A NEW LESSON FROM AN OLD STORY…12.17.09

by Steve

Chapter one of Luke tells first the wonderful story of the announcement of the birth, not of Jesus, but of John the Baptist. Zechariah, an old priest, “getting up in years” as Luke delicately phrases it, is married to Elizabeth, who is barren. An angel appears to old Zechariah as he comes to [...]

WHILE RECOVERING…12.09.09

by Steve

As most of you probably know, I’ve been suffering from a really bad case of the flu since Friday night…fever, chills, terrible cough, and my body feels as if I’ve been beaten with a rubber hose! Yesterday I went to the doc for the diagnosis I already knew, and came home with about $200 [...]

AT THE RISK OF SOUNDING POLITICAL…12.5.09

by Steve

OK…you’ve been warned, so proceed at your own risk. T.R. Reid begins his new book, The Healing of America: A Global Quest for Better, Cheaper, and Fairer Health Care, with these words:
If we want to fix American health care, we first have to answer a basic question: Should we guarantee medical treatment [...]

THE PASTOR’S DILEMMA…12.2.09

by Steve

In the latest issue of Sojourner’s magazine, Pastor Joel Hunter succinctly describes a dilemma I struggle with nearly every day of my life, and certainly in every sermon! He begins by recounting a session he had just had with his Board of Elders in which they were discussing people who had left their church [...]

A LETTER FROM JESUS….12.1.09

by Steve

A powerful reminder of how skewed our thinking can become:
Letter from Jesus about Christmas –
It has come to my attention that many of you are upset that folks are
taking My name out of the season.
How I personally feel about this celebration can probably be most easily
understood by those of you who have been blessed with [...]