Fresh heart for the journey
On Praying … From where I’m sitting I can see two women sharing a meal and chatting. Well, almost chatting. One lady is doing all the talking and the other is doing all the listening. Hardly a conversation. I pondered this and considered the implications. The talker evidently felt she was the only one with […]
60 Seconds of Pastoral Pondering He was a fellow minister, although almost twice my age. We didn’t know each other well, but he had stumbled on to me and needed a listening ear. His tale was one that many in ministry could relate to … relationships run amok in a small congregation. There were sides […]
“It looks dead out there,” my wife said, looking into our backyard. And she was spot on correct. From the brown grass to the lifeless rose bushes, the bare butterfly bush and ‘branches only’ fruit trees … it all looked dead. And if I hadn’t seen it happen every spring for many decades I would […]
“While you did all this, I remained silent, and you thought I didn’t care.” Psalm 50:21 “The Lord isn’t looking,” they say, “and besides, the God of Israel doesn’t care.” (Psalm 94:7) It’s dangerous for an individual to make assumptions about God. And it’s dangerous for a nation to do so also. The two […]
We have a ‘grand dog’ who is living with us on our acreage in the desert. She belongs to our son David whose temporary backyard cramps the style of an 80 pound lab. “DD” (David’s Dog) has a habit shared by many of her canine relatives. She barks at what other dogs bark at. She […]
“You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.” Genesis 50:20 NIV In one of the most emotionally charged scenes in the entire Bible, we become the ‘fly on the wall’ and witness it firsthand. Joseph, now the second in command in […]
A people who live in the “not-enough-time, my-time-ran-out, if-I-can-find-the-time, isn’t-it-time-yet, where-did-the-time-go, don’t-think-I-have-time” … will always have difficulty understanding a God who operates in ‘the fullness of time.’ To us, “the fullness of time” usually denotes having enough of it. But there’s more to the issue than that. When Jesus entered this world it was ‘in […]
It is said that some marriages are made in heaven. Although poetic, it’s not true. Incubated in heaven, perhaps… but made right here on earth through: Sunlit days of hope and plans… Warm evenings of romance and intimacy… Dark nights of lonely separation… Endless loads of wash… First baby smiles and steps… Quickly grabbed […]
“When they saw the star, they were filled with joy!” Matthew 2:10 New Living Translation Here’s to ubiquitous joy and unquenchable peace! The hurried dash to Bethlehem to register for the census would hardly have been labeled as joyous. Not with the baby already considered illegitimate by many. And the overwhelming crowds and “No […]
Gaining Intimacy Through Prayer Most people are aware of the intimacy generated between God and themselves when and as they pray. And it’s true. There is a depth of knowledge of God and his heart that is gained when we converse with him through prayer. We develop an intimate relationship with the One we pray […]
I am a pastor, teacher, and encourager. I am a happy husband and leader of a family tribe now numbering 13. I am President of Fresh Heart Ministries and consider called of God to help you grow in your spiritual walk … let you know how special you are to God … and have some fun while doing so.