I am especially excited today! While preaching is almost always a joy, sometimes it is an absolute delight, especially when I am declaring the heart of the Gospel, the good news of the cross. Why, I could hardly sleep last night. I feel like a bird-dog on Thanksgiving morning or a racehorse in the starting blocks at Churchill Downs. I love to talk about the cross! The Gospel is so simple that even...
It is not only Thanksgiving Day, but a day of thanksgiving. It is a day set apart in the life of this nation in which we offer thanks for all the blessings bestowed upon us. I was not raised in this land and therefore I am not a native here. Thanksgiving Day as a special day set apart was not something that I grew up with for the first thirty years of my life. Even though I have now lived in the U...
I'm tempted to ask for a show of hands. How many people here have passed on an email making fun of a politician or political leader? It can be fun to do that. Passing on a cartoon about a politician helps us vent our frustrations at the foibles of our government. We sometimes feel helpless in the face of all of the corruption, bickering, pandering, false promises, and just general buffoonery that ...
Imagine you only have a short time to prepare your successor in ministry. In that time you can only share a few of your insights. What would you tell him or her? There is a story told about a group of seminary students that went to visit an old historic church they had heard a lot about. When they entered the huge building, they were met by a gray-bearded gentleman they thought was the janitor. He...
When Karen Morse of Henniker, New Hampshire was about to graduate from high school in 1984, she revealed a startling fact she could not read or write at even the most basic level! Karen was in the National Honor Society, in "Who ™s Who in American High Schools," was class president, and was student council president. She was known as a superb orator and a model student. Yet, Karen-a severe dyslexi...
There is an old, old story about a college professor who was being ferried across a body of water. The professor chided the ferryman, who was performing this service for him, for his ungrammatical language. When he learned the ferryman never attended school, the professor said: “What? Half of your life has been wasted!”
Shortly afterwards, the ferryman asked, “Professor, did you ever learn to swi...
I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands — one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands — one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.
How many of us memorized these words as part of ...
I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone — for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. — 1 Timothy 2:1-2
No doubt, sometimes we are not quite sure how to approach this instruction. If you like the current administration and the way things are going, no problem. If not, ...
During my seminary days, I pastored two small churches near Bardstown, Kentucky. One of those churches had Sunday night services. Since it has always been a challenge for me to produce one sermon a week worth hearing, the thought of two sermons a Sunday seemed overwhelming. So we had a lot of hymn sings for Sunday night service. At a hymn sing the people present call out their favorite tunes and e...
Ernest Hemingway wrote a story about a father and son who had a serious misunderstanding. In the story, the boy finally runs away from home. The father however, is not content to let his son go. In an effort to find the boy, the father puts an ad in the Madrid, Spain newspaper. It contained these words:
Dear Paco,
Meet me at the town square at noon on Sunday.
All is forgiven...Your father
That S...
When you check into a Sheraton hotel room these days you have a new message you can hang on your doorknob to keep the housekeeper away. Instead of “Do Not Disturb” the message now reads “Peace and Quiet.” The sign at Sheraton’s more upscale sister, The Westin, simply reads “Peace.”
People are not just looking to keep disruptions and disturbances at bay. They are looking to find something positive...
Psalms 100
[1] Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth.
[2] Worship the LORD with gladness; come into his presence with singing.
[3] Know that the LORD is God. It is he that made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
[4] Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise. Give thanks to him, bless his name.
[5] For the LORD is good; his steadfast lo...