Category Archives: Discipleship

It was on this date in 1872 that a woman, Susan B. Anthony, tried to vote in the Presidential election of Ulysses S. Grant and Horace Greenly. She was arrested because at that time women were not allowed to vote. Later she would be tried, found guilty, and fined $100. Continue reading →

Theresa Gale was locking up the church building recently after a long day of volunteering when a young woman approached her, asking for water and bus fare. It was late and Gale was alone. But she gave the woman a bottle of water and $15 and offered her a ride to the bus stop. Continue reading →

Greetings from The Great Smoky Mountains,

Today ends our 2 weeks in this beautiful part of God’s creation.

It’s been a great time.  Not only enjoying the splendor of the Fall Foliage, but worshiping with and preaching for the brethren at Cosby; being with our good friends Olie and Mary Williamson; seeing several friends who were visiting the Smokies at the same time; and having Norma Jean’s cousin, Marsha and her husband Dick spend a few days with us.   Indeed, we feel blessed. Continue reading →

In the wake of Hurricane Helene which caused severe flooding from Florida to North Carolina, and Hurricane Milton which wreaked incredible destruction on Florida’s Gulf Coast, we’ve read of so many instances of neighbors, friends, and brethren helping each other.

The devastation in Western North Carolina is especially difficult given the mountainous terrain that must be traversed with entire towns being destroyed and roads being wiped out.

Of course, there are various charitable groups to which one can donate goods or money to help, but some of the most effective have been individual efforts. Continue reading →

On this day in history, “October 24, 1921, in the French town of Chalons-sur-Marne, an American sergeant selected the body of the first “Unknown Soldier” to be honored among the approximately 77,000 United States servicemen killed on the Western Front during World War I.”

The web page history.com relates the story of how this ”unknown soldier” was chosen by Sergeant Edward Younger. There were numerous bodies of soldiers recovered with no indication of name, rank, or organization. Four were chosen, placed in caskets and brought to the Hotel de Ville. Continue reading →

Greetings from Columbia, Tennessee

We are on the way to the Smoky Mountains, but swung by here to see some dear friends and attend a concert by country music singer and songwriter, Rory Feek, who’s also a world-class storyteller.  Rory was one half of the Grammy award winning duo with late wife, Joey+Rory. Continue reading →

“While nearly every evangelical Protestant believes in the concept of sin, what evangelicals define as sin varies tremendously from one person to the next.”

This conclusion was reached by a recent report titled “What is Sin? Evangelical Beliefs and Behaviors” by Infinity Concepts and Grey Matter Research.

The survey asked, 1,039 Evangelicals to answer “yes” or “no” regarding 26 behaviors as to whether or not they considered them sinful. Continue reading →

It’s an understatement to say that it has been a crazy time here on the West Coast of Florida the past 2-3 weeks.

First, there was Hurricane Helene. Then Hurricane Milton. Each brought their own set of dire predications and ultimate challenges. In addition to the helpful knowledge we gathered in tracking the path of the Hurricanes and staying alert to warnings, was encouragement we received from friends and brethren on social media. Continue reading →

I was reading a piece yesterday where the author was recounting the impact that so many crises and disasters were having on our psyche.

Russian President Putin’s invasion of Ukraine continues with destruction and loss of life. Israel is fighting wars on two fronts with Hezbollah and Hamas, who are actually proxies for Iran. Just two weeks after the devastation of Hurricane Helene that ravaged not only Florida, but Georgia, Tennessee, and especially North Carolina, we’re facing another monster storm, Milton, which will have hit the Gulf coast by the time you read this. Continue reading →