When I was about five years old my dad had a week or two of training in New York City to be a military chaplain. While we were there our family lived in a very modest apartment. It was a different world from the Michigan farmhouse that was the parsonage of First Baptist Church in Wayland.

The family was in for Christmas

In January I am going to preach a series of messages on the Bible. I hope to inspire the people to build a daily habit of reading, study, memorization, and meditation on the Word of God. I can’t think of anything that will ultimately be more helpful. I am going to share biblical truth about the power of the Bible and practical ideas for Bible study and mediation.
January 4; AM: Read and Mediate on the Bible Daily. PM: Communion: The Blood
January 11; AM: Obey the Bible Faithfully. PM: …

It’s not easy being a pastor’s kid…

Hannah was born on this day nineteen years ago in Knox County, Ohio at home. I brewed a pot of coffee for the midwife, sat down at the table and filled out her birth certificate by hand.
Here is a birthday letter I wrote Hannah a couple years ago:

The neighborhood is covered in a huge layer of beautiful snow this morning and everyone is digging out and trying to get to work. I have another plan.

Some of my neighbors have snow-blowers. I have fine, stalwart sons who rise early and throw large amounts of snow in small amounts of time. Now if I can just get them some manly hats…

December 16, 1995 was a Saturday. My message needed work. Our church occupied a little Grange Hall West of Mt. Vernon, Ohio just off State Route 229. North of the church was a wood wrapped around a pond. My study window looked out from high on the wall of the church over the pleasant field and the wood and the pond. I would sometime watch deer come to water there.
When I arrived at the church that morning it was cold.

Some day I would like to get Fernando Ortega to Evangel. Here is a short video about his new Christmas recording. I have been enjoying the Christmas recording since about the day after Thanksgiving. Hope you enjoy it.
Fernando Ortega – Christmas Songs from fernando ortega on Vimeo.