Serving a local church in the office of pastor is not a ‘job,’ it is a calling, a way of life. Those who are Pastors live their vocation, who they are is inseparable from what they do. The spans a… Continue reading

For years, because of budget limits, we just kept patching up the old heating and cooling systems at our Christian school property.  “Bubble gum and Band-Aids” was my name for our ‘maintenance plan.’  We fixed a motor here, a burner… Continue reading

Remember that fable, used to encourage children, called “The Little Engine that Could”? A little steam engine is tasked with pulling a line of rail cars. A long climbing grade through mountains challenges him and he wonders if he is… Continue reading

Were you ever asked to do something that you felt completely unqualified to do?  Or, have you faced a difficulty in life for which you see no obvious answer, a problem that dares you to try to find a solution? … Continue reading

A broad streak of independence runs through American culture, doesn’t it? We value our freedom.  We like to think that anyone who works hard enough should be able to succeed, regardless of his or her background. “Rags to riches” stories… Continue reading

“Jesus has a table spread, where the saints of God are fed … come and dine!” With those words of an old Gospel song, the Spirit awakened me this morning.  It was the Spirit’s invitation to JOY at 5 am.… Continue reading

Israel’s king, David, best known to us as the writer of most of the Psalms and the hero on the field with the giant, Goliath, would never have become the man he was without a person who is mostly forgotten.… Continue reading

Craig Groeschel, a pastor, learned about integrity in a powerful way. While on a high school trip with his tennis team, he and teammates passed the time playing a round on a miniature golf course. Like most of those courses,… Continue reading

There is not a much more lifeless, hopeless picture than the one painted by the prophet Ezekiel in his vision of the ‘valley of dry bones.’ In chapter 37, he describes a valley full of bones, bleached and dried by… Continue reading

“Jerry, I do not know how you do it,” is a phrase I hear frequently these days.  People seem to be surprised that I try to carry on with life and faith in a time of great personal loss and… Continue reading