I appeal to you for my child, Onesimus, whose father I became in my imprisonment. 11 (Formerly he was useless to you, but now he is indeed useful to you and to me.) Philemon 10-11 In the letter that Paul wrote to Philemon, both he and a man named Onesimus were in prison together. Onesimus was…
Today is the celebration of our independence and freedom as a Nation. Fireworks have been going off in my neighborhood for the last several days – at least I hope they’re fireworks, and our grill is heating up for hamburgers and hot dogs. As we look at the freedoms we share as a country, far…
May and June this year, for me, have been filled with highs and lows. As we were flying out to see our new granddaughter in San Diego, we received the news that Bob Miller, a long-time member had passed away. The joy of Raeya’s birth and Bob’s passing reminded us that life is precious and…
“Sing to the LORD a new song, Sing His praise from the end of the earth! You who go down to the sea, and all that is in it. You islands, and those who dwell on them” Isaiah 42:10 As a musician for most of my life, I have found that the greatest, most noble,…
Have you ever thought of failure as a success? When we usually think of failure, we think of missing the mark – not achieving our goal. I believe that failure can also be part of the journey that leads to the successful completion of that goal. In our garden, Margie and I haven’t always gotten…
Count it all joy, my brothers when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. James 1:2-3 In an Alpha Bible study that I participate in on Sunday evenings, the topic came up, “if there is a God and He is good, why is there so…
Each day it becomes more real to me that we are in a battle of good versus evil – and this has eternal consequences. I know we have confidence in the victory through Jesus but we have to prepare for this battle each day. For me putting on the full armor of God begins with…
In the Bible, Jesus had many disciples. There were the forty that He sent out; He had twelve that He personally called to follow Him; and then there were the three – Peter, James, and John. Real discipleship takes place in many groups but there seems to be something special when it happens in small,…
When you hear or read the words, “evangelism” or “witnessing,” how does it make you feel? For some, they will break out in sweat or hives, or even in to a full-blown panic attack! I remember when I first became a Christ follower. I was bubbling with excitement and the church group I was with…
We are constantly reminded by the world that we aren’t good enough, pretty enough, smart enough, rich enough, etc… We must retrain our minds daily to believe the truth of God’s Word. Paul says in his letter to the Romans, “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing…