It’s cold outside! That is the current thought going through my head this cold winter evening. There are many days right now where I have trouble staying warm and I am not usually cold-blooded. That made me reflect on how I sounded. “How you sounded?” You may be wondering if I have finally gone around the bend. But I realized that I sound quite whiny when I keep commenting on how cold I am. After all, in just a few short months I will probably be saying how hot I am. And in reality, compared to many around me, I am neither overly cold nor overly hot. I am blessed.…

I’ve been a preacher or an elder for over forty years. While I am now serving only as an elder, for a number of those years I served in both capacities. Along with those “official” roles, I am also a husband, father, father-in-law, and grandfather. I have also been a son and son-in-law. As I think about all of the “hats” I’ve worn, I realize that I also have other family connections and that I am also a neighbor and, hopefully, a friend. What all of that means, among other things, is that I have spent quite a bit of time in waiting rooms in hospitals. I’ve been with people…

Like many of you, I am spending a little time in these final days of the year thinking of goals and resolutions for the upcoming year. Sometimes I write them down and sometimes I don’t. Sometimes I have several and sometimes I just have one or two. No matter the number, though, each one is always thought out. However, this year is not done yet. While the number of days left in 2021 is dwindling, they are not totally spent. That leads me to wonder: could I be spending so much time planning next year’s goals that I miss some opportunities to accomplish things in these final days of the…

As I type these words, we are only a few days from “ringing in” another new year. In my earlier years, I couldn’t understand why anybody would go to bed before midnight on New Year’s Eve. I have since found out that a new year can begin just fine without me being awake to welcome it. I’ve also learned that making resolutions all too often proves to be futile exercise. I’m sure that most of us mean well, but it seems that our resolve also falters after a few weeks or months. Since many of us are already thinking about a meaningful resolution, I’d like to suggest one. If we…

I don’t know about you, but I am almost stretched to my limit. There has been shopping, wrapping, baking, making, attending, laundering, cleaning, listing, packing, dispensing, writing, studying…and the list just goes on and on! When I finally sat down last night (exhausted), I wondered where the peace was that I hear and read about during this season? For some reason, a song came to mind. We don’t sing it often but maybe we should. The words of the first verse just kept going through my mind and I calmed down as I thought about their message and meaning. I decided to look it up in our song book and…

How many times have you spent a great deal of time and given much thought to a gift for a child only to watch that child play with the box more than what was in the box? Have you ever bought or received something as a gift and then have found it later in a drawer or hidden away somewhere unused (or used very little)? Have you reached the age and/or stage in life where you tell your family to not buy you any gifts because you either realize that you have everything you really need and/or that you can get what you might want for yourself? Gift giving can…