If you are or have been in the military or play competitive sports there is a certainty, you will experience grueling preparation & training. I use the word grueling because to survive the contact, the preparedness must be physical, mental, and emotional. It must push the limits. In a culture of fewer & fewer participants …
“What’s Missing?”
Over the years I have noticed something…something missing from our prayers. His Glory. We fail to recognize we are talking to “THE” Creator of All Life (Isaiah 40:28, Isaiah 43:15) …the God that “knows the secrets of the heart.” (Psalm 44:21). When Moses asked God, how he should tell the Jewish leaders by who’s authority …
“Where Are The Pickles?”
Do you see the pickles? If you are a married man, this is a default question that seems to just roll out of our mouths. As soon as the words leave my lips, my wife of 50 awesome years, will walk over… and like a surgeon snatch the pickles right from where I was looking. …
Christmas…The Gift?
I remember as a boy watching my parents, aunts & uncles stress all summer over, “What do we get mother (my grandma)?” I remember one Christmas at her house. Her tree was simple. I remember the Christmas candy in the crystal candy dish… same ribbon candy, each piece stuck in the same place, year after …
Lesson From The Farm: The Power of The Root
When you stop & think about it, the transformation of a seed into a living plant is supernatural. The seed in the sack will never be a plant until it is planted in the soil, receives water, heat from the sun and oxygen. The seed will lay in the ground for several days until…BAM, it …
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Lesson From The Farm: “Bringing In The Sheaves”
I remember singing the old hymn, “Bringing In The Sheaves,” in the Hamburg Methodist Youth Choir. My buddies and I could really belt out the chorus. Even though I grew up on the farm I didn’t get it. I didn’t understand the process…the hard work of harvest. Picture 1: Harvest began with cutting the wheat, …
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What Do You See?
After I retired, I worked with the leadership teams of non-profit organizations. I always started by interviewing the members who would go through the training. This gave me a clear picture of the needs of the organization. In every organization I found the same dominant need. The difficulty of connecting with people. One afternoon my …
School Is In Session
When I read Proverbs 5:12-13 this morning I knew my assignment. “You will say, “How I hated discipline! How my heart spurned correction! I would not obey my teachers or turn my ear to my instructors.” It’s that time of year when one thing dominates the thoughts, calendars, pocketbooks, and emotions of so many people… …
Can I Trust It?
I never thought too much about it before… grab bars are for old people. Welp, I am moving into that phase of life. When we travel, grab bars are one of the first things I look for. In the last 44 days Mary & I have been away from home 22 nights. Nothing causes me …
Law Of The Farm: He Plowed The Beans Up…
A few days after the field of soybeans was planted it rained. It rained so much it flooded the field. Thankfully, we had several days of warm sunshine and wind to dry out the field. I remember the afternoon I walked with dad over the field. It had spotty green patches because only about half …