Building and Shaping the Future Is in Our Hands

Does the future seem cloudy? Do you find yourself worrying about the future of your children and grandchildren? You are not alone, but you know that. If the uncertainty of the future is a burden, this post is for you.

Worry about the future has plagued mankind since creation. During the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus told thousands that worry was a worthless enterprise. “Who of you by […]

2021-04-19T19:00:17+00:00April 19th, 2021|

Encouragement & Hope delivered to your address!

I remember my grandparents complaining about the speed of life 60+ years ago. Fans of the movie The Shawshank Redemption will recall Brooks Hatlen being shocked about how fast he found life to be outside prison. After his parole, he wrote to friends still incarcerated inside Shawshank, “The world went and got itself in a big **** hurry.”

Life continues to change at a pace unseen in US […]

2021-04-05T17:47:43+00:00April 5th, 2021|

Lessons to treasure as we all move on from “a year to forget”

Recently, I have noted people saying they were glad to see the coming new year and the end of 2020. Yesterday, I listened to a friend tell the congregation, “Never before have I thought that I was really glad a whole year was over…but if I am honest…I am glad 2020 in is the rearview mirror.”\

We would never wish another world pandemic on anyone. Vast changes in […]

2021-01-04T19:29:56+00:00January 4th, 2021|

It’s time to examine ourselves and prepare for the future

December of 2020 is not only a time to eagerly await turning the calendar, this is the opportunity to take our final exam. How have we conducted our lives, and how will we prepare for the coming days ahead?

It is worth noting Rodgers and Hammerstein didn’t include final exams in the lyrics of “My Favorite Things.” I endured examinations as a student, often murmuring along with fellow […]

2020-12-07T18:19:23+00:00December 7th, 2020|

Let’s help create a better financial future for those serving in ministry

If you are an elder or staff leader in a local church, this blog post is intended for you. If you serve on the board of a mission work, I hope this reaches your desk. Likewise, if your service includes the responsibility for directing a Christian camp, campus ministry, or nonprofit organization, I hope you will carefully think about the important issue of the future of those […]

2020-11-30T19:07:20+00:00November 30th, 2020|

When the fog burns away, clarity and beauty awaken the mind!

Forty-eight years ago, my new bride and I moved onto a college campus outside Knoxville, Tennessee. Set among the hills along the banks of the French Broad River, the beauty of the area and the clarity of the blue sky easily awakened the mind and excited the senses. It was a seemingly ideal location to study and prepare for a life of Christian ministry. Nearly thirty years […]

2020-11-09T19:29:02+00:00November 9th, 2020|

Charting the course of retirement: What will it cost?

One of the famous segments of the 1987 play and 1989 movie Driving Miss Daisy is the trip to Mobile to celebrate Miss Daisy’s brother’s birthday. Holding firmly to the map in the back seat, Miss Daisy became confused, told Hoke to make a wrong turn, and they found themselves far off the planned route. Even now, with GPS units built into a phone or automobile, we […]

2020-10-26T15:16:31+00:00October 26th, 2020|

Your life MATTERS! – That is a PROMISE!

Does MY life matter? This question is obviously on the minds of many across the USA and around the world. We can, without equivocation say, “Yes, YOUR life matters to God…and subsequently to many others.” Still, that is getting ahead of ourselves just a bit.

As the Passover celebration in Jerusalem drew closer during the Biblical era, Hebrew people from across the Levante would gather for the celebration. […]

2020-09-28T16:14:49+00:00September 28th, 2020|

When it’s time to move from the corner of Discouraged & Hopeless

If you feel like you are living at the corner of Discouraged and Hopeless today, this post is for you. If you are discouraged, troubled, concerned, confused about life in 2020, this post is for you.

Living at the corner of Discouraged Street and Hopeless Avenue is standing room only when it comes to US politics. Describing Christians as harshly politically divided is an understatement of epic proportions. […]

2020-09-07T14:54:46+00:00September 7th, 2020|