Lifestyles
21 Empty Chairs
Garfield the cartoon cat is sitting in a comfortable chair and sees the dog, Odie at the window…
Lifestyles
Sowing Seeds — Trinity
Recently, I received a letter from Trinity MacDonald, a student at Virginia Tech who attends one of our…
Lifestyles
Sowing Seeds — Rounding the bases
Have you ever battled for control over your own life? Many of us fight that battle every day.…
Lifestyles
Sowing Seeds —We earn it?
There is an old commercial about an investment firm featuring British actor John Houseman in his immaculate 3-piece…
Lifestyles
Sowing Seeds — Something cut me to the soul
Inspired by a mission trip; Sara Groves wrote the following song: I saw what I saw, and I…
Lifestyles
Sowing Seeds — A church fire and Easter
One Friday morning, I received an emergency phone call about a fire at Tabernacle United Methodist Church in…
Lifestyles
Holy Week and ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’
Every year about this time I look through my oldies music and listen to a Rock Opera popular…
Lifestyles
Sowing Seeds — It’s your church, It’s God’s church
Mike Abrashoff is the author of “It’s Your Ship” — Before Mike took command of the USS Benfold,…
Lifestyles
Day by day, more aware
Author and Consultant, Patrick Lencioni asks six questions to guide any organization seeking purpose. I would think any…
Lifestyles
Sowing Seeds — ‘20/20’ and God’s Love
“20/20” featured a story about Mary who confessed to murdering Matthew, a pastor in Tennessee. According to the…
Lifestyles
Sowing Seeds — The narrow door and humility
Flannery O’Connor wrote about Mrs. Turpin, a lady sure of her heavenly destination who does not hesitate to…
Lifestyles
Dream big! Act small
As a pastor, I encourage churches to dream big dreams toward making a difference in people’s lives. I…
Lifestyles
Love the Lord
Recent statistics regarding the spiritual state of our country are alarming: 96% of Americans polled say they believe…
Lifestyles
Sowing Seeds: No pain? No gain!
Zig Ziglar used to say: “There is no elevator to the top. You’re going to have to take…
Lifestyles
Stairway to Heaven
Some dormitories at Virginia Tech are grouped in quads: four buildings in a square with a grassy area…
Columns
Are you the Messiah?
Events this week seemed especially conflicted and depressing: Ukraine – Threat of invasion with potentially dire consequences. Pandemic…
Lifestyles
Greatness as a No. 2: Dan Abrams and Robb Almy
Sometimes the hardest number to be in life is two: second string, second clarinet, vice president or assistant…
Columns
Religion, fasting and wine
One day some people said to Jesus, “John the Baptist’s disciples fast and pray regularly, and so do…
Lifestyles
Who Is Jesus?
2022 is off to a rough start. Sunday was warm and beautiful, but Monday brought a massive winter…
Lifestyles
Sowing Seeds — Resolutions
Every year, many of us make new year’s resolutions that are forgotten by Super Bowl Sunday. According to…
Lifestyles
Real Christmas giving conclusion
Recently, I shared a plea from a family asking for help. Christmas can be a visible reminder of…
Lifestyles
Christmas giving: Letter from Canada
Recently, I shared a plea from families asking for help. Christmas can be a visible reminder of who…
Lifestyles
Christmas giving: Letters
I wrote about a plea for help from a family with no way to provide Christmas for their…
Lifestyles
Christmas giving
A recent email: “Pray for my children. I know they will have nothing for Christmas, and it’s tearing…
Lifestyles
Nativity and culture
If you visit Fredericksburg UMC near Christmas, you will see a large and intricate Nativity scene. It’s not…
Lifestyles
Monopoly, change and children
I deal with changes nearly every day, but this one is too much. Monopoly replaced three of their…
Lifestyles
10 church action words
If we want to be a healthy church, we must heed the warnings of the Bible. Don’t stop…