March 3, 2015 · 9:20 am

Made For Another World

World.Gazing

Last night I woke up and couldn’t go back to sleep. So I got up, ate a piece of toast and drank a glass of warm milk. (I read somewhere on the internet where that would help you sleep. So it must be true!)

After checking my email, which you’re not supposed to do, I decided to read for a while. I picked up a book and came across two great quotes, one by John Piper and the other by C. S. Lewis.

Piper wrote, “The greatest hindrance to worship is not that we are a pleasure-seeking people, but that we are willing to settle for such pitiful pleasures.” Continue reading →

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March 2, 2015 · 7:42 am

Word of the Week: Watch

WATCH

Once there was a little boy, Ryan, who wanted a watch.

Day in and day out Ryan pestered his parents about getting him a watch. His parents put him off every way they could. Finally he drove his parents to the breaking point. His father told the youngster that he didn’t want to hear another word about a watch from him.

Well, for the rest of that week the Ryan said nothing about a watch. He knew that to do so would certainly result in his parents’ displeasure and probably some discomfort for him! Continue reading →

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February 27, 2015 · 7:41 am

IT’S FRIDAY. BUT SUNDAY’S COMING! Celebration. Crucifixion. Coronation.

Jesus.Life

“When life changes to be harder, change yourself to be stronger. Our challenges are what mold us, refine us, and make us into all we were intended to become.” (Zig Ziglar)

Life does change. Challenges do come. And how quickly they can occur! Indeed the classic old hymn is right, “Time is filled with swift transition.”

We’ve all experienced it. That heart-rending phone call with a sobbing voice on the other end with tragic news. The results of a test and the Doctor’s unfavorable prognosis. The husband announces that he’s leaving to the shock of his wife and children. A close associate who betrays your trust. A once devoted friend who cowardly leaves when you need him the most. Continue reading →

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February 26, 2015 · 7:43 am

Lord, Have Mercy!

Mercy.Cross

An 80-year-old woman was arrested for shoplifting. When she appeared in court, the Judge asked her, “What did you steal?”

“A can of peaches,” She replied.

When the Judge asked her why, she said that she was hungry. “How many peaches were in the can?” asked the Judge.

“Six.”

The Judge said, “Then I will give you six days in jail.”

Before the Judge could pronounce the sentence, the woman’s husband spoke up and asked if he could say something. Continue reading →

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February 25, 2015 · 7:55 am

GREAT VERSES OF THE BIBLE: Psalm 55:22

Psalms

Little Ethan had a habit of “stretching the truth.”

One day, while walking home from school, he saw a large black dog run across the street right in front of him.   He rushed home as fast as he could and hollered, “Mom! You’re never going to believe .what I just saw!”

“What did you see Ethan?” his mother cautiously asked, Continue reading →

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February 24, 2015 · 8:28 am

The Value of Friends

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

I just finished reading a book by Missouri native, Stan Crader, called The Bridge.

Crader gives a glimpse of rural America through the eyes of a 12-year-old boy, Tommy Thompson, during the summer of 1967. It details Tommy’s quest for a Honda motorcycle and the summer jobs he worked to earn it. Tommy recalls his adventures with his school buddies, Caleb, Flop and his best friend Booger and how he helped him through family tragedy. And he reminisces about his romantic infatuation for his first love, Wendy. Continue reading →

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February 23, 2015 · 8:17 am

WORD OF THE WEEK: Sanctify

Sanctify

As a part of our 2015 theme on FUNDAMENTALS OF FAITH, the Hickman Mills Church where I preach in Kansas City, MO, is working on reading though the Bible this year.

We’ve  just finished Exodus and are moving into Leviticus. It’s easy to get bogged down in that section of Scripture. But in the midst of all of the statutes, ordinances and laws pertaining to  the various offerings there is a message God is communicating to Israel.

Israel belonged to God. They were His people. They were to be different from heathen nations. They were to be separate. Set apart. And distinctive. They were to abstain from idolatry, immorality and iniquity.  Continue reading →

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February 20, 2015 · 9:16 am

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

Jesus.Cross.Carying

It was 800 miles from the North African city of Cyrene in Lybia to Jerusalem.The journey was long and arduous. But the time, effort and expense would be worth it. No doubt this dark-skinned man, a Hellenistic Jew, named Simon, was eagerly anticipating the feast days. The Passover. The fellowship. The communion with other worshipers. An opportunity to honor the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

We don’t know if it was his first trip. Or his last. Or maybe he settled there. But we can know this. He never forgot it. And neither did his sons, Rufus and Alexander. Continue reading →

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February 19, 2015 · 7:50 am

How to Improve Communication in Marriage

Norma PI

Today is Norma Jean’s birthday.

It reminds me of a man who asked his wife, “What would you like most for your birthday?”

She said, “I’d love to be ten again.”

On the morning of her birthday, he got her up bright and early and they went to a theme park. He put her on every ride in the park – the Death Slide, The Screaming Loop, the Wall of Fear. Continue reading →

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February 18, 2015 · 9:39 am

GREAT VERSES OF THE BIBLE: Psalm 46:1

Psalm46.1

In 1517 Martin Luther was just an obscure, unknown Catholic priest. Until.

Until he decided to challenge the teachings of the Catholic church when he nailed his 95 theses on the church house door in Wittenberg, Germany.  Luther challenged the church on 95 points where he felt they were scripturally wrong. This opposition meant a charge of heresy and certain excommunication. It could have resulted in torture and death. Continue reading →

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