Monthly Archives: January 2024

George Sweeting, a former president and chancellor of Moody Bible Institute, in a sermon entitled “Attitude Makes the Difference,” related this story: “A Scotsman was an extremely hard worker and expected all the men under him to be the same. His men would tease him, ‘Scotty, don’t you know that Rome wasn’t built in aContinue reading “The Game Changer”

Most everyone has at one time or another been blessed by the romantic poem that begins with the line, “How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.” Elizabeth Barrett Browning wrote volumes of poetry to the man she was in love with, Robert Browning, before they were married. Elizabeth’s parents disapproved of herContinue reading “The Book of Books”

Those words, “the whole world’s watching,” were chanted by demonstrators on the streets of Chicago in the summer of 1968, as policemen used force to restrain rioters from disrupting the Democratic National Convention. TV cameras were on the scene, and those history-making moments flashed onto screens all over the globe so that, indeed, the wholeContinue reading “The Whole World’s Watching”

Theodore Roosevelt was quoted as saying, “I wish to preach not the doctrine of ignoble ease, but the doctrine of the strenuous life, the life of toil and effort, of labor and strife, to preach the highest form of success which comes, not to the man who desires mere easy peace, but to the manContinue reading “The Doctrine of the Strenuous Life”

When the post-exilic prophet Haggai stood up with a “thus saith the Lord” for the Jews who had returned from a 70-year exile, he spoke with the authority of God to the civil leaders in Jerusalem, led by Zerubbabel, to the priests led by Joshua, son of Josedech, and to all the people of inContinue reading “Be Strong!”

In 1953, a small, struggling chemical company set themselves to producing a rust-prevention solvent and degreaser for use in the aerospace industry. It took 39 unsuccessful tries before they succeeded. That’s why that can in your garage, or on some shelf in your utility room, is called WD-40 (i.e., water displacement, 40th attempt). I usedContinue reading “Try, Try Again”

Jesus is pictured sitting near the Temple treasury observing how people were giving to God. (Mark 12:41-44)  While many who were “rich” cast great sums into the depository, a widow who lived in poverty cast in just two mites, called a “farthing.” This was the least valuable of any Roman coin, said to be worthContinue reading “How Would Jesus Evaluate Your Giving?”

It has been almost 45 years since I met Dan. He was 18 then and headed for Bible college. His parents were members of the church I had just been called to pastor. Danny, as he is known to most of us, had been playing the piano and occasionally the organ at church. He wouldContinue reading “Overcoming”

As we face a new year in this relatively new millennium, there is much cause for consternation. Economic inflation; brutal warfare instigated against Israel by the Palestinian terrorist group, Hamas; Russia’s continued assault on Ukraine; world health crises, as we are still reeling from the world-wide pandemic—these are just a few concerns that keep prognosticatorsContinue reading “Comfort for the New Year”