sly and engaging smile, Marcus’ brute strength, and Gunner’s hearty giggle. We miss the laughter of two sisters spending their last days together for quite a …
John the Baptist was no wilting flower. His ministry was one of conviction and unflinching faith that he was the forerunner to the Messiah, Jesus Christ. He was bold, assured, strong, fearless, and powerful. There was no one more confident that this Jesus was indeed the Messiah. He said of him as he came to …
They say beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I’m sure all who saw my grandchildren would agree with me as to how beautiful they are. When our grandchildren started coming, we were the quintessential grandparents thinking that they were the cutest little things on earth. As we now enjoy our five grands (with …
Have you ever realized that we become like those we honor? If we make heroes out of athletes, entertainers, or other celebrities, we start to want to be like them. Perhaps we’ll dress like them or try to sing the way that they do. Perhaps we’ll attempt to mimic their mannerisms. If Michal Jordan is/was …
