Blog

            It seems to me that our church, in the beginning years of the 21st century, has a golden opportunity to make the gospel real and relevant to a world that is weary of wars, weary of manipulation, weary of emptiness, and increasingly weary of moral degradation.  It is a time when we should prepare ourselves to be the church at its best.  We must remind ourselves that the world is ready now for the message of God, delivered by people like ourselves, who demonstrate that message in their own lives.             During most of […]

                 Have you ever noticed that there is a direct correlation between current events and our overall attitude toward life?  When things are going well, we are hopeful and optimistic; but when things take a turn for the worse, we lose heart.                 This is a tragic way to live because it places us at the mercy of events totally beyond our control.  Instead of acting upon life, we end up merely reacting to it.  Good times turn us into giddy optimists, while bad times transform us into gloomy prophets of doom.                 […]

          In 2015, at the Synod on the Family, Rick Warren summarized the present condition of our 21st century this way:          “In today’s society, materialism is idolized; immorality is glamorized; truth is minimized; sin is normalized; divorce is rationalized; abortion is legalized.  In T.V. and movies, crime is legitimized; drug use is minimized; comedy is vulgarized; and sex is trivialized.  Again, in movies, the Bible is fictionalized; churches are satirized; God is marginalized; and Christians are demonized.  The elderly are dehumanized; the sick are euthanized; the poor are victimized; the mentally ill […]

           Several years ago, the newspaper reported the murder of a young Jewish boy of sixteen and two of his friends who were seriously wounded as they were traveling home in a van in Manhattan.  This unprovoked act of violence filled the hearts of many people with great anger and  frustration.  Everyone recoiled at this senseless violence and injustice.  And yet we all know that violence and injustice must be rejected in favor of justice, understanding, and peace.           Jesus’ message in the Gospel is truly clear: there is no room for […]

         Do you recall several years ago reading about an 18-month-old girl, Jessica McClure, who had tumbled down an abandoned well shaft?  Nobody knew how she managed to fall through  an 8-inch, coffee-can size opening  into the 22-foot shaft in the hard rock.  For 58 desperate hours people rallied around and literally clawed their way to rescue her while the eyes of the nation prayerfully watched the effort.  When, finally, a paramedic emerged with the child, there were shouts of joy and thanksgiving.  Someone held a banner and the cameras relayed its message to the nation: “Stop […]