a word from the pastor

Rethinking Retirement

I once heard that there are four stages of life: childhood, adolescence, adulthood, and “you’re looking good.” It was funny until I found myself on the receiving end of that final compliment. I turned 65 this year, and when I registered for Medicare my daughter announced, “You’re officially old!”...
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Daddy’s Bible

Judith and I recently visited my mom who lives in a small retirement community in Florida. It has been three years since my dad passed away and it seems on each visit, I discover something about him I didn’t know before. While helping mom with a small project I went in search of a Philip’s Head s...
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A Baby Boomer’s Advice for Generation Z

Six living generations are in America today. Each generation is marked by similar preferences, character traits, likes and dislikes, which have been formed by collective experience as they have aged. According to the Center for Generational Kinetics, “generations are not a box; instead, they are ...
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Put Yourself in the Story

Over the years I have come to cherish and protect my time in the morning with the Lord. Being a visual reader, I’ve always tried to picture the Biblical storyline in my mind as I go through the Bible each year. Recently, that practice became intensely personal as I read Mark’s account of Jesus he...
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The Battle for Biblical Manhood

Psychotherapy is huge business in the United States with estimates as high as 50 million Americans receiving some form of mental health treatment. That statistic should produce great concern among Christians considering the American Psychological Association’s (APA) recent guidelines for how psyc...
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Make a Commitment to God's Word in 2019

To cherish the Bible for the treasure it truly is, you must begin by reading it—consistently, purposefully, and prayerfully. A.W. Tozer once said, “the Bible was written in tears, and to tears it yields its best treasures.” With that in mind, I want to challenge you as the New Year approaches to ...
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The First Crisis at Christmas

How Joseph sets the example for men facing personal crisis Being a lover of history, I’ve learned that crises have often provided the stage for a single man to stand in the gap, make a difference, and turn the course of history. I think of George Washington, whose leadership led the continenta...
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Want a Merry Christmas? Avoid these pitfalls

Ironically, the Christmas season, that most wonderful time of the year, is for many the most depressing time of the year. Sadly, for them it’s a miserable, not a merry Christmas. While there may be myriad reasons for the melancholy, four stand out as the primary cause for the sadness of the seaso...
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The “Misplaced Adventure” of John Allen Chau

American John Allen Chau, 27, was killed on November 17 in his attempt to take the gospel to a small and remote tribe of people living on one of the Andaman Islands in the Bay of Bengal. Both The Wall Street Journal and the New York Times quoted Indian police chief Dependra Pathak as saying the d...
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Living in the Moment

I woke up this morning to an astounding discovery: God had given me another day! Admittedly, I don’t usually recognize this amazing gift, but lately I’ve been giving thought to living within the moment. You know, the “carpe diem,” approach to life; seize the day! I’m talking about striking while ...
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