Author Archives: Dr. Philip W. Turner

There are 365 days in our calendar year.  Many of these days pass by without much fanfare.  We might call them ordinary days.  They are the days we go to work or school, pay the bills, grocery shop, change the oil in the car, and watch our favorite TV show.  Then there are those daysContinue reading “Make It Count”

We’ve all been warned before:  “Watch out, he has a quick temper.”  Be careful around her, “she can go off at any moment on you.”  “That group has a short fuse, so watch yourself.”  Such statements are warnings against engaging with someone because the individual or the group has a reputation of getting angry orContinue reading “Calm, Cool, and Collected”

For almost 30 years I have stood behind a pulpit every Sunday and tried to bring a message of hope to the people in attendance.  My faith in Jesus Christ has led me to believe that the story of his life, death, and resurrection is a message of hope for the entire world.  Now thereContinue reading “I Believe, Help My Unbelief!”

If you depend on a GPS system on your phone or in your car to get you from here to there, then you have undoubtedly heard the voice message “recalculating.”  If you miss a turn or turn the wrong way, then the GPS system will automatically reset your directions based on your last movement.  ItContinue reading “Recalculating”

Everybody likes a happy ending.  Whether you are reading a book, watching a movie, or watching a play, you hope that the story ends well.  Indeed, it can be disappointing to get caught up in a story and then not have it end well.  On those occasions, the story leaves us disappointed, sad, or evenContinue reading “The Rest of the Story”

I could barely hold my eyes open. It was a lecture about Victoria, Canada. It was the next stop on our family cruise. Now I had never been to Victoria, Canada, nor did I know anything about Victoria, Canada. You would think I would want to soak in every bit of information I could forContinue reading “Dozing Off”

When I was young, I was very sensitive to the labels in the back of my shirts.  The label which tells you the brand name, the type of fabric, the size, and where it was made.  These labels irritated me and as a result I often cut and remove them.  I just did not likeContinue reading “Labels”

“I get by with a little help from my friends,” says the song made famous by the Beatles and Joe Crocker.  Friendship is an important part of our lives.  Most people’s earliest memories include friends from their neighborhood, school, or church.  As we grow, we gather more friends based on life’s experiences and the encountersContinue reading “Thank You For Being My Friend”

On a couple of occasions over the years, when I have received a package in the mail it rattled.  A rattling sound came from the package that wasn’t supposed to be there.  Nobody needed to tell me what I already knew; whatever was in the package was broken.  The joy of receiving a package inContinue reading “Broken”

Sometimes in life, you just feel like screaming.  For whatever reason, fear, frustration, impatience, exhaustion, agitation, and the like, you just feel like a scream will make you feel better.  Screaming can have a cathartic effect. For some, it’s therapeutic. When you have a ton of pent up stress brewing in you, letting it outContinue reading “Scream”

We have all had that experience of sitting down in a restaurant and looking through a menu to choose what we would like for our meal. If the menu is full of delicious entrees, choosing one might not be an easy decision. Likewise, when you know that your server will soon be returning to yourContinue reading “Choose Compassion”

President Harry S. Truman, our nation’s 33rd President, was well known for using the phrase, “If you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen.”  The phrase means, “If an activity is too difficult, or the pressure of a situation is too much for a person to handle, then perhaps it would be bestContinue reading “The Heat is On”

Jamaican singer and songwriter Bob Marley once said, “If you get down and quarrel every day, you’re saying prayers to the devil, I say.” I wonder what Marley, who died in 1981, would say today about the state of affairs in our society? Now things like Facebook, Twitter, and other social media outlets would beContinue reading “Praying to the Devil”

A common question that we often ask one another is “do you have any plans for the weekend?”  The question assumes that with some weekend time approaching what is a person going to do with their free time.  How are they going to fill the hours, where are they going to go, and who mightContinue reading “When Your Plans Fall Apart”

Most people will use the excuse “I’m just too tired” to do something that needs to be done.  I’m just too tired today to mow the grass, I’ll do it tomorrow.  I’m just too tired today to complete my income taxes, I’ll do them tomorrow.  I’m must just too tired to cook tonight, I’ll justContinue reading “Too Tired to Pray”

I remember in school, especially the early years when I was learning to write that it was important to stay in the margins on the notebook paper.  I don’t know if I understood what the word “margins” meant, but I did recognize I was not supposed to write past the vertical lines that went downContinue reading “Stay Within the Margins”

At times in my life, I have thought to myself, “I just wish Jesus would do what I want him to do.”  Most of us as followers of Jesus struggle between living in the Kingdom of God and our kingdoms.  It seems we can do our best at times trying to get God to doContinue reading “My Kingdom Come”

As we now find ourselves several months into the COVID-19 pandemic, hopefully, we have learned some lessons along the way.  With the world turned upside down, our lives altered, and uncertainty the daily norm, these days have been fertile ground for growth in our lives.  What have we realized about ourselves, others, and life inContinue reading “A New Normal: It’s Not Just About Me”

Sometimes life falls apart.  Yet, you did not need me to tell you this.  We have all had those experiences which cause life to become broken; a death with its grief, sickness, unemployment, family division, depression, and disappointment which only begin the list of such things that can shatter a life.  We can suddenly findContinue reading “Finding Peace in the Pieces”

You’re driving down the road when suddenly you see the orange sign which reads, “Road Work Ahead.”  At that moment you realize your journey is about to change.  You will have to slow down your speed, perhaps merge into one lane, drive on a rough road, or even come to a complete standstill.  The nextContinue reading “End Road Work: Journeying with Jesus”