Max McLean (1953- ) is a stage actor, writer, and producer. I first heard of him in 2009 when he received national acclaim for his performance of Mark’s Gospel. This award–winning stage production consisted of nothing more than Max McLean reciting the entire Gospel of Mark on stage. There are no other actors […]
3242) Word for Word Read More »
(…continued) We live our whole lives in a life and death situation, every minute of every day we live in what the Bible calls ‘the valley of the shadow of death.’ That should change our perspective on the value of everything: what we spend our money on, what we pay attention to, and
3236) A Message in a Bottle (3/3) Read More »
(…continued) This story is a parable on modern life. Like the many messages floating in from the sea, we have on our radios, TVs, smart phones, and computers, an endless flow of information and entertainment, and the opportunity to read or watch or hear whatever we want all day long. But the problem
3235) A Message in a Bottle (2/3) Read More »
In an essay entitled “Message in a Bottle,” Walker Percy asks the reader to imagine a group of people stranded on an island in the middle of the ocean (this simple meditation is loosely based on that scholarly essay). The island is beautiful, the weather is great, and there is plenty of food
3234) A Message in a Bottle (1/3) Read More »
I read one time the true story of a college senior who sat alone in her room late one Saturday night, contemplating suicide. At just 22 years old, Patti was tired of life. She had already felt like she had tried everything, and was still sad and hopeless. She could not find happiness. She
3230) Ecclesiastes? Who Needs It? (1/2) Read More »
One of the most familiar, best loved, and most often quoted books in the Bible is the Psalms. Right after that in the Old Testament Table of Contents you will find the book of Proverbs, also familiar to many and often quoted. And right after Proverbs is Ecclesiastes, a book not as familiar
3229) An Ecclesiastes Sampler Read More »
Above: Lou Gehrig and Babe Ruth —————— Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig were teammates on the great New York Yankee teams of the 1920’s and 30’s. Both were superstars, two of the greatest hitters who ever played the game. They took turns leading the league in home runs and batting average, as they
3212) Mark, Peter, Lou, and the Babe Read More »
(…continued) Funeral for Ora Casdorph, March 31, 1997, Stover, Missouri: This is a difficult sermon for me to preach, difficult because I did not know Mr. Casdorph well at all. I visited him a few times at the request of his sister, my friend and parishioner, Mabel Schupp. For
3198) Two Old Friends (2/2) Read More »
In my forty years as a pastor I visited many people in their last years, months, and days. Many of these people were in nursing homes, or were shut-ins in their own home. For some, my monthly visit would be their only visitor. These people, who at one time were busy raising families, farming
3197) Two Old Friends (1/2) Read More »
By Al Rogness, from The Word for Every Day, 1981, Augsburg Publishing House, page 234. The Christian church really has but one book. Of course thousands of books have been written about the faith, but all draw from one book, the Bible. The Bible is the basis for our faith. We
