Chitchat. Chatting. Chewing the fat.  Those words and phrases (and others) are used to describe what many refer to as “small talk.” Nothing that would make the headlines is being discussed. The subject of the conversation may be as “mundane” as the weather, how a sports team is doing, what different family members are doing, a particular recipe, or any number of other every day and ordinary things.   Are we wasting our time when we engage in small talk? Is there any value in this practice? Would merely asking somebody for a drink of water be considered small talk? What about just asking somebody if they were understanding what they were reading? By now, I’m…

A few weeks ago, I wrote an article that came from the first chapter of Haggai. The idea of that article was that God has supplied all we need, yet we fail to prioritize Him in our lives. I hope those thoughts have helped you (and me) keep Him first these past few weeks.  We often overlook the wisdom contained in these shorter books of the minor prophets. If you are like me, you often feel as though you don’t fully understand “the who” or “the what” is being discussed and so feel lost. Or perhaps, the subject matter makes you uncomfortable (think Hosea) and so we avoid the lessons…

I remember attending a youth rally years ago and hearing what sounded to me like a squeal. It happened as various groups were arriving from different locations. The mother of the “squealer” described it to me as a scream, but it sounded more like a squeal to me.   Here is a little of the “back story” of the noise (however it is best described). Sometime ago, a preacher moved from one location to another. While there is nothing especially unusual about that, there was something unique about this particular move. The move separated his daughter from another young lady who had been her very best friend in the previous location. The mother of…

When I was a young girl, maybe 6 or 7 years old, I was blessed to live next door to my paternal grandparents and only one block from an ice cream stand. In those days you could buy an ice cream cone with a scoop of that deliciousness for 5 cents. Yes, I’m old, but I am telling you the truth – a nickel ice cream cone was a reality. It was an extremely hot summer day and I began to think about how good an ice cream cone would taste. My problem was that I didn’t have a nickel, but I thought I knew a way to get what I wanted. My…

This past Sunday morning as I was driving to worship I saw something that I would say is fairly rare. It was a rainbow on the western horizon. The sun was shining and rising from the east and the rain had not yet arrived. I saw the rainbow before the storm rather than after. I always enjoy seeing rainbows. They make you stop everything you are doing for a minute and you just admire the beauty of the colors and the majesty that is suspended for just a few moments in the sky. I could not help but think about the meaning of the rainbow. I know God placed it…

The New York Gazette contained some interesting information in its June 3, 1752 edition. The information was in an advertisement for an educational institution. Here is what this institution hoped would encourage students to enroll: The chief thing aimed at in this college it to teach and engage young people to know God in Jesus Christ, and to love and serve Him in all sobriety, godliness and righteous life, with a perfect heart, and a willing mind. The institution placing this ad was King’s College. It is now Columbia University. Another present-day Ivy League school had a very strong religious “flavor.” The early motto of this institution was Veritas Christo et Ecclesiae, meaning “Truth…