“This is an olive dish from Cypress. The large section is for the olives, the little ones are for the pits.” –Tom & Karen, missionaries to Cypress. On Sunday I was handed a little green gift bag by a dear couple who have invested decades into missions work. Tom and Karen are currently back in…

“Anxiety in a man’s heart weighs him down, but a good word makes him glad.” –Proverbs 12:25 {ESV} “Heaviness in the heart of man maketh it stoop: but a good word maketh it glad.” –Proverbs 12:25 {KJV} “An anxious heart weighs a man down, but a kind word cheers him up.” –Proverbs 12:25 {NIV} “Worry…

Yesterday morning I shared a message with the Meadow family concerning the call of Christ for His followers to carry their own cross and deny themselves. Strongly worded, Jesus made this a non-negotiable requirement for following Him. At the end of the message I confessed to the church that I often struggle at the close…

About this time last year I was preparing for an overseas trip to Scotland. Missionary Nathan Young, Pastor Scott Kay and I planned, prayed and eventually packed for this week-long ministry endeavor which would allow me, as Nathan’s friend and pastor, to experience the land of his calling. The trip was enjoyable and exhausting with…

“He looked, and behold, the bush was burning, yet it was not consumed.” –Exodus 3:2 {ESV} “So we do not lose heart. Though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed day by day.” –2 Corinthians 4:16 {ESV} It’s been a while since I lost a night of sleep due to a…

“How then can man be justified with God? Or how can he be clean that is born of a woman?” –Job 25:4 The suffering saint from ages ago submits to us the question of eternity. Flavoring the question is the seasoning of incredulity, an awareness of the impossible holiness of God mingled with an undeniable…

“You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet.” – Matthew 5:13 {ESV} I frequent a Christian satire blog that allows for a forum to comment on…

It rarely snows in Georgia where I live but we are currently immersed in the second snowfall in the last three weeks. For southerners, this one is a doozy as we are not accustomed to dealing with the white stuff. As we finished up our Sunday services and began to relax at home last night,…

“I will praise the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.” –Psalm 146:2 {ESV} On Sundays, when it comes time to record some thoughts in this blog, I purpose to keep it simple. More often than not my thoughts scurry during the week and…

Here is an opportunity for you to have a laugh on a Saturday. Nothing spiritual or serious today, just an exaggerated look at a facet of the American church that could use some tweaking. For all you die-hard evangelists who would send an objection to the satire video below, please save yourself the time and…