Category: Uncategorized
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My Ministry Began with Two Words
My ministry began with two words, “Ted’s dead.” I was a young college student and had just started my first church staff position. My title was “Youth Minister,” but to that point there had been very little ministry taking place. It was more like a part-time job. I was getting to the know the students…
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The Old Barn and the New Baby
When I was a kid, my family had an ornate, wooden table that sat in the living room. For most of the year it held a marble chess set and was usually ignored. For a few weeks each year, however, it was transformed into a place of honor. When it was time to decorate the…
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Fog It!
A few years ago I was going through one of the worst times of my life. My blood pressure was up and my stress was out of control. The turning point of my recovery occurred when I made a new friend. Ben was wise and compassionate. He had been through difficult times before and he…
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Check the Bushes!
When I was kid, some of the neighbors would play “War” with my older brothers and me. It was basically “Hide and Seek.” We would hide and sneak around and then “shoot” the other guys with our imaginary weapons. The goal was to be the last man standing. After playing the game a few times,…
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Meat, Masks, and Motivations
I can’t help but think there are some principles in Paul’s teachings about meat that some of us might be able to apply to our decisions about masks and social distancing. In Paul’s day people in the church were debating about whether or not they should eat meat, because some of the meat might have…
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We Can’t See It All
We who are bound by time and space are wise when we acknowledge the inherent limitations of our own perspective and trust that there is more to our circumstances than we can currently see.
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I Won’t
I hope that some day when people disagree, we will be able to sit down and have sincere conversations in which we learn from one another. By listening to each other we will be able to catch a glimpse of the other’s point of view, to see things from a different perspective. Until that day…
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Teacher, Don’t Stop Now!
Teachers, thank you! You play one of the most valuable roles in our society. Sure, your paycheck probably does not reflect that, and your students and their parents will not always recognize it, but make no mistake, we need you! Teaching is a noble profession that enables people to connect in such powerful ways that lives…
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On The Brink Of Glory
Most of her life has been an uphill climb, and today she stands atop a great precipice, on the brink of glory. Lenora Crowder was born into a family of modest means, yet she spent most of her life educating, guiding, and investing in others. As a young lady she cared for her husband through…
John W. Crowder 