Tomorrow, April 22nd, is Earth Day. From the first “earth day” celebration in 1970 environmental concerns have gained national attention and the movement has gained momentum. More and more companies are environmentally conscious. The “Go Green” slogan is familiar to us.
Why should I care about environmental issues? Soil conservation? Pollution? Recycling? Or the current concerns over “global warming”? Continue reading
Filed under Stewardship
Her name was Mary Catherine Threlkel. She was my cousin. But we all knew her by “Wimpy,” the nickname given in infancy by her father because she was a fussy baby!
She died on April 8, 2015, at age 70. Last Saturday, I joined family, friends and fellow Christians in Shepherdsville, Kentucky, to honor Wimpy’‘s memory, mourn her passing, but to celebrate her life.
For over 40 years I have participated in speaking at funeral services for people of all ages and who were taken from this life in many different ways. Natural causes. Accidents. Disease. And tragic events. To stand in the specter of death is always a solemn experience. But when it’s a loved one, death suddenly becomes more personal. Painful. And thought-provoking. Continue reading
The cross is the most recognizable symbol of Christianity. It tells the story of Jesus in one simple, easy to understand picture. The cross represents God’s love, mercy and grace. It reminds us of Jesus’ vicarious sacrifice. And it prompts us to remember our personal need for salvation.
We celebrate the cross. We glamorize it. We even romanticize it. We all know what it means. Yet the cross was used by the Romans as a cruel means of capital punishment. It was a shameful death. A humiliating death. A painful death.
It is also good to remember that on the Friday Jesus was crucified to become our Redeemer there were two other crosses occupied by robbers. Continue reading
Filed under It's Friday. But Sunday's Coming!
There was a rambunctious little boy who was always getting into trouble. One particular day when his Mother was trying to get some house work finished, he was into everything. Undoing what she has done. Causing havoc. And generally getting on her nerves.
Finally she said, go sit down in that chair in the corner and be quiet! He looked at her defiantly and said, “No.” Well, that did it. She picked up. Took him to the chair. Sit him down with some authority. And said firmly, “You stay in the chair, until I tell you get up, or you’re going to get a whipping!” Continue reading
Filed under Uncategorized
Today is April 15th. It’s tax time in the United States. It’s the deadline for filing your state and federal income taxes.
But it’s also a time when you hear resurrected phony arguments to relieve us from the responsibility of paying income taxes. In fact, “frivolous tax arguments” are so common that the IRS actually has an online resource listing the most common arguments and a legal refutation of each one. It consists of 56 pages! Here are just a few. Continue reading
Filed under America
Garland Chapman, who was the principal at Robert E. Lee High School in Midland, Texas, in the 1970’s, relates an interesting experience during his days as a grade school principal.
A little second-grade boy started out the morning by falling from the school bus and hitting his head on the concrete – requiring three stitches to close the gash!
Recess proved a little unfortunate as he and another boy ran together. Result: two of his teeth were loosened and a lip was busted. During the afternoon he fell and broke an arm. Continue reading
Filed under Attitude
A stunt pilot was selling rides in his single engine airplane. There was only room for the pilot and two passengers. A preacher wanted to try it, but also take his wife along at no extra charge.
At first the pilot wouldn’t agree. But not wanting to miss out on a chance to make some cash, the pilot said, “I’ll take you both up for the price of one if you promise not to utter a sound during the entire flight. If you make any noise, the price is doubled.” The preacher agreed. Continue reading
Filed under Discipline, Word of the Week
It was very early in the morning on Friday as Peter followed Jesus from a distance. Much has happened in a few hours. The Passover feast. The argument among the apostles of who would be the greatest in the Kingdom. Jesus’ washing of the Disciples’ feet to teach them humility and service.
Now after Jesus’ agonizing prayer in Gethsemane, He is arrested. Betrayed with a kiss by one of Peter’s fellow apostles, Judas Iscariot. The Master is led away to answer charges from the Jewish Supreme Court, The Sanhedrin. He accused of blasphemy. Condemned to death. And disrespected by their ugly taunts. Spat upon. And slapped. Continue reading
Filed under It's Friday. But Sunday's Coming!
Is there ever a time when God looks down on the human race and gives up?
We would think not. God is a God of love. Mercy. Grace. Patience. Longsuffering and Forbearance. Surely, hope springs eternal in the heart of God. He can’t give up! Or can He? Continue reading
Clara Barton, founder of the American Red Cross, was known for her sweet and kind disposition. In fact, it was widely reputed that she never held a grudge.
The story is told that a friend once reminded her of some hurtful act done to her years before. When Ms Barton seemed unaware of the event, her friend persisted, “Don’t you remember how much (she) hurt you?” Continue reading
Filed under Forgiveness, Great Bible Verses
