Monthly Archives: June 2014

Word of the Week: Fellowship

WellandportChurch

This week Norma Jean and I are in Ontario Canada,  where I’m preaching in a meeting for the Wellandport church.  Being in Canada reminds me of a story told by Don Graham.

Linda, a young woman, was traveling alone up the rutted and rugged highway from Alberta to the Yukon. Linda didn’t know you don’t travel to Whitehorse alone in a rundown Honda Civic, so she set off where only four-wheel drives normally venture. Continue reading

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Thinking About My Dad

Today, Norma Jean and I are in Wellandport, Ontario, Canada, where I am preaching in a meeting. But on this Father’s Day, I remember and pay tribute to my Dad who passed away 20 years ago. Here’s a piece that I wrote two years ago. I hope it  speaks to you in some small way on this day in which we need more men like Dad.

ThePreachersWord's avatarThePreachersWord

Sunday is Father’s Day and I’m preaching a lesson about “How to Be A Great Dad.” But let’s be honest. Father’s day is just not as big a deal as Mother’s Day! Restaurants are not as crowded. Phone circuits are not jammed. Hallmark’s business is not as great as on Mother’s Day. And even church attendance doesn’t compare to Mother’s Day!

But that’s understandable, because typically fathers are not as sentimental as mothers. However, let me share a bit of sentiment as I think about my Dad who passed away 18 years ago and pay tribute to dads.”

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IT’S FRIDAY. BUT SUNDAY’S COMING! What Do You See?

Cross.Man.way

A husband and wife were on the way home from worship one Sunday morning.  As they rode along, the wife asked her husband, “Did you see that woman in the front row showing off her Liz Claiborne suit?”

He said, “No.”

Well, “Did you see that man on our left–the one wearing that gaudy sport jacket that clashed with his slacks?”

“No, I didn’t” her husband replied.  Continue reading

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Shall We Continue in Sin?

Mature man with hands on chin,looking away,close-up

“Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound?”

Sounds like a silly question, doesn’t it? Who would think it’s good thing to sin? I mean sin a lot! So, when you sin God gives you more grace.

It is actually a serious question raised by the apostle Paul in the book of Romans. And he gives a serious answer. Continue reading

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Does Anyone Believe in Sin?

SIN.Guilt

Several months after moving to Kansas City my friend, Dick Harmon, gave me an autographed copy of Dr. Karl Menninger’s classic book, “Whatever Became of Sin?”

Dr. Menninger, a well-known and highly respected Psychiatrist, wrote that “The very word ’sin,’ which seems to have disappeared, was a proud word. It was once a strong word, an ominous and serious word. It described a central point in every civilized human being’s life plan and lifestyle. But the word went away. It has almost disappeared—the word, along with the notion.”

“Why?” asks Dr. Menninger. “Doesn’t anyone sin any more? Doesn’t anyone believe in sin?”  Continue reading

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Why I Haven’t Changed My Mind on Homosexuality

Romans1

“I recently became gay affirming after a 15-year journey,” said Danny Cortez, a preacher for the New Heart Community Church in La Mirada, California.

In a letter to blogger John Shore, founder of “Unfundamentalist Christians,” Cortez said he “realized I no longer believed in the traditional teachings regarding homosexuality.” The Baptist trained preacher said after reading many of Shore’s posts his “eyes became open to the injustice that the church had wrought.” Continue reading

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Word of the Week: Judge

Judging.Bible

“I think I’ll just say I don’t agree with judging fellow human beings like this and leave it that!”

This was the response from one of my readers regarding a recent post on America’s Abortion Culture.

After replying to her objections, she did respond again saying, “ I don’t think Jesus (as far as I remember from childhood teaching) ever tried to change things by judging others. Compassion might change things. Helping people overcome bad circumstances might change things. But not judgment.” Continue reading

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IT’S FRIDAY. BUT SUNDAY’S COMING! The Empty Tomb Dispels Despair

Cross.EmptyTomb

Auguste Bartholdi was discouraged. Ten years of his life. Wasted!

The year was 1856. Barthold had traveled to Egypt and was captivated by the magnificence of the pyramids. The magical Nile. And the mysterious Sphinx. There he met Ferdinand de Lesseps who began a ten-year project of cutting a canal from the Red Sea to the Mediterranean. He succeeded. And the Suez Canal began a reality.

Bartholdi was inspired to design a grand lighthouse to adorn the entrance of the canal. His ten years of work, planning and designing did not produce the same results. No one was interested in financing the statue. Continue reading

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You’re Making History Today!

History.ThisDay

On this day in history, 50 years ago, Jim Ryun became the first High School athlete to run a sub-4 minute mile. I wrote about it Monday in my “Word of the Week” column on endurance.  It occurred to me, however, that I might be in the minority that finds his feat very important! 

So, I wondered what else happened on this day in history. Events that other people believe are significant and note worthy. Here are a few published on history web-sites.

On this day in history…..  Continue reading

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Be a Rainbow in Somebody Else’s Cloud

Rainbow

Poet Laureate Maya Angelou passed away last week at age 86. Active in the civil rights movement, she became a celebrated poet, novelist, educator, dramatist, and producer,

The list of her published works included over 30 best-selling titles including her internationally acclimated auto-biographical book, I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings.   Continue reading

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