Category Archives: Uncategorized

Have you ever reached your breaking point?  The dictionary defines a breaking point this way, ” the point at which a situation becomes critical.”  It is usually at our breaking points that our emotions are released as well as the physical tensions in our body.  At some point, we all reach a place where ourContinue reading “Breaking Points”

Sometimes in life, you can be in a room crowded with people, yet feel all alone.  Sometimes you can sit at a table for a meal with others, yet feel all alone.  Sometimes you can worship in your church and hear the gospel preached, yet feel all alone. Loneliness can be a difficult place toContinue reading “All The Lonely People”

The apostle Paul in his letter to the church in Rome spoke about the nature of genuine love.  He said many things with respect to this in Romans 12: 9-21.  However, the one I would highlight is in verse 15 where Paul writes, “mourn with those who mourn.”  Now the dictionary defines the word mournContinue reading “Mourn with Those Who Mourn”

When Jesus began his public ministry, he came unified around one mission:  The Kingdom of God.  God’s Kingdom, God’s Rule, and God’s Powerful Presence had entered the world of the first century Jews and things were going to be different.  The people of Israel had been longing for a deliverer to come and rescue themContinue reading “The Kingdom of God is at Hand”

In the Wizard of Oz, when Dorothy and her little dog Toto found themselves in the strange land of Oz she said to her furry companion, “I don’t think we are in Kansas anymore.”  Dorothy knew that she now stood in a place that was different than her home. When God finished creating the GardenContinue reading “A Long Way From Eden”

Most Christians have their favorite hymns.  Growing up in church most people are introduced to the great hymns of the faith as children; even when they are too young to understand what they are singing about.  For years as a child, I thought the classic hymn, Amazing Grace, was a song about my great AuntContinue reading “This is My Story, This is My Song”

In July, I will enter my 30th year as the pastor of Pine Street Baptist Church in Richmond, Virginia.  In some ways, it seems like yesterday until I begin to remember all the people that I have had to say goodbye to because of their deaths.  Death is part of life and is something thatContinue reading “Just Breathe”

We’ve probably all heard the phrase “larger than life”  when describing an individual. If you describe someone as larger than life, you mean that they have a very strong personality and behave in a way that makes people notice them.  There can hardly be a greater compliment than to call someone “larger than life.” ThatContinue reading “Larger Than Life”

If you grew up in the Baptist Church as I did, the hymn Softly and Tenderly was sung often.  The hymn was written by Will L. Thompson in 1880.  The familiar chorus reads:  “Come home, come home, Ye who are weary come home. Earnestly, tenderly Jesus is calling, Calling, “O sinner come home”  The lyricsContinue reading “Softly and Tenderly”

As a child growing up, I was not one who could sit still very long.  I needed to be moving or some part of my body moving.  So to sit beside me in church worship was a challenge for my parents.  Even today as a pastor, sitting in pulpit furniture, my legs are in motionContinue reading “Be Still”

Because of the COVID-19 virus, it has been 8 weeks since my church has been able to gather together for worship or anything else.  Stay at home guidelines have been followed in order to keep the virus from spreading.  While I  hate not being able to gather with my church family, I think it isContinue reading “Following Jesus, Yet Leaving the Church Behind”

During this time of the year, it is difficult to walk into stores such as Target and Walmart and not see huge displays of gifts for Valentine’s Day.  Everything from large stuffed animals, flowers, cards, and candy.  At one recent visit, I picked up a heart shaped box of chocolates weighing 5 pounds.  I thoughtContinue reading “A Heavy Heart”

During the season of Advent there is always an emergence of people’s nativity sets in people’s homes.  These nativity displays can be very simple as well as very elaborate. Some are inexpensive and others can be quite expensive.  You also see nativity sets outside during the season; wooden ones, inflatable ones, and even live ones.Continue reading “A Broken Nativity”

I think most people of faith have their favorite Bible verses that they turn to often for guidance, direction, and comfort.  For different reasons, a verse stands out to us, resonates with us, and speaks to us.  We may underline or highlight the verse or commit it to memory. Psalm 121 speaks about God’s presenceContinue reading “Coming and Going”

I can remember a time when I never heard of the phrase “wardrobe malfunction.”  It is a relatively new phrase in our modern language. A wardrobe malfunction describes a clothing failure that accidentally or perhaps intentionally exposes a person’s intimate parts. It is different from deliberate incidents of indecent exposure or public flashing. Justin TimberlakeContinue reading “Wardrobe Malfunction”

Someone once said, “If you want to make God laugh, then tell him your plans.”  The statement suggests that our plans, even our best laid out ones, cannot see the bigger picture of our lives in the way that God does.  Our vision for our lives is so limited. We can only see our livesContinue reading “What’s The Plan?”

If you think about our lives, we spend a great deal of our time making decisions. From the moment we wake until we go to sleep we are constantly making decisions about things.  Some decisions we are conscious about while for others we simply make a decision without much thought.  Some decisions come easy whileContinue reading “Decision Time”

Every day I receive quite a lot of telephone calls on my cell phone.  After being alerted by the ringtone, I can then look at the phones caller I.D. to see who is calling.  If I am friends with the person then the person’s name will appear.  However, if it just displays a telephone numberContinue reading “Caller I.D.”

There probably isn’t a day which goes by, that when I look at Facebook, that I see someone asking me to repost a picture of Jesus.  Usually there is a time warning such as in the next 10 minutes.  In addition, I should post it if I am not ashamed of Jesus.  And sometimes taggedContinue reading “A Facebook Faith”

There are 206 bones in the human body.  The human foot has 26.  I imagine that God knew we needed the extra support.  Our feet do a lot of walking over the course of our lives. The average moderately active person takes around 7,500 steps a day. If you maintain that daily average and liveContinue reading “Beautiful Feet”