I began my 40 year, every-Sunday preaching life in 1977 in the tiny hamlet of Millerstown, Pennsylvania. I served two churches simultaneously. I had written three sermons in seminary. So I pretty much had to learn on my own—far from other ministers, books, and certainly seminary. Lent was particularly difficult. In addition to the regular …
I took a college geology class. I suspect that geology is not as popular with students as physics or biology. The professor was probably aware on the first day of class that he was addressing a skeptical group. He cleared his throat and said, “Most people know a little about the non-living world around them. …
The Story of a Garden Three friends are walking together in the forest. Deep in the woods they come upon a rough clearing. One of the hikers thoughtfully surveys the overgrown meadow and declares, “There was a garden here once upon a time.” The second hiker looks at the brush and tree saplings shooting up …
Let every person be subject to the governing authorities; for there is no authority except from God, and those authorities that exist have been instituted by God. 2Therefore whoever resists authority resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. 3For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Do you …
The surprise success of Donald Trump’s presidential bid and the scandal-a-day chaos of his administration’s early months has got a lot of people wondering whether tyranny can yet overtake America. The 2017 Women’s March, which brought 5 million people into the streets of cities worldwide is arguably the largest protest in this country at least …
Introduction Six miles from my church stands a large church building which houses an equally large Presbyterian congregation. Its membership is three times ours. As I was organizing the adult class project, described later in this report, I phoned one of the pastors of this large Presbyterian congregation. I wanted from him the name of …
