This weekend I have also been re-reading The Living Great Lakes by Jerry Dennis. Jerry is a great Michigan writer and the Great Lakes are a great subject. I discovered a little autobiography of Vance Havner last week entitled “Three Score and Ten.” It’s a treasure. Vance Havner preached all over the country and wrote […]
Henry VanDyke
I am reading the complete works of Henry VanDyke. He is well-known as the author of “The Other Wise Man,” and the words to “Joyful, Joyful We Adore Thee.” I am currently reading the first of the eighteen-volume set: “Little Rivers.” Little Rivers is a collection of outdoor essays. He writes of trout fishing and […]
For the Love of Preaching
Yesterday I stumbled on a treasure. I found Don Denyes new book on the life of Howard Sugden at the Baker Bookstore in Grand Rapids. Sugden was a Michigan pastor and a popular, spirited conferance speaker. I heard him speak myself once in his later years. He preached with obvious skill and passion. The author […]
Influence
About a year ago I picked up the phone and called Mrs. Neleigh. She was my literature teacher when I was a senior in high school in Greenville, Ohio. I had not spoken with her since June of 1977.
Punching Bag
When I was in school I craved the admiration and attention that came with being a star athlete but I lacked the skill and especially the confidence to become one. Sadly it took many painful and humiliating experiences to convince me that I didn’t have a future in athletics. At ten I failed to make […]
Endangered Species
I’m looking out on the city tonight from our suite in the Character Inn in downtown Flint, Michigan. My window overlooks Saginaw Street. It is “Main Street” in the Downtown. It’s a nice view, but let’s not pretend, the city where we live is on hard times. Flint has seen more prosperous days. Industry in […]