  The following welcome is printed each week in the bulletin of Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Community in Daytona Beach, Florida.  It reflects the kind of welcoming community every congregation should be.  It does not say that all the choices reflected in the welcome are good choices, and it says nothing about what is […]
3363) All Are Welcome Read More »
   We were warned in seminary against trying to force too many changes too fast on our conservative congregations. We were cautioned about the problems of differing expectations, and told to be aware of any long-established power structures among the church leadership. We were also advised that there would be an automatic resistance to
3359) Looking Back Read More »
   I was cleaning out an old storeroom in one of the churches I served many years ago. Under a pile of junk, covered with dust, I found a big book of old sermons. The sermons had been discovered and published in the 1950’s by the descendant of a pastor who served that congregation
3357) Give Your Preacher a Break Read More »
Image above:  A witch doctor. —————–          My friend Mark was a missionary for several years in the western African nation of Guinea-Bissau. He and his wife Cindy had an exciting ministry there. He tells the story of a woman named Maladu in one of the remote villages that he and his wife visited. Maladu
3353) Missionaries Read More »
   Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) and George Whitefield (1714-1770) were close friends for thirty years. It was an unlikely friendship. Whitefield was an Englishman and Franklin was an American; and, in the later years of their friendship, America was moving toward independence, much to the dismay of England. Whitefield was an eloquent and fiery evangelical
3337) Ben, George, and an Interesting Speech Read More »
PSALM 78:4…6-7: We will not hide these truths from our children; we will tell the next generation about the glorious deeds of the Lord, about his power and his mighty wonders… So that the next generation might know them— even the children not yet born— and they in turn will teach their own children. So,
3329) Passing on the Faith Read More »
    The goal of The Timothy Initiative is to plant a Christian church in every village in the world. I like their vision, their plan, their staff, their resources, and their results. In his Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20), Jesus sends his followers out into all the world to proclaim the gospel and “make disciples of
3318) A Church in Every Village on Earth Read More »
    Willie was a stuttering plodder.  The only job he could get was as a shoemaker’s apprentice. The only girl who would marry him was Dorothy, who suffered from mental illness. But everything changed for Willie when he read a runaway bestseller. Most who read Captain Cook’s journal were captivated by the exploits of a
3314) “I Can Plod” Read More »
John 13:1-16 — It was just before the Passover Festival. Jesus knew that the hour had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. The evening meal was in progress, and the devil had already prompted Judas,
3311) Who are the Best? Read More »
Picture above: Peter Torjesen  (1892 – 1939) ———————————–    Peter Torjesen was born and raised in Norway. His father was a chimney sweep. Both his parents were devout Christians. They took Peter and his brothers to church every week, and read the Bible and prayed with them every day.    One evening in
3300) “Og Mit Liv” Read More »
