Search
An Ohio friend has been graciously checking out my study break blogs, and sent this email of questions: “When did we all, as Christians, decide to be judgmental of others to the detriment of examining ourselves? And collectively, why does it so frequently feel Christians are more bent on being crusaders instead of just simply touching those around them and showing love?” Great questions. Last night we ventured out to a pier immediately after our family beach photo shoot. There were…
Read More
“It’s a Free Country…” That’s a phrase I remember being “cool” as a kid. I remember my sister saying it when we’d be in an argument and I’d remind her of the rules of calling “shotgun” to ride in the front seat of the van. I remember saying it to friends at school when they’d ask if they could sit in the open seat at the lunch table, or play kickball with our group at recess. I remember it transforming…
Read More
According to the Washington Post, Gale Curcio recently ate a chocolate bar laced with 300 mg. of THC from cannabis oil. Legalized pot for recreational use is growing across many states. Somehow the candy bar from California made it to her coffee table. She unknowingly took a small bite, but went into an induced psychedelic state ending up in the local ER for tests. With a slow-but-eventual diagnosis, the doctors were glad Gale ate only a small portion. They were…
Read More
Another new word has suddenly poked it’s way in our cultural vocab. SCOTUS. With the recent ruling of the Supreme Court Of The United States to make same-sex marriages legal in all 50 states, language is not the only thing changing. Opinions about the LGBTQ community are shifting in favor of the vocal and highly visible minority (less than 2%). Christians everywhere are scrambling. What are we to do? How are we to fight for Biblical truth? What prophecy is…
Read More
Every now and then we run into people who are just flat out jerks, or sometimes even worse. It may be as simple as a rude comment to a waiter at a restaurant, or it may be as something far more serious. And to cap it off, these people claim the name of Jesus. Have you ever stopped to wonder… where’s the disconnect? There might be a huge chasm between what the person says and what the person does. How…
Read More
If a parent would unleash the freedom hatches on their seven-year-old’s diet, do you think they would abuse this freedom? Would said elementary student forsake all green vegetables? What if they ate a steady diet of cotton candy? Wouldn’t the very freedom given be the cause of their own destruction? Which begs the question: Is sugar still poison if it’s soft, fluffy, pink, and clowns with creepy smiles sell it? Is there any chance a first-born, seven-year-old would find a…
Read More
I’m too very quick to jump to my own fearful conclusions. This morning I was reminded. Outside our bedroom window I heard our neighborhood “cusser.” This is a 26-or-so-year-old Black man who walks with his earbuds and cusses very loudly. I assume he’s listening to some horrific, explicit rap music as he “sings” or cusses along… again, extremely loud. My quick conclusion was to keep my eye out for this guy. I should scurry my sheltered children inside, as he…
Read More
This past Memorial Day I did something I’m ashamed to admit. Pastors are great at getting others to confess, but slow to get their own lips a movin’. Here’s my Friday morning confession. On Memorial Day, I took my wife and two youngest kids to a memorial service at the Marietta National Cemetery. This is the FIRST time I’ve done this with my family. Sad. But… the service was incredible. Emotions, tears, and chill bumps flooded my obviously parched sense…
Read More
Certainly all of us have dealt with an identity crisis at one time or another. In third grade, I was convinced my little league baseball skills would afford me the starting line up with the Cincinnati Reds when I grew up. At age ten, I preached my first sermon from behind a huge pulpit high atop a step stool so I could see. One gracious older lady wrote, “Such a big sermon for a little man.” I didn’t know if…
Read More
Last night we had the Peace Truck in our neighborhood for a big water wars with all the kids. We were celebrating the last day of school. We were swarmed with kids lovin’ the jumpy house, free ice cream, and water balloon fights. It was fun to see the kids celebrate. It was good to talk with a few parents who appreciated the efforts of pouring into their kids and neighborhood. The last day of school quickly ushers in Memorial…
Read More