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The power of words is an amazing thing. Particularly the words that come from those who matter to us.     I was 17 the first time I preached. The youth group I was attending had a special night for young guys who thought they might go into the ministry to preach to the youth group. There were three or four of us scheduled to speak that night and we were given 10 minutes a piece. I still remember the message that I gave (I think I even have my original notes), and I hate to ad

A couple of weeks ago, while examining the third commandment, I talked about the common practice of Christians attaching God’s name to their actions and choices, thereby claiming a kind of “divine endorsement” on their decisions. How often do we hear Christians say something like, “The Lord led me to __________.” And I sited a few examples where others claimed to be led by the Lord when clearly, God would not have have led anyone to contradict Scripture. There are also times

What a week. I’ve been reminded with three unrelated people who are close to our family that life is precious, and it is also precarious.     It’s harder to remember that in modern America. We have had the best health care system in the world since sin began. I know some are convinced that we have major nutrition issues in our culture (and there are no doubt problems with chemicals, trans-fats, etc.) but life expectancy and overall health in modern times has never before appr

My daughter and I were recently on a hike though the most unusual woods I had ever been in. It was a bamboo forest. Have you ever seen bamboo growing wild? While it is technically in the grass family, bamboo shoots rise higher than a most trees in the Midwest. The “forest” Erica and I hiked through was so thick that at 1:00 in the afternoon, with not a cloud in the sky, the tops shielded the sun so much so that it felt like nightfall down where we were walking.     One shoot

Even if you are not a country music fan, you are probably familiar with Tim McGraw’s, It’s a great song with a great message.     But have you considered that most people die like they’ve lived?     I was struck with the news article I read online about the woman in Houston who was found in her home after having been dead for several months. She had a son who lived less than 10 miles from her, and other family nearby, but no one bothered to check on her or wondered why they

Have you seen Les Mis? Many of us were familiar with the story long before this most recent Hollywood version hit the theaters last month. There was a 1996 version of the movie which was well received, more than a couple of theatrical versions, and the Broadway rendition being the basis for this recent movie. The story was written by French playwright Victor Hugo, who first wrote it as a novel and then a play. It moved from France, to Great Britain, and then to the United Sta

January is about to begin… Augh!     For a lot of people, it’s the worst month of the year. There is the cold, the snow, the darkness, the post holiday blues...and did I say anything about the cold?     Honestly, I don’t mind January. I enjoy sitting by the fireplace with a book or my laptop. I have a teenage son who takes care of the snow. Life slows down after the holidays and deep winter is a good season for me to gear up for spring.     But January is also a reflection an

It was the day before Christmas Eve and she was trying to finish up some last minute shopping at the mall. The kids tugged her towards the line to make requests from Santa. After a 25 minute wait, they were finally able to sit on his lap and tell him their dream gifts for the year. Mom smiled knowingly, as she had already wrapped most of those items. On the way out of the mall, they passed an elderly woman who was gently ringing a red-handled silver bell standing beside

The world has been afraid that this was coming. When I was in Korea three years ago, it was interspersed as an impending dread in casual conversations. Now it has become a reality. North Korea, already possessors of nuclear weaponry, has now successfully sent a rocket into space, demonstrating it’s ability to send a nuclear payload to just about any part of the world. Several other countries have that capability, but none are as ill trusted as North Korea...not yet, anyway. I

I have to admit, I loved Christmas as a kid…but for all the wrong reasons. Yes, excitement was in the air. I could feel the “Christmas magic” all the Hallmark Channel specials this time of the year talk about. But for me, it was based on the anticipation of “getting”. It shouldn’t have been, but that’s what it was for me. Every year we went to church and my parochial school put on a program where the focus was on Jesus’ birth. But I think most of us were just looking forward

With Thanksgiving behind us, Christmas is coming! Every year around this time I get questions from moms and dads asking for my opinion on Santa Claus: “Did you tell your kids there is a Santa?” Some are very adamant: “Santa Claus is a replacement of Jesus in this secularized society and just another way of spreading the materialism of this age.” Others see the fable as harmless delightful fantasy: “I believed in Santa when I was a kid and it didn’t hurt me! It’s just a

I grew up hunting with my dad, who grew up hunting with his dad, and the tradition went back generations. So for Christmas when I was 12 I received my first real gun. I had already taken the hunter’s safety course, had lots of practice with BB guns and a pellet gun, as well as plenty of practice shooting times and lessons from my dad using his guns. But this was special. This was a real shot gun that I could use for duck and pheasant hunting, and it was all mine. My dad bough