Say “Humbug!” to spending that doesn’t satisfy

“Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and your soul will delight in the richest of fare” (Isaiah 55:2 NIV). We’re dialing back the spending on Christmas at my house again this year. I’ve asked our family to

Where will you spend your worship?

“On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh” (Matthew 2:11 NIV). The word “worship” comes from the Old English, “weorthscipe,” literally meaning to “ascribe worth.”

A place called Thanksgiving

“These things I remember as I pour out my soul: how I used to go with the multitude, leading the procession to the house of God, with shouts of joy and thanksgiving among the festive throng” (Psalm 42:4 NIV). For most of my life Thanksgiving Day has been a place to go. Until I was a married man we drove into the

Gentle Lady Sheeba of Moneta

“Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near” (Philippians 4:5 NIV). The year our eldest turned three years old we decided the boy needed a dog. We had read that golden retrievers were good with kids, so we checked the classifieds and found that a breeder in Roanoke, Virginia was selling puppies.

Of whirlygigs and faithfulness

“Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!” (Matthew 25:23 NIV) This past weekend was our second time participating in the Wilson Whirlygig Festival. I’m so proud of our faithful WCC servants who worked

You be good while I’m gone

“He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8 NIV). “But the fruit of the Spirit is … goodness…” (Galatians 5:22). “You be good while I’m gone.” My Dad would say

Of kid’s clothes and kindness

“Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience” (Colossians 3:12 NIV). Have you noticed how course and sarcastic our culture has become? We’re convinced that we have to be thick-skinned and savvy to survive these days. Or do we? Is it possible that there is a different

On the clock

“But these things I plan won’t happen right away. Slowly, steadily, surely, the time approaches when the vision will be fulfilled. If it seems slow, wait patiently, for it will surely take place. It will not be delayed” (Habakkuk 2:3 NLT). Ever wonder how the human invention of the clock has affected us? God’s creation

Shalom at home

“…Let each one go home in peace” (1 Kings 22:17 NIV). Nearly every Sunday after church our family has lunch at our house. All of our children are grown and married, but they all gather to eat at our table on Sundays. I assumed our grocery bill would go down after the kids left home…

Took some leaders to Catalyst

We’re having a great time together at Catalyst 09 in Atlanta, Georgia. Nine of us WCCers joined about 12,000 other Christian leaders for a couple of days of leadership level encouragement. Today, we heard from Andy Stanley, Rob Bell, Coach Tony Dungy, Francis Chan… It’s like drinking from a fire hydrant. We didn’t get back