A Pastoral Letter in the Midst of Covid-19
Lamentations 3:19-26 (New Living Translation) The thought of my suffering is bitter beyond words. I will never forget this awful time, as I grieve over my loss. Yet I still dare to hope when I remember this: The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies […]
Autumn
Although summer has always been my favorite time of year for many Autumn is their uncontested favorite. There is a feel about it, distinctiveness to its aura. There are some reasons for Autumn’s captivating attraction: The colors of leaves resembling the brilliance of rainbows, cool nights and warm blankets, early to bed with no guilt […]
The Essential Pursuit
The Essential Pursuit The sudden death of Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna and seven others in a tragic helicopter crash, coupled with constant news about the Coronavirus outbreak in China—and the fears of it spreading around the globe, are stories that shook many this past weekend. As is often the case, news headlines reveal […]
Tangled Threads
2 Corinthians 4:18 We don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. As we step into the possibilities of a brand new—never lived new year—not only do we look forward with anticipation to writing some new chapters in our lives but we also […]
A New Beginning
I’ve been in the Westgate office a week now. I have preached one candidate sermon, one first Sunday sermon, and coordinated one worship service. In car buying terms the new car smell is still very strong. Some have referenced the first year or so of a new pastorate as the honey moon period—if so I […]
Bullets or Seeds
Acts 20:35 “It is more blessed to give than receive.” Here is some free advice as we are entering the challenges and fresh days of a New Year. You can offer your thoughts and ideas to others as bullets or as seeds. You can shoot them, or sow them; hit people in the head with […]
Seeing Good in the Bad
OK… I’ve finally taken the time with a sigh of fatigue to look back over the past few weeks. During the past two weeks I moved to Mount Joy to be closer to the church, and celebrated my first Easter at Westgate Baptist Church. A combination of circumstances made it essential that I do much […]
The Journey Home
While filling up my motorcycle at a gas pump the other day I entered into some friendly chatter with a man who eventually asked me, “so where are you going.” I responded that I was just out for a ride. He seemed a little surprised. Then I explained to him that I had just moved […]
Set Apart for a Purpose
The other day I struck up a conversation with a person, not really a friend but an acquaintance. She was telling me how much she works. How the staff where she works drives her up a tree. And how the pay and benefits are great but she hates the job and that her health is […]
Grabbing Our Attention
Joel 2:13 Come back to the Lord your God, because he is kind and shows mercy. He doesn’t become angry quickly, and he has great love. I suppose one of the things I love the most about summer is that long days and very active schedules provide for many necessary diversions. And oh how those […]