Monthly Archives: July 2013

July 31, 2013 · 6:36 am

Race Relations. Dr. King. And Character

Race.KidsThe aftermath of the George Zimmerman murder trial in the death of 17-year-old Travyon Martin, has sparked renewed conversations regarding race relations in America.

Politicians, social activists and news commentators have all weighed in.  And with varying viewpoints.  Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson’s opinions are markedly different from other well-known black men like Dr. Ben Carson  and Juan Williams.  President Obama has shared some of his personal experiences.  And recently Bill O’Reilly has spoken passionately on this issue, calling out those he believes are “race-hustlers.” Continue reading →

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July 30, 2013 · 7:34 am

Don’t Just Sit There. Do Something!

Baloons.LarryWalters2

Larry’s boyhood dream was to fly.  After graduating from high school he joined the air force.  But poor eyesight disqualified him from flying.  When he was discharged, he had to be content just to watch the Jets fly over his Long Beach CA neighborhood.  Then one day the 33-year-old truck driver got a “bright idea!” Continue reading →

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July 29, 2013 · 7:17 am

Word of the Week: Peace

Peace.Mind.Sunset

Do you remember Tracy Lippard, the tall, beautiful, blond, beauty queen from West Virginia?  She was dubbed by the media “the psycho-Barbie doll gone bad.”

After crowning her successor, she drove 275 miles seeking revenge against her boy friend who had jilted her for another woman, Melissa Weikle. She took with her a 9-mm semi-automatic pistol.   A butcher knife.   Rubber gloves.   A bottle of lighter fluid.   And a hammer. Continue reading →

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July 26, 2013 · 6:20 am

IT’S FRIDAY. BUT SUNDAY’S COMING! Communion with Christ

Communion

W. A. Criswell tells a story about the Duke of Wellington once attending a small church in England.  It was their custom to come to the front and kneel down to receive communion.  The Duke, who had just been honored as a hero in the battle of Waterloo, came forward and knelt down.

About the same time a poor ragged old man came down from the other side of the building and knelt beside the Duke.   Immediately a deacon came up behind the old man, gently placed a hand on his shoulder and quietly whispered for the man to move farther away from the Duke. Or to rise and wait until the Duke had taken communion.  Continue reading →

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July 25, 2013 · 7:18 am

Is Bill O’Reilly’s Solution Right?

Bible.Plant

“Reader’s Digest”  once told the story about a company who mailed out some special advertising business post cards with a mustard seed glued to it.  The following caption read something like this: “If you have faith as small as this mustard seed in ( our product), you are guaranteed to get excellent results and be totally satisfied.”

— Signed, The Management Continue reading →

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July 24, 2013 · 7:03 am

Some Thoughts About the Royal Baby

mother-holding-baby-drawingWhen a King is about to be born people are watching.  Waiting.  Anticipating.

After all it’s not a common occurrence.  Or an every day event.  Or an ordinary birth.  It’s unique.  Unparalleled.  Unequaled.  Special.  Very special.

And now the Royal baby has come into the world!  Adored.  Admired. Celebrated.

And don’t you just love his name?  It flows.  It just rolls off your tongue. Continue reading →

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July 23, 2013 · 6:17 am

Lessons Learned From Little Children

Nehemiah

Like most preachers, I receive notes, letters, and drawings from children.  Most are very sweet, cute, and encouraging.  However, I’ve never received any notes quite like the ones compiled by this unknown author.  Supposedly these are actual letters written by children to the preacher.

Dear Preacher, I would like to go to heaven someday because I know my brother won’t be there. Stephen. Age 8, Chicago Continue reading →

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July 22, 2013 · 6:48 am

Word of the Week: Mercy

Mercy

A mother once approached Napoleon seeking a pardon for her son. The emperor replied that the young man had committed a certain offense twice and justice demanded death.

“But I don’t ask for justice,” the mother explained. “I plead for mercy.”

“But your son does not deserve mercy,” Napoleon replied. Continue reading →

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July 19, 2013 · 6:22 am

IT’S FRIDAY. BUT SUNDAY’S COMING! Beneath the Cross of Jesus

Cross.Soldiers.Gambling.

Elizabeth Cecelia Clephane was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, in 1830.  Her parents died when she was a child. And she died at the young age of 39, having lived most of her life with illness.

Deeply religious and concerned about others, Elizabeth ministered to the downtrodden in the village of Melrose, where she lived most of her life. She was bright. Clever.  And cheerful. People in the village called her “Sunbeam.”  But Clephane didn’t see herself that way.  She wrote these words: Continue reading →

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July 18, 2013 · 7:28 am

Why Can’t We All Just Get Along?

 Together

Twenty-two years ago Rodney King became nationally known after being beaten by Los Angeles police officers.  The African-American construction worker was on parole for robbery and following a high-speed car chase on March 3, 1991 was caught and beaten unmercifully.

George Holliday, a nearby resident, witnessed the vicious beating and video taped it from his apartment balcony.  Mr.  King’s plaintive cry was eventually heard around the world “Why can’t we all just get along?

Following the recent riots, vitriolic response and heated rhetoric regarding George Zimmerman’s acquittal for shooting Travyon Martin, a 17-year-old African-American, King’s question still rings in our ears.  Continue reading →

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