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Stuart Briscoe shared the following account in his book, : "I visited a church in Florida, where the congregation had just built a new auditorium that cost $5 or $6 million. With great glee the people told me they had moved in debt free; they had paid for it in cash before they opened the doors. When I asked how they had done it, they told me, "Part of our membership requirement is that people tithe." Then they took me outside and showed me a three-or four-story, $11 million

There’s nothing like a bout with the flu to help you appreciate good health. Brock, Linda and I went to Texas for the weekend, to visit my uncle and cousins. It was a great break from the weather here to enjoy sunny, 75 degree days, hiking and riding trails in east Texas. But one of my cousins came down with something while we were staying at her house. She had a high fever, body aches, chills, stuffed head…..you know what I’m talking about. We soon left her house for her sak

I just learned that another friend of mine is dying. Without previous warning, he began to experience what he thought were mild symptoms that gave him concerns and went for a check-up. Stage four liver cancer. A follow-up CAT scan revealed tumors in both his liver and his lungs. He still is unsure what he will do, but the prognosis offers no hope. Death is all around us. Every time I visit someone in the hospital I am reminded that in that very building, someone is in process

Do you mind if I brag on my Packers just a little bit? Not so much the fact that they just won their fourth Super Bowl and thirteenth world championship….(I believe the Bears have won one Super Bowl and nine championships :-). But I’m more proud of the team for some of the off-the-field conversations they have had and the character they have displayed. For example, Aaron Rodgers: I know some have been saying that they are tired of sportscasters making such a big deal over his

So what did you do on Wednesday? Hailing from Wisconsin, I have seen a fair number of blizzards. The storm of ’67 that so many talk about in Chicago hit us even worse. I was six and still remember being afraid that my dad wouldn’t be able to make it home. In college, my sister and I were once stranded in a tiny town when roads were closed and we were forced to spend the night at the county jail (with about 50 other stranded motorists). About five years ago we were on a highwa

I’m like everyone else. I like to see a real rainbow. It’s a wonderful symbol from the Great Flood in Genesis chapter nine that speaks of God’s promise to protect and preserve His people. While I love a real rainbow, you won’t see any painted unicorns galloping through a multi colored arch in my office or at my house. As far as decorations go, it’s not for me. And that would probably be the case even if the symbol had not been hijacked by those promoting an unbiblical lifesty

Several years ago, Linda and I had were partners in a commercial property investment. Our part was the management of the property, which Linda took care of. But we came across an opportunity to sell at quite an increase for what the partnership purchased it for. The prospective buyer was a gas station/convenience store located next door. We had rented to a competitor and the buyer wanted to get the property to both expand and eliminate their competition. Because of that, they

You’ve probably seen the specials on television news programs on the highlights of 2010 in national and international news. There was the Hatian earthquake and the terrible loss of 250,000 lives, the eruption of Mount Eyjafjallajokull in Iceland which sent 330,000,000 cubic yards of volcanic ash into the atmsosphere and grounding over 100,000 flights in Europe. Who will forget the BP offshore oil rig explosion and the ensuing spill that continued to flow for three months? The

Penelope Stokes in Words In Season wrote, “The trouble with turning over a new leaf is that once you’ve done it twice, you’re right back where you started.” I recently read that more bad habits are broken in the month of January than during any other month. And yet that same article pointed out that only a small percentage of New Year’s resolutions are realized long-term. I’d like to encourage you. Change in your life is not only possible, it is necessary. When Christians sto

One of the greatest stories in modern engineering history is the Wright brothers journey into the age of aviation. People had been trying to fly since Adam’s creation, and we’ve all seen the bizarre models and attempts inventors have made through the centuries to replicate birds. Then, in December 1903, after years of experimenting and mechanical development, and dozens of attempts, the Wright brothers were successful in getting their “flying machine” off the ground. That st

If you know me, you know I love the family, and you know my family knows that I love them. But is the family supposed to first? What about second? You often hear of a hierarchy of priorities where people list what is supposed to be most important and it often goes something like: 1) God, 2) Marriage, 3) Children, 4) Church or Friends or Work (this is where the order gets switched around depending on who is speaking). As with a lot of things, people hear this and shake their h

Winter: it’s long, cold and dark. I know, we are still in the fun part with Christmas lights and all, but January is around the corner. The temptation is to just endure the season and long for April and May (though we had snow last April!). But it doesn’t have to be that way. Thinking back, some of my most memorable times in life took place during the winter. Linda and I were engaged in the winter. I built our first house in the winter. Our youngest child was born in the wint