God works through us in mysterious ways. We plan to do one thing, and God opens more and more doors. We set up a Bible study and an entire family is present when we arrive. We set up a Bible study with one person and there are 13 present for the study. We go to …
Monthly Archives: May 2012
Onesiphorus: He often refreshed me and was not ashamed of me
Paul’s description of Onesiphorus (2 Tim. 1:16-19) has been the subject of many articles, even of entire sermons. Paul describes Onesiphorus as one who had refreshed Paul’s spirit, was not ashamed of Paul’s chains, went out of his way to find Paul in Rome, and had also helped Paul in Ephesus. As I reread Paul’s …
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Tuesday evening in Honduras
Tuesday evening in Honduras, safe arrival, delightful beginnings. Most of the seminario guests will arrive tomorrow. This evening is rainy and cool. I am enjoying the renovated Hospitality Suite on campus. There is still a little work to be done, but the accommodations are very nice and comfortable. Calvin Henry also arrived today, delightful conversations, …
Ernesto Sanchez–An Opportunity to Serve in Jesus’ Name
Saturday evening Jan and I attended a benefit dinner at the Park Plaza church facility. The purpose of the dinner was to raise funds for a heart transplant for Ernesto Sanchez. Some of Ernesto’s family is involved at the Iglesia de Cristo-Park Plaza in Tulsa. This is an opportunity to help with a life-and-death need, …
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It’s Sunday Again: “Sunday at the ‘Park'”
Since I devoted this morning’s Mother’s Day blog to sharing memories of my mother, I am posting my Sunday reflections on Sunday evening. Some of you already know that Jan and I have changed “church homes.” Although we had communicated our commitment to be members at Park Plaza last week, today was our first Sunday …
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An Idea for Prayer
Many mornings, one of my early activities is check in on Facebook and send a few birthday greetings. Late last year, I noticed that my page randomly loads 10 friends when I open it. Each day’s friends sampler is different. I decided to include those whose names and pictures appear in the list, and also …
Magnet or Springboard?
The weekend leadership and planning seminar touched numerous topics as the church leaders discussed the unique challenges of the local congregation. The church is like many other urban churches in that most of the members drive fairly long distances to attend worship and activities at the building. The result is predictable–with the exception of Sunday …
Why I “Retired”
I have read several articles recently about why people should not retire. I would hardly be so bold as to say that one should or should not retire. Retirement is difficult to define and means different things to different people. Jan and I talk much more about reinvesting our lives than about our retirement. Nonetheless, …
Different Values
The comment surprised me: “You guys live with a different set of values.” I was a weekend visitor in the congregation, invited to present a leadership and planning workshop on Saturday and to teach and preach on Sunday. Some of the elders invited me to share Sunday lunch. Also present was Roberto Miranda, a coworker …
Have Our Preachers Quit Reading?
In March, at a gathering that draws Christians from across the nation, I visited with the owner of a Christian bookstore. He is a good friend; I always ask how sales are going. His observation, “Our preachers have quit buying books. Look around you. Our preachers are not here. These are motivated members who love …