When I was in seminary, a professor gave us good advice that I used to shape my ministry for forty years. He said, “When you are really busy in your study, your to-do list is quite long, and someone knocks on your door and asks if you have a minute to talk, don’t consider that […]

It will be eight days into 2026 before you read or form an opinion about what is written in this article.  As a point of context, it may be helpful to identify the most important organizational unit both in time and in eternity.  Our initial tendencies to do this may draw our attention to schools, […]

One of the most recognized religiously connected sounds of the Christmas season must surely be “Joy to the World.”  There is something about the initial sound of those first four words that immediately lifts the soul and commands intention.  The next four words, “the Lord is come,” announce the long-awaited mortal birth of our Savior, […]

When I taught introduction to New Testament classes at community colleges and led Bible studies and Sunday School classes, I used “A Christmas Quiz.” The purpose of the quiz is to discover that what we “know” is in the Bible might not actually be in the Bible. Reactions ranged from “Wow, I never knew that,” […]

Are you as surprised as I am that another Christmas is almost here?  It seems to me that it is in our nature to be surprised by the recurrence of certain annual events even though we know, by experience, that they are sure to come.  Granny was right when she told me, “Remember, son, most […]

All our lives, we have heard the “gloom and doom” statement, “This world is going to Hell in a handbasket.”  Because of age and maturity, I now see things differently.  Actually, I now see things a whole lot differently.  Everywhere I go, I see many good people and many good things happening. But “perception is […]