From the Pastor I love the story of a minister and a music director who weren't getting along.It seems that the music director had this annoying habit of intentionally choosing songs that seemed to contradict everything the pastor was saying.For example, one Sunday the pastor preached on the importance of Christians getting out to share the gospel with others.Immediately ...

From the Pastor After watching sales decline for three straight months at Kentucky Fried Chicken, Colonel Sanders called up the Pope to ask him for a favor."What can I do for you?" the Pope asked.Colonel Sanders replied,"I need you to change the way everybody prays from 'Give us this day our daily bread'to 'Give us this day our daily chicken.'If you do, I'll donate 10 mil...

From the Pastor I enjoyed my time at the Solanco Fair last week.It was my second fair with you, as I had just arrived here in September of last year, and everything still seemed so new and unfamiliar.This year, I soaked it all in, the parade, the food, the people, all of it.It was also great to have our own Chestnut Level Presbyterian Church booth.It was wonderfully done...

From the Pastor "Sweet Surrender" There's a great scene in the movie, "The Apostle," starring Robert Duvall.Duvall plays a Pentecostal preacher who's gone astray and one night he's praying so loud his neighbors can't sleep.One calls to complain and the preacher's momma says, "Ever since Sonny's been an itty bitty boy my son's been talkin' to the Lord.Sometimes he talks t...

From the Pastor The Christian writer, Anne Lamott, writes about taking her son to the beach at the Pacific Ocean in California.They spread out their towels on the sand and settled in to enjoy the day under the sun.About that same time another group of people spread out their towels right next to them.They were a noisy bunch with a bad habit of using Jesus' name in all sor...

From the Pastor Back when I was in my church's high school youth group, one of the things we guys learned is that one way to score big points with the girls was to be very eloquent in conversational prayer.I remember sitting one time in a circle as we were getting ready to pray as a youth group.And I strategically placed myself near ayoung lady, -- who was the hot ticket ...

From the Pastor What is the worst job you have ever had?In other words, what is the lowest you have ever stooped to earn a buck?For me, it has to be the summer after high school graduation that I spent cleaning the bathrooms at a camp in the Adirondack Mountains of New York.It was humbling.It was eye opening.It was jaw dropping.It was disgusting!By the end of the summer, ...

Someone has said, "Freedom comes from self-control."In other words, we learn to say "no" to some things so we can say "yes" to others.If you think about it,that's what self control is really all about.It's being able to say "no" to some things, so that we might say "yes" to those things that are better, and that means better for us, and the people with whom we share our li...

From the Pastor "The Goodness of Good" Ever notice that the word "good" can feel negative to us?I can preach a sermon on a Sunday, and afterwards, someone will say "That was good," but the comment willleave me deflated and disappointed.How is it that you can cook dinner and then ask your spouse, "How was your meal?" and the answer comes back,"It was good."It sounds like ...

From the Pastor I recently took the plunge, and purchased satellite radio for my car.I wanted to hear certain stations that I could listen to regularly without static and interference.It is also something that I can use on long trips, because now I will get reception for a desired channel from the beginning of a trip to the very end.I have already pre-programmed my device...