There is an independent streak in me that runs a mile deep. I don’t want to be in need or in want of anything that I cannot provide for myself. Part of this comes from an upbringing that led me to false conclusions that associated need with weakness. Some of it is a God…
How can we already be into November!? 2018 has flown by. And many are ready for Christmas decorations. I have already heard Christmas music playing . . . But not so fast. I am not sure if it was intentional, but I think the timing of Thanksgiving is at least a little ironic. We…
I can say with confidence that I never blacked out from drinking too much in high school. In large part because I never drank in high school. As a matter of fact I wasn’t invited to parties. I wasn’t out getting with the ladies. I wasn’t even really sure what I was missing. I…
About 12 years ago, God pressed on my heart the discipline of a daily time studying his word and praying and I have developed an appetite for my 5 am-6 am time with Him. This year on June 20th, I finished a devotional study I had been working through each morning and I had nothing…
I have a strong sense of duty and obligation to my country. At times, it even feels like an inordinate pull on me. I have been moved by the singing of America the Beautiful. I am thoughtful when I have said the pledge of allegiance and quite often I truly contemplate the words when…
This next week I will be preaching on 1 Samuel 9. It has been a confusing passage for me in the past. It has not been confusion because it is difficult to grasp. It has been confusing because of the detail that seems to be superfluous to the story-line. (*spoiler alert*) Saul is going…
Once upon a time, there was a young man lost in the woods. He had gone out hunting with his father and got turned around and the next thing he knew, every tree looked the same. As he leaned against the trunk of a huge beech tree, he saw something flickering through the verdant underbrush.…
The quote is powerful. It is poignant. It was prophetic, even if it is somewhat unfair to predict one’s own death. Billy Graham said, “Someday you will read or hear that Billy Graham is dead. Don’t you believe a word of it. I shall be more alive than I am now. I will just have…
The worms cannot go back in the can! And they really shouldn’t. I don’t want to go back to a world even two years ago, where powerful men are abusing women under their authority without repurcussions. The courage and strength it has taken for the many women who make up the majority of the #metoo…
5 Reasons I am Glad I Married Linda Filcek 22 Years Ago
December 21, 2017
22 years ago this Saturday, I said, “I do” and so did she! That was the forging of a dynamic-duo. We didn’t know then what we know now, but if we knew then what we now know, I would’ve entered marriage with even more joy than I did on that day so many years ago!…
As a pastor I have worked to try to find a rhythm of ministry that organizes my areas of responsibility around the days of the week. Study is focused on Mondays and Tuesdays. Drafting my sermons is on Wednesdays. I have meetings with staff and elders as well as counseling appointments sprinkled throughout. There are…
1. You Believe that This World is a Safe Place Many of us were shocked at the terrible events in Texas last week as a disturbed and angry man assaulted a church near San Antonio killing many during a worship service. We should be surprised that this doesn’t happen more often! If we believe that…
