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As our nation grieves and processes another school shooting, I find myself longing for the day described in Isaiah 2:2-5 more and more... 2 In the last days the mountain of the Lord’s temple will be established    as the highest of the mountains;it will be exalted above the hills,    and all nations will stream to it. 3 Many peoples will come and say, … Continue reading Longing for this day…

From Jim Martin... Give your kids a dad and mom who respects their spouse - both in private and in public. What a valuable gift! Give your kids a dad and mom who prays for them. If you are not praying for them, who is? Give your kids a dad and mom who seek God … Continue reading Give Your Kids This Gift!

Today marks 4 years since my Dad passed away, and I'd like to share one of the life lessons I learned from him. I'm from rural Oklahoma, and when Dad was teaching me to drive, one of the pieces of advice he gave to me as we were going down a dirt road was, "Just … Continue reading “Keep It Between the Ditches”

I've been reading Pete Scazzero for years, and this is a useful reflection tool...

The other day I came across this quote from C.S. Lewis that is from his book The Screwtape Letters... "All mortals tend to turn into the thing they are pretending to be." This is a powerful quote. It's a more powerful observation. What or who are you pretending to be that, if you don't stop, … Continue reading Pretending

I recently saw an interview with actor and activist George Clooney in which he was asked the following question: "Are worried about our democracy?" In one part of his answer Clooney said, "I'm concerned about how we celebrate unkindness." That's something that should concern us Christians as well. In fact, kindness is one of the … Continue reading Kindness

Dear Lord, It was another anxious night here in the land of storms. Most weathered the storm in tact. Some did not. Some in our church family and in our community are left picking up the pieces. And a different kind of storm threatens. A storm of fear. A storm of worry. A storm of … Continue reading Storms (A Prayer)

Twenty years ago this month I started my preaching ministry at the Alameda Church of Christ. I've seen a lot, been through a lot, and grown a lot during that time. When I became a preacher, I never had any illusions that I would be the best or have the biggest congregation. Those things weren't … Continue reading 20 Years

"Wo ist das?" That German phrase has been the source of many laughs for my friend David Jurney and me over the years. In English it means, "Where is that?," which shouldn't be hard to remember, but for me it was. When we were in college, Dave and I, along with a host of other … Continue reading Goodbye, Friend

A prayer for holiness by William Loader... O God, You are holy, and deep within ourselves where our souls touch the ground, where our being meets your being, we are on holy ground and your holiness surrounds us and calls our name. Your holiness is your goodness, your generosity towards us and the silence which … Continue reading Make Us Holy (A Prayer)