About a month ago, we had a native of Antigua, Guatemala as a guest speaker where I preach. During his lesson, our brother made what seemed to be an off-hand remark. It didn’t seem “scripted.” It just seemed to happen. At one point in his presentation, he was talking about our nation. He shared with us his opinion that we are blessed to live in the greatest nation in the world. He made it clear that his opinion was that of an “outsider.” Brother Isaacs was also talking about the fact that he is not a citizen of our nation.  During the portion of his presentation in which he was talking about our nation, he made…

When the apostle Paul wrote by inspiration to the church at Corinth, he sadly had to discipline them concerning their improper observance of the Lord’s Supper. In 1 Corinthians 11:17 he begins such a discussion by saying, “Now in giving these instructions I do not praise you, since you come together not for the better but for the worse.” They had been commanded to come together by the Lord, but they were dishonoring the feast. You see, it is entirely possible for us to assemble for all of the right reasons while doing all of the wrong things. If this were to be the case, it would be better for…

Have you ever heard anybody’s speech/language described as “salty?” You don’t hear that expression as much as has been the case in the past. What it usually is referring to is what could also be described as “very colorful language.” In other words, we are talking about something that is, at best, questionable and, at worst, vulgar. In those days when this expression was more common, “salty language” was offensive to most people. To be sure, there were those who thought it was cute, funny, etc., but most people were turned off by both the language and the person using it. All of this came to mind when I recently thought of Paul’s admonition…

Michele Cushatt is a lady I admire from afar. I have known of her name for a few years, due to her interaction with Michael Hyatt. Some time ago, she became the co-host of Michael’s weekly podcast on leadership, “This is Your Life.” On this week’s episode of the program, Michele tells her own story of triumph. You see, she was not on the program for quite a long time, because she was battling cancer. I do not want to give away too much of her story, but her cancer surgery caused her to lose–and have to have reconstructed–about two-thirds of her tongue. (And keep in mind, part of her…

Donna and I had a new experience fairly recently. For the first time in our lives, we attended a Home Owners’ Association meeting. In many ways, it was an educational and very interesting experience.  I think I may agree with our son. When I texted him and told him where we were, he sent back a message that he had attended one such meeting while he and his family lived in Nashville. He also said that he’d only learned one thing–to never go to another one! My education began at the very beginning of the meeting. The person in charge informed the residents that there is now a minister (me) in the community.  That brief…

The holiday season is upon us, and that means that my favorite holiday is just around the corner. I love Thanksgiving because it takes me back in my memory to a very happy time in my life when all of my family would gather on the fourth Thursday in November and enjoy a feast of food and fellowship.  I can still recall the smells and tastes of some of those wonderful dishes we enjoyed. I can still recall my grandmother’s kitchen where my mother and aunts, along with my grandmother, worked beside each other to prepare a feast. There was laughter, conversation, instruction, and often a reprimand when those of us who were…