Some people find it impossible to enjoy the moment because they are obsessed with the past or preoccupied with the future. That is not true about me. I have am blessed with the ability to fully live in the moment.

Homemade whole wheat bread is real bread, store bought white bread is not. Real bread is my preference but it was not my experience growing up. I was raised on white bread that we bought five loaves for a dollar at the day-old bread store. We always had plenty of it because we kept dozens of loaves in the freezer. I’m sure I have eaten thousands of Velveeta cheese and Miricle-Whip sandwiches on white bread in my life-time.

The story of Skipper is a true story. It happened in about 1988 when Kyle was only seven years old. Today Kyle is a husband, and father, and pastor. One of the reasons he serves the Lord today is because the lessons God taught him as a boy. The best way to read this story is to gather the family around, settle into a comfortable chair, and read it aloud. Let me know what you think…

I have a friend who this spring set out on his third thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail. Last summer Kyle and Chuck joined him for a week to hike a section. His name is Bill Newman, but Appalachian Trail hikers always go by a trail name. On the trail Bill is known as Circuit Rider. Circuit Rider is a fine Christian man with a heart for God and great enthusiasm for life. I still remember the animation and spirit of worship he showed in describing …

A summer day stands out in my memory. We were swimming at the community pool in Baltimore, Ohio where my sister Melony, brother-in-law Jim and their family lived at the time. Kyle was five that summer. His cousin Jeremiah was six.

Here is the text of a hand-out I gave recently at a workshop on Courtship.

We live in perilous times. Whether we realize it or not we all live and work and minister in the middle of a spiritual battlefield. Spiritual warfare is taking place all around us. There is a cosmic battle in the unseen realm where demons and angels struggle for the allegiance of the souls of men, women and children.

There is a street character around here that calls himself Punkin. He stops by the Inn and makes himself at home whenever he can get away with it. He has some mental challenges but he is sharp enough to figure out when he can slip in without being stopped. When he can he usually goes strait to the kitchen without permission, pours himself a cup of coffee and starts to pressure the kitchen staff for food. He is very demanding and I suspect was not raised …

On a sunny autumn Saturday morning in a small Ohio town, a farmer made his way to the grain elevator with a part of his grain harvest. He had a sense of well-being that morning. His harvest was in. Yield was good. He waved at his friends up and down Main Street in his hometown. Without any warning one of the grain wagons became disconnected and veered into the opposing lane of traffic colliding with an on-coming car. He didn’t expect much damage because …