Archives: Pastors' Corner

Yesterday afternoon I received a phone call telling me that my father had suffered a heart attack.  I was told that it did not appear serious and I was able to speak with him on the phone a couple of hours later.  I’m sitting in the hospital waiting room now while he undergoes a catheterization procedure to assess the damage and “fix” the problem if possible .   I know that many people receive worse medical news but news like this isn’t something that any of us wants to hear…so what do we do? Interestingly enough, my Bible reading this […]

I’m still reading in Ephesians with today being the first part of chapter 5.  Paul, who wrote Ephesians, is still continuing his discussion of how followers of Jesus should walk, or really, live.  He gives us three ways to walk.  Here is the scripture passage: Walk in Love 5 Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. 2 And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.  3 But fornication and all uncleanness or covetousness, let it not even be named among you, as is fitting for […]

Most of the times when we read the word “walk” in the Bible, the Bible is not referring to actually putting one foot in front of the other.  Walking is good for your health, but that’s not the kind of walking that God has in mind most of the time.  What the Bible usually refers to when we read the word “walk” is the word, “live”.  When we are told to walk in a certain way we are really being asked to live in a certain way.  In Ephesians chapter 4 Paul talks about “walking”.  Here is what he says […]

This morning the following verse came to mind from Psalm 133:  Behold, how good and how pleasant it is For brethren to dwell together in unity!  Yesterday was my first experience at District Conference with the Church of the Brethren.  It was a good day.  I thoroughly enjoyed the ride down here with Eli Mast and Pastor Donita.  As is true for most conferences, the meeting part of the agenda is rather, shall I say, “dull”.  Though yesterday’s program contained two very entertaining skits.  But, if you come here for the meeting reports then I suggest you seek psychiatric help!  The […]

This morning my New Testament reading began in the book of Ephesians, a really wonderful book of the Bible which contains so many great truths about who we are and who God is.  The letter begins with a little sentence that has incredible meaning:  3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,  That’s an amazing sentence.  God has blessed His children with EVERY spiritual blessing in the heavenly places…I think if I fully grasped that sentence I would fall off my chair!  What does this mean?  Well, […]

We all like to hear nice things don’t we?  We like to hear that the economy is improving or that the job market is picking up.  We like it when the stock market rises and so on.  But what do you say when those things are not really the truth?  Some will sugar coat the truth, sort of like serving chocolate covered liver or sugar crusted squash (if you don’t like liver or squash that is).  But this isn’t really very helpful is it?  Chocolate covered liver is still….liver and liver is the predominant taste. In Acts chapter 20 we […]

I was thinking this morning about my text from last Sunday, Ephesians 4:11-16 and especially verse 14 which reads: 14 that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting,  I think it is important that this verse is in the midst of Paul’s writing about the importance of the body of Christ being together and working together.  I’ve never been a real life shepherd of real life sheep, nor have I ever played one on TV, but I know that […]

Have you ever had a discussion with someone who refuses to really deal with the issue but always goes down a different path?  Or maybe you’ve done this recently.  Perhaps God has brought you face to face with something that you need to correct or change but instead of “discussing” this with God rationally, you veer to a side issue which seems to make the decision for you.  I know this has happened in my life.  We read of something like this in Acts 19 when the apostle Paul is in Ephesus.  Let’s pick it up in chapter 19, verse […]

In Isaiah chapter 5 God is pronouncing judgment on the nation of Judah.  God uses the metaphor of the vineyard to make His case.  He tells them that He had prepared and planted a good vineyard but it had turned into something else.  It did not produce good grapes but instead the vineyard produced wild grapes.  In the midst of this pronounced judgment God says this in vs 20:  “Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; Who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; Who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! As I was reading this […]

If you’ve ever spent any time in a weight room you’ve probably heard the phrase, “no pain, no gain”.  The idea is that in order for muscle fibers to grow and expand, they need to be torn down.  Lifting weights to the point of pain can be helpful in building muscle, as long as you don’t overdo it.  Of course, most of us do not like pain, so most people who lift weights usually stop before they reach a point where the real building of muscle tissue begins.  God has his own training program for us and it often involves […]