How comfortable are your feet right now?  When I ask this, do you suddenly become aware of them?  At any given moment, we can feel our feet, but if we’re not thinking about them, we don’t really notice how they feel.  Perhaps even as I say this, you suddenly pause and realize the need to adjust a sock or tighten a shoelace.  Your feet have always been there, haven’t they?  But just before you read this, you weren’t thinking about them.  Awareness is everything. Once in chapel at the Harding Graduate School, a man got up to lead our prayer.  He was from Africa, and he could pray unlike anyone I’ve ever heard.  He spoke with a booming voice and a thick accent.  The first half of his prayer he spent simply acknowledging the majesty [...]

Dean Pierson was a struggling dairy farmer in Copake, NY who last Thursday reached his breaking point. He went to his barn, barricaded the door, systematically killed each of his 51 milk cows, and then turned his rifle on himself. A murder-suicide with a different twist. We immediately ask ourselves the question, “Why?” What drives a person to take such drastic action. While few details have been published, one neighbor did say, “These are hard times to be a farmer.” It is hard to look forward to anything, when our problems consume our “vision.” Hopelessness and despair come when we don’t see any way out of our bleak circumstances. Yet, it was for just such a reality that Jesus came. Peter writes in I Peter 1:3, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord [...]

  The destruction caused by the 7.0 earthquake in Port-au-Prince, Haiti rises beyond what we are able to comprehend. Destroyed houses and suffering people are evident in every news report we watch. Thousands dead; hundreds of thousands homeless; a nation’s flickering efforts at economic growth snuffed out. It is not the first tragedy we have witnessed or experienced, but for this week it is the biggest. Yet, it is imperative that we pause and look at tragedy in a different light. There is a positive side to the catastrophe in Haiti. #1 — We are reminded of the compassion and generosity of people. Millions of dollars and hundreds of adoptive parents are rising to the occasion. Would they have without the crisis? #2 — We observe unity borne of necessity. People from all backgrounds and [...]

It was January 13 and Frank and Cindy had gone outside to look around after the ice storm was over. The night was clear and very cold. Returning to the cozy confines of their den and sipping on hot cups of coffee, the couple began sharing their recent observations. Frank said, “Did you see those trees that were uprooted by the weight of the ice? I bet we will have some roof damage, and I sure hope the pipes under the house don’t freeze tonight.” Almost oblivious to her spouse’s grumblings, Cindy exclaimed, “Weren’t the stars beautiful?” They both were standing in the yard surrounded by the same icy devastation, but there was one key difference. Frank was looking at the damage, while Cindy was looking at the stars. Exactly the same thing happened, when [...]

We have all heard the story of the Good Samaritan many times in our lives. Let me ask, “What was the real difference between the priest, Levite, and the Samaritan?” They were all travelling the same road. They all had responsibilities and schedules to keep. They all saw the injured man on the side of the road. However, while the priest and Levite looked, the Samaritan got involved. He was the only one who acted. James describes a similar situation in 2:15-17, “If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, and one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace, be warmed and filled,’ and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that? Even so faith, if it has no works, [...]

I am already getting excited about Old Hickory Bible Camp in 2010! Our theme for this year is going to be “That We May Be One.”  We will focus on our unity with God, and our unity as Christians.  Jesus said that it was through our unity and love for each other that the world will really know we are Christians. Our theme for this year is “Out of Style.”  I want to see who can come up with the tackiest, most outdated clothing they can find.  (Let’s be sure to keep it modest)  I plan to be amazed at some of the clothing that will show up.  Of course, for some of us, to be out of style all we’ll need to do is wear what we would be wearing anyway! Ha! Be sure [...]

On those cold wintry days when you just can’t seem to get warm try this recipe and you can eat the leftovers for a few more days. Vegetable Soup Ingredients: 2 packs of cubed stew meat 1 squatty can of Alan’s green beans 1 can of Corn 1 can of Peas 4-5 peeled and diced large Carrots 3-4 peeled and diced Potatoes 4-5 Cans of Tomato Sauce 1 pack of stew seasoning 1 large Crock Pot Step 1: Cook your stew meat on the stove and set aside to cool Step 2: Add the entire can (including the water) of green beans, corn and peas into the Crock pot. Step 3: Add cut up carrots and potatoes into the Crock pot Step 4: Add one pack of stew seasoning to the Crock pot. (do not [...]