The Apostle Paul wrote, “Follow my example as I follow the example of Christ.” Early on in life, I looked to my grandfather as a role model, someone I admired. Not that he was perfect – my grandmother made it perfectly clear that he was not. But he obviously cared deeply for others, and he […]
In his novel, One Hundred Years of Solitude Gabriel Garcia Marquez writes about a strange disease that slowly infiltrated the old village of Macondo. This disease that emerged from the surrounding swamp, was a form of insomnia that attacked the whole town. The initial outcome was the inability of people to sleep. Although the villagers […]
In the Hebrew scriptures, our Old Testament, animal sacrifices were a huge part of worship and faith. The priests of that day were responsible for making the sacrifice, then cleaning them and cooking them. As a pastor, I am so thankful we don’t do that anymore! But there is something about this ancient ritual that […]
Today’s message was written by the founder of Dial Hope, the Rev. Roger Kunkel There is a story about a man in a large city who was on his way to an interview for a new job at a highly successful company. Well-groomed, wearing a nice suit, the man made his way to the corporate […]
I remember when I first started at Hodges Presbyterian Church – my first time serving as a lead pastor. I was just getting my feet wet; just learning the ropes of the church. Maybe my second week there, our children’s ministry director said, there is a member of our congregation – relatively young – in […]
In 2 Corinthians, chapter 4, Paul writes, “We have this treasure in clay jars…” The clay jars are our own frail, faulty, human lives. This treasure is the Gospel. Here, Paul seems to have this understanding of the gospel that it is not just a message to be shared – though it is that – […]
You know, when trouble comes into our lives or when tragedy strikes, we ask, “Where is God?” And the answer is – God is in the same place he was when his son was on the cross. God does not abandon us; God is with us every step of the way. He is with us […]
Today, I would like to say a word of thanks to Beth Knopik, who was the keynote speaker at our Dial Hope “Friendraiser” yesterday evening. She is the author of, Beyond the Rainbow. Her courage and faith in the wake of great loss, are inspiring. Thank you, Beth! Psalm 8 offers this prayer, “O Lord, […]
I’ve been thinking about all that is going on in our world right now: the continued upheaval in the Middle East, the situation on our border… Ukraine…Russia. There is just a tremendous amount of uncertainty. Not to mention the political uncertainty in our own country… We live in a time when we as a nation […]
Back during the Covid shutdown, I read this great book by Susan Beaumont called, “How to Lead When You Don’t Know Where You’re Going.” Great title! It was a great book. She talks about how there are times in history, when we find ourselves between the disintegration of the old and the emergence of something […]
