The Importance of a Loving Father

The concept of family stems from the Garden of Eden when God established the first marriage, and thus the first family unit. To be a family is to live in a kind of intimacy with one another. I have a family of four, with my wife, son, and daughter. Together we eat, we laugh, we…

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Unity in Diversity

Despite being in the mountains of West Virginia we are everything but excluded from people. Everywhere we turn, look, or move there are people. In Morgantown, there are people all over; when students are back, lots of people. My guess is there are lots of people in your city as well, and with those people…

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How to Be a Witness at Church

We are always making an impression whether we realize it or not.  Over thirty years ago I experienced this truth when a man visited the church at which I was on staff for several weeks during which he heard announcements for an upcoming men’s retreat, at which there would be golf for those interested.  In…

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Why the Dearth of Young Preachers? (Part 1)

According to Barna Research, half of all American pastors are 55 years old or older. Pastors 40 years old and younger constitute only 15 percent of the total number. These statistics indicate far more than the fact that the average gospel preacher is older than in past decades. They show that there is a dearth…

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How Churches Can Help Visitors

In our four decades of marriage, we’ve been members of six different churches and visited several others. Most of the time, a change in church has been made necessary due to my husband’s job sending us to a new state. A couple of times, we left for other reasons, but we don’t take leaving a…

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If Your Church Is Without a Pastor:

1. Determine to personally spend more time reading your Bible and praying than you did when you had a pastor. You need to draw close to the Lord, so He can guide you and your church’s search. 2. Determine to stay faithful to your church for as long as you are able. Let petty squabbles…

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YOU Gotta Go to Catechism

The neighborhood in which I grew up teemed with kids my age with whom I had great fun, mostly playing backyard, alley, and ballfield sports, where I made many fond memories.  But I recall many an occasion after school trying to round up a pickup game, and my buddies would say, “I gotta go to…

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Is Your Way Really God’s Way?

I have addressed in a prior post (see here) the necessity of observing the difference between function and form in Scripture. While the Bible is heavy on function (what we are to do) it is light on form (how we are to do it). In fact, regarding forms in the New Testament, we find that:…

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Doing God’s Work Together

Titus 3:12-15 At the risk of over-stereotyping, please allow me to suggest that typical Midwestern Americans (and Americans in general) tend to function in an individualistic way. We keep to ourselves, rely on ourselves, and interact with other people to a limited degree. This individualistic lifestyle contrasts with the more social, relational, and community-oriented lifestyle…

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The Holy Spirit, Like A Dove

Why did the Holy Spirit choose the dove to illustrate His ministry? In the Scriptures, there are three prominent illustrations of the Holy Spirit. He is like a dove; He is like the wind (John 3:8, Acts 2:2-4); He is like oil (especially in anointing, 1 Samuel 16:13, Isaiah 61:1, Acts 10:38). For a few…

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