Dear Friend in Christ: Grace and peace to you. These blessings seem all the more precious to us in these days. There is no need for me to give a recitation of the grim news headlines, but if there was ever a time in my lifetime where we need a. [...]
Dear Friend in Christ: I pray you are well. Oftentimes, we are tested on the message we preach. And so it has been this month as I have been preparing this message. I will say, with great gratitude, that God has been faithful to bring us through “many dangers, toils,. [...]
Dear Friend in Christ: My two previous pastoral letters were about the Beatitudes—attitudes that bring favor in hard places. In this letter I want to discuss courage. Courage is not manifest in easy times; it is revealed in hard places. Our Lord was courageous, and courage is contagious! He is. [...]
Publication:Pastoral Letter, June 2020 Dear Friend in Christ: I pray that this letter finds you well and at peace. No doubt, this year has been filled with challenges for all of us, and we are only now reaching “halftime”. We can face the remainder of 2020 with fear or faith.. [...]
Publication:Pastoral Letter, May 2018 Dear Friend in Christ: I enjoy tending the shrubbery in our back yard which blooms and brings beauty into our lives. The shrubbery is good and beautiful. But I have noticed that sometimes an evil, thorny vine will grow up right in the middle of a. [...]
Publication:Pastoral Letter,April 2017 Dear Friend in Christ: A few days ago I attended a funeral; it was my second one that day. The first one I conducted for an 85-year-old woman that I had known since 1957. She had Alzheimer’s and had been prepared for her passing. The second funeral. [...]
Publication:Pastoral Letter,November 2016 Dear Friend in Christ: We really do not know ourselves until we are tested, when it is “crunch time”; what we do when the odds are against us and the stakes are high. The sports world applauds a team or individual who is down but does not. [...]
Publication: Pastoral Letter, July 2016 Dear Friend in Christ: July reminds us that the United States is a nation that was set free from political tyranny by leaders who were willing to give their lives. A total of 56 men signed the Declaration of Independence; later, they were captured, tortured,. [...]
Publication: Pastoral Letter, June 2016 Dear Friend in Christ: Thank you for praying for our annual CSM Gatlinburg Conference. It was a wonderful time in the Lord focusing on the “Unshakable” reality of Christ’s Kingdom in shaking times. The testimonies we heard were inspiring and instructive. In this letter, I. [...]
Publication: Pastoral Letter, August 2014 Dear Friend in Christ: Blessings to you, and thanks so much for your friendship and support of this ministry! I trust all is well with you and yours. This month, I want to encourage you from the story of Daniel and take a look at. [...]
Publication:Pastoral Letter, November 2013 Dear Friend in Christ, No one wants trouble, but it is often the instrument that brings us to truth and the rediscovery our foundations. That was the case with King David in Scripture, and was the case with me in late 1970. Late 1970 was a. [...]
Publication: Pastoral Letter, April 2012 Dear Friend in Christ: Judges chapters 6-8 tells us the story of Gideon, a story that is very relevant to our lives and how we measure God's requirements for victory. Gideon's story contains numerous lessons for us in our struggles and helps us to understand. [...]