On January 8, 1991 I went to Cedarville College to hear Jerry Falwell speak. He said, “There is not a pastor here who couldn’t double his attendance in a year if he just got out of his office and off the golf course and out of the coffee shops and began a house-to-house ministry.” Jerry […]
Bertha and Bob
Mercer Chapel on Spring Road was a little white-frame community church. Like thousands of others, a fixture of the American countryside. Set in a cemetery, its patriarchs and matriarchs slept near by. It was a pleasant slow-paced congregation. Volleyball league and Ladies’ Aid. Strawberry suppers and ice-cream socials. Pot-luck dinners and Class parties. Christmas pageants […]
Ida Taylor
I was Ida Taylor’s pastor for a few years. She was not shy about what she liked and didn’t like. She let me know there were some things about me she liked and there were a few things I did or said she was pretty sure she didn’t like. She was real direct about what […]
Weight Loss Challenge
I just got a call from a dear friend. He is a pastor. He needs to lose some weight. He read that I need to lose some weight. He challenged me to a weight-loss race. He has to lose 30 pounds. I need to lose 40 pounds. Here’s the deal: the first one to his […]
My Saturday Night Study
On Saturday night I am using a stand-up desk in a quiet corner of the house to do my final preparations for my messages. It is simple, uncluttered, and uncomplicated. I have already done my library spade work earlier in the week. I have the books and sources on the ‘net, on my laptop and […]
What I Want to See Before I Die
This week I heard from Rebbecca. She is a young lady now, but my first memory of her was when she was just a little girl. The first time I ever saw Rebbecca was when I preached her grandmother’s funeral in Centerburg, Ohio. It was difficult because I had never met her grandmother before. The […]