In his book, Finding God in the Dark, David Walls writes about Lloyd John Ogilvie, and the struggles he had in his first year as the US Senate Chaplain. In the previous year, his wife had undergone five major surgeries, radiation treatment and chemotherapy. Several key staff teammates moved on to other assignments, which added […]
Sometime back in a Daily Walk devotional, there was an interesting list within a message titled, “How to be Miserable.” Sounds like good reading doesn’t it? Here’s part of the list: “Think about yourself. Talk about yourself. Use “I” as often as possible. Expect to be appreciated. Be suspicious. Be jealous and envious. Be sensitive […]
In a recent sermon, the Rev. Leonard Sweet wrote, “Because the Good Friday nightmare was transformed into the Easter Dream, the way has been opened for ending all nightmares and incarnating all dreams. The Resurrection means that Christians can expectantly: – dream of plenty in the midst of poverty; – dream of compassion in the […]
The Apostle Paul wrote, “Follow my example as I follow the example of Christ.” Early on in life, I looked to my grandfather as a role-model, someone I admired. Not that he was perfect – my grandmother makes it perfectly clear that he was not. But, he obviously cared deeply for others, and he served […]
The late humorist and author Lewis Grizzard once told about a time when he was being visited by his minister in the hospital. Grizzard was scheduled to have open-heart surgery the next morning, and he confessed to his pastor that he had not exactly led a virtuous life. He asked if there were still time […]
In the first century in the Roman Empire, the early Christians practiced a really interesting custom. They would take laurel wreaths out to their graveyards and place them on the graves. These were the same wreaths that had been used in Greek and Roman culture to crown the victors of athletic contests. For these first […]
In my last year of seminary – one of the last classes I took, was a kind of nuts and bolts class of the ministry – how to make a budget, how to run a session meeting, how to run a stewardship campaign. Just the kinds of things a pastor needs to know before they […]
In preparing to lead a memorial service for my friend Rev. Herb Meza, I read an Easter sermon that he had written entitled, “More Beyond.” In this sermon, Herb reflected on the eternal dimensions of our faith. He noted that if our eyes are open, there are all kinds of hints pointing to something more […]
One of my favorite artists John Severson – said that his personal mission statement was this: Make it a beautiful life. Make it a beautiful life for yourself and everyone else you meet. He meant that beyond the art he created; but to make it a beautiful life for himself and others – simply by […]
I was recently reading back through the story of Joshua. When the Israelites were finally settled in the land that God had promised them, he gathered the community together and he retold the story of God’s providence, God’s deliverance up to that point. Joshua ends his speech by encouraging them to make a decision, to […]
