Stooping

Last spring, I had the great privilege of leading a group to Israel. We visited many of the traditional sites that I had seen before. But because the political situation was very calm, we had the special treat of visiting Bethlehem in the West Bank. The Church of the...

What Should We Do?

John the Baptist is an amazing figure in the New Testament. His birth was miraculous. Both of his parents (Zacharias and Elizabeth) were too old to bear children. Regardless, the angel Gabriel announced that he would be born, filled with the Holy Spirit before his...

Cheerful Givers

There are many things in our culture that suggest the need to give. Sad faces of malnourished dogs and cats motivate many to donate. Graphic videos of storm-ravaged villages move folks to support relief agencies. But perhaps the most notable image that provokes giving...

His Word in Our Hearts

It is amazing how many Biblical phrases we have embedded in our everyday language. Just for fun, take a look at the list in the next paragraph and decide whether or not you think they came from the Bible. (I will use phrases out of the King James Version.) The...

Hark!-A Christmas Carol

We are entering the season of Christmas and those wonderful old hymns are all around us. You have to grin a bit when you realize that our very secular world is playing Christ honoring music.  Everyday, the message that the Messiah has come (in the form of a baby in...

The Diet of Worms

In the age of fad diets, I thought I might focus our attention this week on the Diet of Worms. No, I am not talking about ingesting some wiggling fish bait. Actually, I am referring to an official gathering of church officials that occurred in 1521 in the German town...