You’ve probably heard it. You may have said it. When the name some politician comes up in a discussion, you can rest assured that somebody will at least be thinking it. “I do not respect him/her, but I respect the office.” Those few words say a lot. Most of what is said is not good. Part of the message is that some particular individual is (at least in the eyes of the one making the statement) unworthy of respect and honor. Their character may be flawed. Their abilities may be very limited. The people with whom they associate may be unsavory. Any number of reasons may be given. The bottom line is that they are deemed unworthy of respect.…

My mother lost her diamond solitaire 30 years ago. It was her engagement ring from my father. She used to take her rings off in the evening and set them on the arm of an expensive chair they had purchased for the house. One night the ring fell down into the chair. They tried to get it out but had no luck retrieving it. They didn’t want to tear the chair apart, so they decided to look later. Over the years our family has experienced many unsuccessful attempts in locating the ring. We moved in 1985 to a different house about five hours north. In the move, we discovered that the bottom of…

The words above are among the saddest that I hear. They are usually spoken by somebody who is hurting terribly. Often the pain they are experiencing has affected them in so many ways. All too often, I hear these words as a part of an explanation concerning the person’s absence from worship services, Bible classes, and other opportunities to learn, worship, and enjoy fellowship. They feel as though they cannot do those things because they just can’t face anybody because of what is going on in their lives. Every time I hear those words, I realize that something is wrong besides the pain that is being experienced and expressed. I realize that somebody needs…

You may remember your teacher saying something like this to you in school, “Okay, class, it is time for you to put your thinking caps on!” This might have meant you were about to receive a lesson, take a test, or consider something very important. Though it seems almost silly to state something so obvious, thinking is not overrated. It is essential to success in every aspect of life. In the August 1981 issue of Reader’s Digest one story told of a time when Henry Ford hired an efficiency expert to evaluate his company. After a few weeks, the expert made his report, which was highly favorable except for one thing.…

Tomorrow, our little family of four will be headed to the Smokey Mountains for Polishing the Pulpit 2016, where we will be joined by about 4000 other Christians for a week of Bible study. Polishing the Pulpit has something for everyone so, in this video, our whole family shares what we are looking forward to. We hope you enjoy, and we hope to see you there!