I think I have it right, but to be sure I had to look way back. Back to the summer of 2006, in fact. Yes, 17 years. That’s how long I’ve been sending out the weekly (well, for the most part weekly) note that I’ve called “The Pastor’s Heart.” It started as a means to…
DetailsWe hear the word quite often, usually followed by a second word that brings detail to the instruction. The word is “keep.” And we hear things like “keep up,” “keep on, “keep still,” or “keep looking.” I’m thinking that very often, applying those things in life can be hard and sometimes quite disheartening. It can…
DetailsIt doesn’t take much. You avoid it once, but then just a moment of forgetfulness or a quick second of distraction, and BAM. Believe me, I know what I’m talking about. We’re having some work done at our house, and the workers left what they’d set up to get up to the eaves of the…
DetailsWe’ve talked about it here for a couple of Wednesday Bible studies with the adults. It’s going to be a topic of study for our student ministries for the next several Wednesday meetings. I believe it’s a key component of our Christian walk, and it’s worth thinking about today. “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by…
DetailsIt’s a pretty simple thought. But it spoke to me a couple of weeks ago, and it keeps coming back to my mind. As simple as it is, however, it can make a profound difference in how I live. This year our theme here at Berean is “Spread the Word,” and we are studying the…
DetailsAccess. It can be defined as “permission, liberty, or ability to enter, approach, or pass to and from a place or to approach or communicate with a person or thing” (Miriam-Webster Dictionary). Then there are the different kinds of access. No access. Limited access. Denied access. Scheduled access. Credentialed access. Free access. And maybe a…
DetailsIt’s hard to put into words. Powerful would be one of the words. Incredible, another. Overwhelming, yes. Others would be moving, stunning, or even humbling. But the word I’ll choose is grateful. While on vacation this past week, Tina and I were able to visit the Museum of the Bible in Washington, D.C., and all…
DetailsIt was just about a five-minute walk, but what a contrast it was. In the last “Pastor’s Heart” I told you about Tommy, the heart patient who trusted Christ, and about the joy that filled the hospital room in that moment. A few days ago, I went to see him post-surgery and found him doing…
DetailsI wish you could have been there! It wasn’t a place where such joy is usually found, but there it was. Not a place where you hear “Hallelujahs,” either, but I definitely heard them. A couple of days ago I was in a hospital room with someone I had just met. He was facing open…
DetailsSometimes we know the whole part so well that we neglect the small parts. I think we often consider the well-known passages of Scripture as a whole and miss the blessing of the details of the passage. Take Psalm 23 for instance. Most of us could quote it easily and be blessed by the whole. …
DetailsWell, they’re here. All around us, it seems. And they certainly seem to be growing. But it’s not as though we hadn’t been warned. We see it right there in 2 Timothy 3:1. “This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.” If you continue reading the next few verses, you’ll find…
DetailsI was pretty excited at the time, but when I think of it this morning, it seems a little much. And when I tell you what it was, I believe you’ll agree. But in the moment, when I saw it, it was, “Wow! Finally! It happened!” I called over to Tina and said, “Look at…
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