It’s easy to treat one another kindly when things are going well, but when hard times come, our patience wears thin and our kindness runs dry.  Our struggling economy, our personal financial stress and our deepening concerns about the future of our nation and even our own lives make it difficult (sometimes) to remember to treat one another (even our own brethren)…

While a small minority has been making waves in this country, the ocean of Biblical values and moral principles continues to swell.  Homosexuals and advocates for gay marriage make up only a small portion of this nation, but their voice often rings louder than their opposing majority.  Thankfully (and deserving of special notice), in the 31 states where gay marriage has made…

On multiple occasions, Paul requested that churches pray for him and for his labors.  In one of the shortest verses in the Bible, Paul instructed the church in Thessalonica, “Brethren, pray for us” (1 Thess. 5:25).  He repeated the imperative in the last chapter of his second letter to this church, giving them a motivation for his request–“Finally, brethren, pray for us,…

Ok, so how would you finish this sentence, “Happy are the people who _____”?  Now, how would your neighbor finish it?  If you asked someone at work, how would they finish it?  Of the hundreds of friends you have on Facebook, how would they finish it?  Take the sentence down to the casino, how would they finish it?  How would a man…

Attention spans are funny things.  No two are alike.  Everyone has their own; in fact, everyone has a sack full of varied spans that they can pull out at will.  Interestingly, attention spans are something that can be taught and can be learned and something we personally control.  On the other hand, they often bear considerable blame for one’s lack of focus…

A teenage girl made some poor decisions and engaged in some immoral and illegal activities.  She was young and “still had her entire life ahead of her” (as many were prone to say).  The prosecutor gave her a choice: take a deal and serve two years probation or go to court and face seven-to-ten years in prison.  She had a difficult time…

Many a sermon has been preached in which the question was asked, “Are you among the few or among the many?” (based upon Jesus’ words in Matthew 7:13-14).  “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it.  Because narrow is the gate and…

Each day is filled with unexpected events — an emergency trip out of town, the death of a loved one, a hard drive crashing, an ink pen leaking in a shirt pocket, the Bengals thrashing the Bears, a flat tire on the way to work, an extra project assigned to you, etc., etc.  Each day when we wake, there are those activities…