Recently, I was visiting one of our older members at West Side in the hospital as he was about to go in for surgery. While I was there, an RN came in to run through medications with him and his family and make sure everything was as it should be before his operation. When she found out that I was a minister, she revealed that she herself was married to a pastor (she never mentioned a denomination) and that they had been missionaries both within the United States and abroad in the past. She got even more excited when she learned that we were about to pray together and referenced…

In light of all of the storms we’ve had lately, I’ve gone back into my memory bank and recalled my childhood and what would happen then when storms were approaching. We lived next door to my paternal grandparents who had a basement which opened up to the outdoors. My grandma’s kitchen was in that basement and I spent many hours there with her.  As most children did in that time, I spent a lot of time playing outside. No one worried about me or the kids in the neighborhood with whom I played. That is, until a summer thunderstorm would blow up. As the clouds gathered and darkened and the…

Our young people at West Side are some of the best ever. Yes, I know I’m biased when I say that, but I do have evidence to back it up. About three months ago, a few of them approached me with a request. They had noticed that several people had expressed difficulty with daily Bible reading and wanted to set up a system for coming up with topical Bible readings and keeping one another accountable in their reading. They asked me if I could make a group chat that people could join and, if the members of the group chat would decide on a topic each week, whether I could…

I feel like these words are an answer more than a question these days. What is this generation thinking with their music? Who knows. What is up with all the changes happening in our world? Who knows. Are we really going to relive 70s fashion? Who knows. Was the groundhog serious about six more weeks? Who knows. In our weekly Wednesday night devotional we heard a famous use of these words, but as a question. In the book of Esther, evil Haman has gotten the king to sign a decree basically sentencing all Jews to death. While encouraging Esther to be brave and go to the king on behalf of…

The Bible is full of some of the greatest symbolic imagery ever composed. For one thing, the metaphors of the Bible are expertly crafted and genuinely beautiful, inspiring awe for their Author in and of themselves. Additionally, their beauty and genius are enhanced by their ability to communicate the mind of God in relatable terms and convict their audiences powerfully and personally. One such example that grabbed my attention recently is found in the opening verses of Amos 7 (vv. 1-9). As this chapter of poetic prophecy opens, Amos witnesses God preparing a swarm of locusts to destroy the harvests of Israel. Amos comes to the defense of his people,…

No, I’m not talking about that other kind of privilege that people seem to be so concerned with in recent years. Since the Bible has nothing to say about skin color, I think it is absolutely crazy for our culture to be so obsessed with it. Instead, I’m talking about a privilege that is available to everyone and that is far, far greater. It is one that I used to hear described as a “privilege” more often than I do these days, but maybe we need to get back to using that description. In fact, this privilege provides doors of opportunity and communication that nothing else can. Do you want…

Having lived on my own now for almost 2 years, I am convinced that there is no more difficult task than keeping a desk clear of clutter for more than about 2 days. This is something that anyone who has seen my desk at the church office or (especially) my desk at home knows about me. I am writing this just after making yet another attempt to clear off the church desk; it’s still not totally clear, but it looks much better than it did before. It’s not that the clutter doesn’t bother me – believe me, it does. It’s just that every time I have a chance to clear…

I recently adopted an Aussie lab puppy named Baxter. At three months old, he is a bundle of energy and has been a great addition to my house as well as an occasional terror. We had a few pets over the course of my childhood, but Baxter is the first dog I have had on my own. As such, while I am training him, he is also training me in some significant ways, many of which have biblical parallels and spiritual implications. To create an exhaustive list would take much longer than one article, but there is one that has stood out among the rest in these first few weeks…