Getting Practical

Many years ago, a perceptive church member came up to me after my preaching and said, “Good message, Pastor, but what are we supposed to do?”  Apparently, I had proven my point but I did not give a very strong personal application.  Since that time, I always close my sermons with...

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Faith, Politics, and Religious Freedom

A candidate for president whom I otherwise respect said something this week that should cause all Americans–and especially all Christians–to stop and think seriously about our freedom of religion.  He said that communities should “have the right” to ban Muslim Mosques if they so choose.  And he was warmly applauded...

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My Country ‘Tis of Thee

“Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, the people he chose for his inheritance.”  (Psalm 33:12.  Part of my text for Sunday.) On July 4, 1831, the song we know today as “My Country ‘Tis of Thee” was sung for the first time at a children’s Independence Day celebration at...

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The Value of Teens in Ministry

In my early years of ministry, I took 1 Timothy 4:12 as a verse written to me, “Do not let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith, and in purity.”  I’m now 53 years...

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I’m An Environmentalist

I’m an environmentalist. To be honest, those words aren’t often spoken by evangelical pastors.  Most of us tend to be conservatives, and environmentalism isn’t usually on the top of conservative agendas.  And sometimes, it’s for good reason.  Many of the things associated with the environmental movement (worship of “mother earth,” for example) are...

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