A few years ago, my wife and I took a trip to a tiny town called Laurel Mississippi. We fell in love with the television series on HGTV named “Hometown.” We binge watched it during the COVID-19 epidemic lockdown. It features a husband and wife who rebuild and repurpose materials from old houses built during the early 1900’s…

When I became a serious Christian, I noticed a sincere desire for more of God’s Word and knowing Him more personally. This didn’t occur when I first came to Christ. Once saved at eighteen, I joined the United States Army. My desire changed from my new life in Christ to trying to survive Army boot camp. It got easier to stay distant from there, but I still wanted to know Him…

I am not a farmer. I don’t know how to prepare a field, how to sow/ plant, or how to reap/ harvest a crop. I know well enough to leave it to people who are experts in their fields (yes, literally, and figuratively). I get to enjoy the fruits of their labor, and it is hard labor. These men and women are those who keep you and I fed every day. I respect them…

When I worked in youth ministry years ago, a great memory came to mind when reading this passage for today. On Friday evenings as the sun went down, we took students from our ministry, downtown-St. Augustine, Florida. Near the center of the historic district, is a 208-foot cross located on The Shrine of Our Lady of La Leche at Mission Nombre de Dios church property..

At times, Christians can get mentally tired. Mental tiring makes us feel physically tired too. Most of us we think we are doing pretty well each day, but somehow, we tire. We serve God too, but it takes a lot out of us some days. We think we are, “doing the will of Him who sent Me.”

The other day, I was helping a few men in our church carry items to a van from the building. One was a large cooler about 3 feet long. It was heavy and full of drinks and ice. As I and another younger man grabbed each side, I couldn’t believe how heavy it was. I guess my age began to show…

This story seems like it happened a hundred years ago: I worked as a counselor at a Youth Camp. Upon my arrival, the first thing I noticed was I was being partnered with adult-married woman. We were assigned to a small group of students for the week…

In a world where people think they are more important than others, there is no wonder there are problems. Mankind often thinks the world revolves around him or her. It doesn’t. Here is an example which is unarguable. Traffic on the roadways of America. If you ever have driven a car or truck, you can identify…

As silly as it seems, we think we have some things that are better than others. Ours is just better than theirs. It’s built better. It’s more pretty. It’s better priced. It sounds childish, but it happens every day. We compare things…

Many years ago, I served as a youth pastor at a local church. One Wednesday night I was speaking to our youth group. A couple of girls were talking on the front row while I was sharing a message. I finally explained to them the importance of listening. It could make a difference in someone’s life that night…

In my old Army days, I was a squad leader of eight men in my platoon. When we stopped for a water break, we sat down to take a drink of water from our canteens. One soldier in my squad looked down and his canteen was gone. No water…

Many times, when we travel by air or car, I notice we are always thirsty. Thirsty for water. This is especially true when we fly. I used to think it was that most of us don’t really want to take trips to the restroom in flight. Then I read this: “…

Many times, in life there are people we would rather not associate or deal. Some may even be from our own families. I would say most come from associations we had with people in our past. These people might have caused a problem or are somewhat of an embarrassment for us to be around…

Years ago, as a deputy sheriff, I had encounters with the same juvenile burglar. After several years of arrests or investigating his crimes, one day he left. He was incarcerated. When he got out of detention, I was determined to reach him. Something had to change. One day, I went to his home. His father asked (as usual) “What did he do now?”…

In the 1990’s I was approached by a young lady within our church’s youth ministry. She was a high school senior enrolled in a private Christian school. She said she was a little dismayed by something that happened at school. Her Bible teacher was explaining how to speak in tongues…

“Buddhism was created in the sixth century, B. C. with the birth of Buddha Siddhartha Gautama... Originating in India, the religion spread throughout most of eastern and southern Asia. Buddhism came to Tibet in the 8th century, C. E. Unlike other religions that are centered on a supreme being,…

K-Mart, circa 1980: A stockboy employed while attending high school. There was only one stockboy on second shift. It was me. As I got out of school each day, I rode my bicycle from my house to the store. My hours were 4-9 P. M. each day. While working there it seemed as if a manager didn’t like me from the very beginning…

Some years back I was at a pastor’s meeting. As a reasonably new pastor, I noted something that disturbed me. One pastor that night commented, “I fired this guy (pointing to another pastor), because he wasn’t good enough for our team.” I couldn’t believe I heard it…

When I was about 16, my father retired from the U. S. Army. We moved to St. Augustine, Florida and found property. Dad wanted to build our home. When we started, dad took me to a building supply center to get materials. He bought tools for me to assist in building the home. “Pretty cool,” I thought!…

We all in one way or another have been exposed to COVID-19 or its effects upon our lives. With all of the changes within our society, it brought much to our lives. Some were by our own choices and some by governing authorities. Whatever changes, disagreements, or practices, it brought changes to the way we interact…