A few weeks ago Ruthie and I had the privilege of speaking at one of the myriad of annual Adventist camp meetings in the Midwest. Actually she did most of the speaking; I served more as the designated driver. We love those seasons of summer. Reminds us of the special weeks and week ends God […]

If my hunch is correct you may not be familiar with the name Austin Gollahor. In fact, if you do some research on Austin you’ll likely find his last name spelled in more than one way. It was even spelled differently on two census forms in early America. But the tour guide at Abraham Lincoln’s […]

When Ruthie and I were dating I was pastoring a church in central Ohio; Ruthie was working in Nursing Administration in a large hospital nearby. It was a time of high intensity for both of us. But we worked hard at staying in touch. As often as I could I’d stop by the hospital cafeteria […]

You are likely familiar with the name of Charles G Finney. Born in Connecticut in 1792, the youngest of nine children, his first career was as a lawyer. But after a rather dramatic conversion to Christianity, Finney gave up the practice of law and in 1824 became a Presbyterian pastor. His effect on the young […]

Just so we understand each other, let me make sure we understand each other. I am not asking whether you are pregnant. There is a difference between pregnant and expecting. If you are pregnant it means you are scheduled to give birth to a child. If you are expecting, that can mean you are eagerly […]

Since the football season is over I feel like I can talk about it. (If you’re uncomfortable with my reference to sports in a Christian setting, remember the Apostle Paul did that, too.) For the record, I don’t care that much for football. There’s more violence than I am comfortable with, but that’s a personal […]

You perhaps remember Andrew. You may have prayed for him.  Andrew Brunson is the 50-year old American pastor who was arrested in Turkey on the charge of “membership in an armed terrorist organization.”  His real crime was serving as pastor of a 25-member Presbyterian church in Ankara, Turkey. He and his family had served there […]

Praying is a learned skill. The disciples of Jesus had tried it on their own, but once they heard Jesus pray, they saw where it could go and they pleaded, “Lord, teach us to pray, too.” On the one hand, it’s as simple as talking to a friend. But to press the parallel, the tighter […]

You know what an EGR is, right? That’s a person for whom Extra Grace is Required. Some people are easy to love. With some folks you have to work just a little harder at it. But then there are those for whom, if you’re going to be real about showing them God’s love, you know […]

Don’t misunderstand my title. By “The Whole Church,” I don’t mean “the entire church.” I mean the church made whole. The broken church you and I are members of – transformed. The carnally-inclined church where we worship, healed and holy. But brother Don, our church isn’t “broken” or “carnally-inclined.” You ought to see them when […]