From the Pastor An essential piece of my pastoral repertoire are Kleenex tissues.When I took a pastoral care and counseling class in seminary, I was told that I would need a Bible, a robe, and a pulpit, but behind closed doors people would need tissues to wipe away the tears.Sometimes folks will feel the need to apologize and say something like, "Oh, I didn't realize I ...

Pastor Matt Chandler tells how when he was in a college freshman class, he wound up sitting next to a 26 year old single mom.Now he and his Bible study group of guys befriended her, and prayed for her, showing her Christlike love, and hoping she would come to faith.They wanted her to come to know Jesus Christ.These freshman guys would even go over and play with her kids an...

Lenten Sacrifice On a flight from Dallas to Phoenix with open seating, a man arrived at the gate early enough to get an early boarding number.He overheard the boarding agent say that the plane was not sold out, but there would be a few unused seats on the plane. Then he says, "I felt lucky and relieved when I got on board to find a window seat open with a vacant seat be...

From the Pastor How do you sort through all the envelopes that you get in the mail?There are plenty that come to me at the church with the faces of starving children and needy people?So, what is our obligation to people who are in need?To look at itanother way, as we try to navigate with limited resources in a world of boundless misery, what guidance does the Bible have...

From The Pastor In 1910 British journalist and Christian author G. K. Chesterton published a collection of essays under the title,"What's Wrong with the World?"The title came from a local newspaper that had invited various authors to write on that specific topic.It came out that G. K. Chesterton, this accomplished writer, had submitted the shortest entry to the newspape...

From the Pastor Our Monday morning Men's study is reading a book by the Christian writer, Leonard Sweet, which is titled,"The Gospel According to Starbucks."In it, Leonard Sweet draws parallels between the coffee "experience" that Starbucks provides, and the kind of experience of Jesus Christ that the church should be providing. He writes, "Christians have much to le...

From the Pastor A man was driving cautiously down the highway when suddenly a state trooper pulled him over.As the officer approached the car, he was all smiles. "You did nothing wrong, sir.In fact, we are doing a special campaign in which we are giving 'excellent driving' citations to drivers who show caution and good judgment behind the wheel of their car.Along with y...

From the Pastor Years ago during Billy Graham's heyday, the number one flamboyant crime figure in America was a man by the name of Mickey Cohen. There was a rumor going around in Christian circles that Mickey Cohen, this mob kingpin, was considering becoming a Christian. There was a lot of excitement with folks thinking, "Wow! What a testimony it would be if Mickey Cohe...

From The Pastor: Thirty years ago, we said that if only we could have more information, more facts, and more choices, then our lives would be so much better. Today, we are drowning in a barrage of information with multiple digital options and the right to choose anything we want, -- and yet, we still don't know what to do. What we are discovering more than ever is, it's...

From the Pastor As we begin the new year together, we begin with the book of James. I'm starting a sermon series on the book of James beginning this Sunday. James is a serious book. If you think about it, January is a serious month. The holidays are now behind us. The party is over, and now it's time to get back to work. Time to get back to the business of living for Go...