Blog Archive

In two days, Linda will be 80. On our first date in December 1962, I was 19 and she was 21. Over the years, our age difference has been the source of convenience, fun and disagreement. When we started pastoring, I freely shared Linda’s birthday, hoping that people would think I was older than she. Read more

As 2020 fades into the rearview mirror, the media, reflecting the desires of the average person, are focusing on a relevant question: When will things return to normal?  In addition to a worldwide pandemic, we have faced racial unrest, deep divisions in government and a record- setting number of storms and fires. Strangely, apart from religious Read more

In coming years, and even decades, people will still be trying to figure out what went wrong in 2020. Presently, most people agree it was a year we will never forget!  Therefore, it seems to me our focus should be on the solution and not the problem. At the end of this blog, I will develop Read more

I am amazed, saddened and very concerned over what has transpired since my last blog: Congress was gaveled into session and the opening prayer, delivered by an ordained minister, appealed for peace“…in the name of the monotheistic God, Brahma, and ‘god’ known by many names, by many different faiths.” At the end, his affirmation was an equally Read more

In the first seventeen days of 2021, in addition to coping with the hardships placed upon us by a continuing pandemic, we have watched deep divisions in our government devolve into what appears to be insurmountable chasms. Fear and anxiety are palpable. At a personal level, I am committed to avoiding the mistakes of the Read more

Throughout a person’s life, the search for identity is an ongoing process. Watching my children, grandchildren, and now great-grandchildren has been an educational process. Even though each came from the womb wired differently, their search followed a predictable path. Greatly simplified it looks like this: Who am I? How can I relate to the persons, Read more

Almost all major news outlets and social media platforms are saturating us with a steady stream of conflicting information. Combine this with the absence of a clear prophetic voice in the church and you have a recipe for creating psychological instability, fear and despair. Long-term caregivers to those who are suffering from dementia are already Read more

With pervasive hopelessness increasingly apparent in our society, preparing for the future can be quite daunting. That does not negate my responsibility as a caregiver to my wife. In order to be effective, I must be aware of two opposing realities: Hopelessness is exacerbated when people choose to play Ain’t it Awful!  The rules are simple: Read more

I have never met anyone who enjoyed waiting. Yet, in our walk with God, we are required to spend large amounts of our life doing exactly that. He has chosen, through the discipline of waiting, to teach us about his great love and provision: He gives strength to the weary,And to the one who lacks might He increases power.Though youths Read more

Last Thursday, I was invited to speak to a group of persons, all above the age of sixty, who were acquainted with grief and loss. Near the end of the class, we participated in a time of sharing. Their stories of resilience in the face of suffering had a great impact on me. One precious Read more