Parenting Yesterday Pam and I moved our oldest daughter, Amanda into her third-floor dorm room at UVA to begin her first year in the nursing program. Three floors of stairs, no elevator, no air conditioning, just me, a pile of boxes and suitcases, and my own thoughts. If you’ve ever dropped a child off at university, you know the mixture of emotions as you trudge up and down the stairs. Where did the years go? Wasn’t it just yesterday she…
An amazing story has unfolded on our church Facebook prayer chain today. But I know many of you haven’t seen it. God has been so faithful and the answers to prayer have been SO incredible and God’s people have been SO generous, that I must share this with the whole church and all of my Facebook friends… For several years, I’ve been praying about having our GLCC Missionary Eric Simpson join us for our annual ministry trip to Jamaica. Both…
“Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” Matthew 11:29 God rest ye merry gentlemen, let nothing you dismay Remember Christ our Savior was born on Christmas Day! An oxymoron is a figure of speech in which apparently, contradictory terms appear side by side. “Jumbo shrimp”, “controlled chaos”, or an “open secret” are some obvious ones. We often joke in oxymoron’s to make…
“Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds…” James 1:2 “I have so much to be thankful for! The Lord is so good…so faithful…so good.” His voice trailed off in contemplation and prayer. Alva lives in Jamaica. He is 82 years old and blind. He lives in a shack about a half…
“In every prayer for all of you, I always pray with joy, because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. For I am confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will continue to perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 1:4-6) This week, I am pausing to reflect over my life and my years of ministry…and I am absolutely amazed at the rich partnerships God has blessed me…
“For we are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus to do good works that God has prepared in advance for us to do.” Ephesians 2:10 God called a drunken vineyard dresser to collect 2 of each animal, build a giant boat, and thus save humanity from a world-wide flood…that was NOAH. God called a lying, Canaanite prostitute to pave the way for Israel to conquer the land God promised…that was RAHAB. God called a moon worshiping, childless pagan couple to…
Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed… Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in…
“When tempted, no one should say, ‘God is tempting me.’ For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each person is tempted when they are [drawn out] by their own evil desire and enticed.” James 1:13-14 Every year on Father’s Day weekend, I pack up the family and we head to a favorite fishing spot at a top secret, undisclosed lake-location somewhere in Northern Virginia. We enjoy a picnic lunch, bird watching, fishing and then…
“The One who calls you is faithful, and He will do it.” 1 Thessalonians 5:24 This past weekend was such a wonderful surprise and a time of affirmation for Pam and me. In case you didn’t know, the elders secretly arranged for a special recognition in the worship service and then an all-church picnic in celebration of our 15th anniversary at Grace Life Community Church (May) and our 25th wedding anniversary (June). Maybe it’s their military background, but the elders…
“…and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.” Matthew 2:11 I love the Christmas season, especially the gift giving and receiving. Not the excess, stress and materialism that Christmas has come to represent for so many, but the simple demonstration of care and thoughtfulness that a well chosen gift represents. It’s as if for one brief moment every year, people everywhere pause to embrace God’s Spirit…