Posts from 2019 (Page 4)

Sunday, April 28th was Vickie Elliott’s birthday. Vickie works tirelessly in our church office and is the most meticulous person I know. She’s a gifted administrator and bookkeeper, a delightful conversationalist and never, ever forgets my birthday. About a week before my big day, she contacts me and asks if I want the brownies I usually ask for and, when the day arrives. a pan of quadruple chocolate brownies are waiting for me. Last week I established contact with my…

An expert in the law asked Jesus the question, “And who is my neighbor?” Jesus then told the story of the hated Samaritan who helped a man going from Jerusalem to Jericho who was robbed and beaten. Jesus then asks the lawyer, “Who do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?” The law scholar then replied to Jesus, “The one who had mercy on the man.” Jesus told him, “Go and do…

Some remarkable and memorable events occur when we are pushed….. I had the ride of my life when as I sat at the top of the snow covered Crest Middle School hill. I was pushed by a member of our sledding entourage. My plastic snow craft was seated securely atop this popular winter gathering area when I requested some initial assistance. The precipitation was icy, the air was cold and the slope was in optimal condition as my little plastic…

A guy by the name of Wilfred A. Peterson wrote these words which I pasted in the front of one of my favorite books. I placed it there as a reminder that life is not always about snuggly puppies, fuzzy little kittens, hot donuts, inspirational sunsets and rainbows. At times life is a struggle and it isn’t always crisis related. There are times when life is uneventful with duties to fulfill and responsibilities to deal with. Oswald Chambers called this…

In speaking with the wise and learned, and in my attendance at numerous conferences and continuing education events, I am convinced that setting goals is not a wasted effort. I think we over complicate the process occasionally and, at times, we put down an admirable list of hopeful accomplishments only to place the list in a safe place never to be considered again.I have had some admirable goals through the years. Back in the 80’s and 90’s, Kim and I…

In Joshua chapter 10 you can read about God extending a day in order to facilitate His man Joshua’s victory over the Amorites. These Amorites are not to be confused with the dreaded stalactites who were always hanging around…..but that’s another story for another day. Well anyway, I was wondering if God was able to extend just one day if it would be possible for him to give us a couple of extra weeks in April and May due to…

In my feeble attempts to be funny I sometimes inadvertently offend the unsuspecting victims of my questionable humor and in my attempts to elicit giggles from folks of other cultures and countries, my record is quite blemished. In fact, it’s down-right scary when I throw caution to the wind, crack a little “southern funny” complete with a story or two told in my native tongue, “Gaffanese” (a form of English spoken by those of us from Gaffney, SC) only to…

I would love to tell you that the most exciting and life-changing events on the church calendar are our bi-monthly church business conferences. I wish I could guarantee visions and mighty works of God just by showing up. I’m afraid I could be stretching the truth, maybe lying, if I said you would emerge from this meeting of the Baptist brethren and sistern with the glow Moses received after he met God on the mountain. For some church folks, the…

The following is an update of an old article I wrote back in 1997. Please forgive me for sharing old stuff. I realized a long time ago that I can’t re-preach a previously proclaimed message. I have a hard enough time preaching them the first time. But old newsletter articles are not a problem to re-submit if they are “good ‘uns.” Also, I was more creative and insightful in my earlier days. So here’s a reheated one for you: I…

The other day I ran across one of my favorite old newsletter articles from September 1998. I had been looking for it for years and in the big move, otherwise known as my personal “organizational apocalypse,” I discovered it among the chaos. I am going to use this “enhanced” word from the sayings of John the Baptist to justify my action today….reprint!!!!! From Your Minister of Miscellaneous… One day while “surfing” the radio, my attention was gripped by a country…