Take it from a guy whose been doing it for 43 years–ministry is difficult! It’s very hard and it takes a lot of energy to accomplish it all. In life, the “why” always determines the “how long.” If you don’t know why you’re doing what you’re doing, you’ll never stick with it. The reason always […]
I just got home after having an iron-sharpens-iron lunch with a close friend of mine who is on staff at a megachurch in Lancaster County. We talked about the way the Corona Virus is impacting our society and even the church. Canceled trips, quarantines, falling stock markets, and isolationism are the emerging realities that we […]
I’m a messed up human being. I don’t mean that I’m particularly deranged – just that I was born broken and have reached the plateau of adulthood carrying some flaws with me. The biggest flaw? I believe lies…sometimes. Here’s a law of life that can’t be avoided or broken: the way I think determines what […]
Mankind has been an inquisitive sort since the dawn of creation. I mean, the squirrels who pounce around in my yard do not seem to be perplexed about anything. They just mosey about trying to remember where they buried the acorns in my mulch bed! Humans are another story. We have questions and we want […]
It is not hard for me to remember when the opinions of others started to matter to me. It began when I was a typical boy growing up in the ’50s. Converse Allstar sneakers came out, and all my friends wore a pair. You know, the black canvas high tops with the ball on the […]
Everybody goes through wounding experiences in life – especially those who are in ministry. Whether these wounds are physical, spiritual, emotional, or relational, they’re either in your life now or they’re coming. So, what should we do when we’re wounded? Worship! It’s the only antidote I have found to that kind of pain. Job is […]
Calendars, scheduled holidays and observances can diminish a sweet reverence for life by reminding us that each day that passes is the anniversary or observance of some perfectly uninteresting event. Did you know that today (January 16th) is “Appreciate a Dragon Day” and “National Nothing Day”? (I’m not making this up) Humankind has become the […]
On December 11th of this year, my bride Nancy and I were privileged to see The Christmas Story at Sight & Sound Theater in Lancaster. We have seen every production they put on in the last thirty years. The quality and professionalism is right up there with anything I’ve seen on Broadway. The Christmas Story […]
While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. (Luke 2:6-7 CEB) My bride Nancy and I are celebrating our […]
In just a few days we will celebrate a national holiday we call Thanksgiving. I always loved this observance. In some respects, I like it just as much if not a little more than Christmas, only because the emphasis is upon family, feasting together, and taking time to acknowledge how blessed we really are. As […]