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Jews look back at the Babylonian Captivity as a dark, but pivotal time. Jerusalem was destroyed, and the inhabitants were forced out. Many were slaughtered, and those left alive, who had an education, special skill, or youthful leadership potential, were deported to Babylon. They were forced into a new language and culture, all while surrounded by a value system that was anathema to their own traditions. Reading the prophets from this time gives you a sense of deep grief and

Can you imagine not having any emotions? We’d be like Spock from Star Trek. How miserable it would be to never experience joy. Of course, you wouldn’t know it was miserable because you wouldn’t be able to feel misery either. But without our emotions, we wouldn’t be human.We get our emotions from God. After all, we were created in His image, and He has emotions. The Scripture speaks of His joy, anger, grief, happiness, passion and sympathy. We are emotional beings, having been

Whatever your political persuasion, you should be horrified by what has and is happening in Afghanistan. I’ve been disappointed by Christian social justice warriors this last week, who seem to only speak up when it’s in support of one political ideology. While claiming to fight for the rights of oppressed people, when it comes to the atrocities in Afghanistan, crickets. Innocent people, betrayed by American promises, are now being executed. Little girls are being raped. Chris

From March 2020 through June 2020, due to the threat of COVID 19, we as a church ceased from meeting in person, altogether. When we resumed in-person services, for the next year we required masks on everyone to attend. All during this time we also provided high quality on-line church for those who were not ready to attend church again in person, and continue to do so. After vaccinations became readily available and infection rates in our area dropped, we rescinded the mask re

Watching some old family home videos a few weeks ago, Linda and I were flooded with nostalgia. We loved every stage of parenting.But we are also very pleased with where our kids are today. All three loving God, loving and involved in his church, and serving. They married committed Christians, and have now established Christian households of their own. There’s no greater joy than that.Because our lifestyle was always closely tied to our church, many of those videos were church

Nothing ever get’s accomplished without a plan. That is no less true when it comes to spiritual growth.Many Christians have been believers for many years and have grown older without growing up. Just because you are aging doesn't mean you are maturing. I know a lot of very immature Christians who have professed to follow Jesus for decades. But without a plan, nothing of significance ever happens. They may have a plan to save for retirement. They may have a plan for sending th

A 19-year-old driver successfully avoided running over a squirrel the other day. Whew! But there are consequences to avoiding things. Instead of hitting the squirrel, she drove into the living room of a cottage that bordered the street. Fortunately, the people inside were uninjured. But the cottage, a home built in 1650 by Abraham Lincoln’s ancestor, Samuel Lincoln, did not fare so well. I hope that squirrel knows how fortunate he is.It’s usually not a good idea to avoid thin

It’s summer. You know the season. For me, it’s the season of brain freeze!I think I had three of them in a week’s time. Camp Awana has the BEST ice cream in their canteen. I love ice cream, even when it isn’t the best. But that ice cream, I have a hard time eating slowly. And you know what happens when you eat it too fast…sudden headache.The scientific name is sphenopalatine ganglioneuralgia . I’m sure you're impressed that I knew that, and you should be if I could pronounce

The city of Brooksville, Florida, sold more than it intended to. Business owner, Bobby Read, bought a small utility building for only $55,000, intending on turning it into a workout gym. But legally attached to the deed was the adjacent structure, the city’s only water tower. The sale was complete and the deed transferred before Read, the buyer, saw what had happened. The city’s legal department never saw it. And for a time, Read was the legal owner of the city’s water tower.

A news story caught my attention yesterday. An 18-year-old came home to a locked house, and she had forgotten to bring her key when she left. After checking all the windows and doors, and finding them all locked, she came up with a brilliant idea. “It’s just a one-story house, and there’s a chimney and fireplace. If Santa Claus can do it, why not me?”Yes, she thought she could get in by sliding down the chimney. And then she got stuck. She didn’t know about the flue. But once

There are so many good things in life that God has given us to enjoy. Family, friends, work, church, physical exercise, hobbies, outdoor recreation. Why then are we so unhappy?The prophet, Isaiah wrote, “The poor, deluded fool...trusts something that can’t help him at all. Yet he cannot bring himself to ask, 'Is this idol that I’m holding in my hand a lie?’” (Isaiah 44:20 NLT).In other words, when the gifts that we have been given for our support and enjoyment become the foc

I know a guy who prides himself on being shrewd. He makes wise financial decisions. He is respected at work. If I was looking for someone to oversee an investment portfolio, I’d call him. The trouble is, his relationships are a mess. People tend to avoid lengthy conversations with him. And sometimes I shake my head in dismay at the way he treats his family. He’s skilled at quick-witted come-backs and snide remarks. But I don’t know if he is close to anyone. He professes to be