One of my favorite children’s messages is about lighthouses. “It is a dark and stormy night.” (The room becomes dark.) “Lightning flashes across the sky.” (Various lights begin blinking.) “The wind is howling.” (Sounds of a storm fill the room.) “The ship is tossed about.” (Everyone starts swaying from side to side.) Here [...]
As a teenager, during the 1960′s there was nothing more exciting than surfing: Beach Boys music, parties on the beach and fun, fun, fun. Surfers dared to be unique. They acted and dressed different. Surfers wore pants with holes in the knees and T-shirts with surfer logos. They drove converted vans with surfboards on top. [...]
This week, we celebrated Memorial Day, a time to remember and honor those who died defending our country. Several years ago, one person in our church, Jan Reger, reminded me to also remember the families of those listed as “Missing in Action.” You don’t hear that term mentioned anymore. Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts list very [...]
“The challenge that continually comes before you is to trust Me and search for My way through each day.” (Jesus Calling by Sarah Young) Lately, I’ve struggled to abide by this sentence. Let me explain: Last week, I found a large black snake in our dog pen and reluctantly killed it because it was [...]
Do you remember the famous children’s book: “The Little Engine that Could?” A train full of toy animals, dolls and every kind of thing boys or girls could want was stranded and could not get over the mountain to the village of children on the other side. What would they do? A shiny new [...]
To enjoy the best barbecue in the world, you just have to know how to get there: located on an old road that used to be beside another road, now an interstate. Once there you will stand in line for at least fifteen to thirty minutes. If you’re lucky enough to get a table, you [...]
A few years ago, eight high school seniors received a college scholarship. In addition to being intelligent these students were chosen because they were the first in their family to attend college. All eight winners allowed me to read and quote from their scholarship application letters. Each letter highlights a story offering an inspiring example [...]
I once lived in Camden, a small town in Arkansas. One day, while walking home from baseball practice, I took a shortcut through a neighbor’s back yard. There was a chicken coop nearby but I didn’t think anything of it. “Chickens don’t hurt people, right? They just run around the yard clucking or sit in [...]
Rev. Ronna L. Swartz was preparing to lead a communion service for the leadership team of an upcoming Emmaus Walk. Holy Communion is always an important part of Emmaus and she wanted to do her part as a minister to make the service meaningful and inspiring. Several people on the team experienced particularly difficult situations [...]
Mell (my wife) and I were attending a conference at a large hotel. The session ended early so we wandered through the lobby looking for a restaurant. At the entrance of one restaurant, the greeter said: “We’re closed now but should be open in 30 minutes.” “We were hoping to eat an early lunch.” [...]
