Have you ever lit a firecracker with a really short wick? I remember being a kid and somehow gaining access to fireworks (usually just the small stuff, either firecrackers or bottle rockets, with an occasional Roman candle). My cousins and I were essentially menaces when we were young. Being equipped with explosives, even small ones, […]
Short-Wicked Firecrackers Read More »
A few years ago I wrote a blog titled, “The American Dream Is a Trap,” which raised a few eyebrows, I’m sure. Nonetheless, I stand by my convictions (said blog is now a part of my book titled, “Diary Of a Journeyman – Volume I,” which is free for download on the North Christian Church website). The gist of
“Sticks and stones may break my bones, but names will never hurt me.” I can’t remember the first time I heard this, but I’m confident it was after I had been verbally abused by another child. I imagine either my mom or an elementary school teacher handed this little quip down to me. I’ve since
How blessed is the man who has made the LORD his trust,And has not turned to the proud, nor to those who lapse into falsehood.Many, O LORD my God, are the wonders which You have done,And Your thoughts toward us;There is none to compare with You.If I would declare and speak of them,They would be
Peace is a simple concept, war is not. Growing up was scary at times. I remember turning on the TV, watching the news, even seeing grainy footage of absurdly named bombs, Fat Man and Little Boy, being dropped on the Japanese, and being really afraid of nuclear war. Looking back, the so-called “Cold War” produced fear on steroids. To a
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God made us for Himself: that is the only explanation that satisfies the heart of a thinking man, whatever his wild reason may say. Should faulty education and perverse reasoning lead a man to conclude otherwise, there is little that any Christian can do for him. For such a man I have no message. —
When Blind Arrogance Trumps All But Our Prayer Read More »
“What are we celebrating?” This one question has been recurring from my pulpit for quite some time now. The context typically includes an admixture of invitation, partiality, oversight, and misguided emotions. The example most often mentioned concerns family (I’m speaking of blood relatives, particularly immediate family members). Family represents a natural petri dish for conflict.
It’s a typical Wednesday morning and the sun has finally decided to show its lovely face after a brief surrender to a patented New England let-me-darken-your-mood storm system. I know, I know, what would become of the green grass and the beautifully budding trees and flowers in the absence of life sustaining rain? Sometimes, I’m
Love and humility. What a pair. To abide in the first is to know the second. To know the second is to respond with the first. The dynamic is divinely orchestrated as a blessing for believers alone, a harmonious sphere of godliness. In the beginning [before Creation] was the Word, and the Word was with God, and
For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world — our faith. — 1 John 5:4 My congregation may not know it, but most days I preach from behind my pulpit, my heart is breaking. It’s the same love that compels me to serve/teach that