upward & inward

By now, most if not all of us have heard or read of the violence that has gripped this country and this world.   Men and women destroyed – some because of the color of their skin or their faith or lack of faith.   Others lost their lives because they were at the wrong place at the wrong time - at the whim of evil men. The media fuels the furor with non-stop coverage while division reigns as people take sides and demand justice.   And, maybe you’re feeling what I’m feeling: we want to take action.   We want to do something! What can we do?   What does God ask of His people? He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. Micah 6:8 Notice the requirement: to act!   Emerson said: "What you do speaks so loudly that I cannot hear what you say." Actions speak louder than words! Do you want to do something? Then, be purposeful about ‎acting justly...

On Sunday morning, we awoke to the ongoing coverage of a national tragedy. As of this writing, 49 families lost a loved one, killed in cold blood.   53 other families are still waiting for their loved ones to heal and recover from life-threatening wounds.   Still others are wondering how they made it out alive.   All affected by this tragedy will never be the same. And a nation mourns.   Now is the time to pray. Pray for recovery – both physically and emotionally – and that all would feel the healing and comfort of Christ Himself. Now is not the time for blame. Now is not the time for hidden (and not so hidden) agendas to take priority over the care required for the hurting.   Now is not the time to presume upon God whatever motive suits us. And, now is not the time to score political points for our preferred politicians. There will be time for remedial action but in the near term, we have a healing role to play in our fa...

--> In addition to having our children, my bride and I have enjoyed the privilege of sponsoring children internationally. But, what does it mean to "sponsor a child"?  Through the Church of God's Children of Promise ministry ( www.echildrenofpromise.org ), you and I have the opportunity to literally change lives through financial and spiritual means. For just $32 per month (about a tank of gas in the US), you can sponsor a child and immediately affect his or her life through schooling, clothing, food, and spiritual nourishment. And, this is not just for the child but also his or her family, too. When a child is sponsored the ripple effect is dramatic. In addition, sponsoring a child means establishing and developing a real relationship. Through emails, letters, gifts, prayers, and personal visits on mission trips, sponsors can play an invested role in a child's life that is so very fulfilling. We have sponsors in our church who ...

…Clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. Colossians 3:12b-13 Merry Christmas! What do you want to accomplish this Christmas? Give the right gifts? Get the right gifts?   Just make it through the season? Here’s an idea! Let’s just be different this year.     How different?   Consider the quality of… Compassion.   Let’s open our eyes and ears to those struggling among us.   By helping in whatever way we can, we show… Kindness: putting others’ needs ahead of our own. Whether in listening more closely, smiling more often, or providing warm meals, kindness requires us to seek… Humility. There is so much of “self” in the world, “self-serve” has a whole new meaning! And, when we’re humble, we show… Gentleness: “Power under control”. Speaking words that lift up, not tear d...

Merry Christmas! For those uncomfortable with that greeting, maybe you prefer...   Happy Holidays! Either one works for me.   Why? When someone says “Merry Christmas”, it’s as if she says,   “I'm celebrating the birth of Christ! I hope that your celebration is merry!” When someone says “Happy Holidays”, it’s as if he says, “I'm celebrating the Holidays! I hope that your celebration is happy!” Essentially, I believe these phrases are one and the same. Why? What’s a holiday? It is a Holy-Day .   A Holy-Day is a Day set apart for Divine (that is, Godly) purposes. In these Holy Days, we celebrate the first arrival of the Christ – the Son of God. The plans for this arrival began at the very beginning.   After creating the world, God simply wanted to have a relationship with His creation: with you and with me – with the whole world.   He s till does. And although that plan was interrupted by the rebellion of those cre...

Today is the day which has been set aside by our nation to give thanks.  Organized declarations of thanksgiving have been a part of cultures for thousands of years.  So, we gather to give thanks to God, not to celebrate a simple pilgrim meal that happened long ago.  Although not the first leader to do so, Abraham Lincoln, our 16th president, made a proclamation of Thanksgiving in 1863.  After describing the "bounties" of harvest, new frontiers, and natural resources of a country still struggling in a time of war, the President goes on to say, [These] are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy. It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged as with one heart and one voice by the whole American People. I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who ...

Across from me hangs a uniform coat wore by my grandfather in World War I and now displayed in my office. It's hard to believe that it has been 100 years since the beginning of "The Great War" as it was called then.  More difficult to comprehend is the incredible loss of life that was the result for both sides of the conflict . Dead:                  8,556,315 Wounded:         21,219,452      POW/Missing:     7,750,945 Even after entering the conflict toward its end, the US lost over 120,000 lives, wounding nearly twice that number. Why do I bring this up?  In the 11th hour, of the 11th day, of the 11th month in 1918, the Armistice Treaty was finally signed, signaling the cessation of hostilities between the Central Powers (Germany, etc.) and the Allied Powers (France, Russia, Britain, US, etc.)....