Skip to main content
search
Category

General

Apr 05
Love0

Toxins in the Air

By Church, General
I am disheartened. Not about the absolute refusal of winter to leave Colorado. Nor am I disheartened for not having tickets to the upcoming Justin Bieber concert in Denver. If I did have tickets, then my daughter (who does have tickets) would be disheartened for my being there at the same time. I am disheartened by the current state of our politics, particularly our political discourse. No one is surprised when politicians think and act politically. No one is surprised that pundits and commentators are intentionally harsh around the edges of an issue. That's what gets them attention and air time. Name-calling, shout outs, and shout downs. I'm told it's "entertaining" television. Well, I for one, am not entertained by it. Did I mention I am disheartened? I'm not disheartened because political action figures stake out divisive positions. I'm disheartened because of the lack of civility that has crept (or…
Read More
May 29
Love0

chasing chickens

By Church, General
The late Christian author Doris Betts was known for her short stories and essays. In one of those stories she tells about driving down the highway in North Carolina and seeing a highway patrolman beside the road. That's not an unusal sight. What he was doing was quite unusual (maybe not for North Carolina!). As Betts got closer to the police officer, she noticed that a truck hauling chickens had veered off the road, the crash causing the back of the truck to come apart. The chickens were running free -- or for their life, whichever way you want to look at it. The driver of the truck was frantically trying to gather the chickens. Some people who had observed the crash were actually trying to steal the chickens. Chicken parts were everywhere. The scene was a mix of horror and humor, and the lone patrolman was trying to bring…
Read More
Nov 09
Love0

Books Now Available on the Kindle

By Church, General
I'm pleased to announce that I now have three books available for the Kindle: one novel and two short ebooks. The novel is called "Lesser Angels" and tells the story of a brother and sister who discover a secret about their deceased mother and set out to find answers.  I titled it "Lesser Angels" because of the people they meet along the way and what they discover about themselves. "The Cure for Insomnia: Preaching That Won't Put People to Sleep" offers my perspective on preaching and communication.  Much of this has been road-tested over the past twenty-five years, including those early sermons that inflicted too much pain on my audience.  It's not intended to be an academic treatise but the journal of a fellow traveller. "Leading with Heart: Faith-Filled Thoughts on Leadership" is designed to look at leadership through the lens of faith.  If leadership is best defined as influence,…
Read More
Nov 02
Love0

i wrote a novel

By General
Several years ago, while living in San Diego and riding the trolley back and forth to work, I wrote my first novel.  The trolley ride took an average of 45 minutes each way and I had a Windows smart phone with a slide-out keyboard.  A match made in heaven. "Lesser Angels" tells the story of two people who found what they didn't know was lost.  It begins with a brother and sister who discover a secret about their deceased mother -- a secret that sets in motion a search that changes each in unexpected ways. It's only available on the Kindle.
Read More
Jun 14
Love0

created, knitted, and ordained

By General
I've been prepping for a message I will preach at Valley View Christian Church on July 3.  The theme is taken from Psalm 139:13-16 ... "For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb.  I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.  My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place.  When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body.  All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be." What a wonderful passage about the providence and provision of God! As I've thought about being created, knitted, and ordained by God, it's been a good time to reflect and assess.  We have been fashioned by God -- physically, emotionally, and spiritually. …
Read More