REAL JOYIn this third week of Advent, we celebrate the joy that Jesus brought to us through His atoning death, burial, and resurrection.  As we wait on Him to return, we can experience real joy in spite of our circumstances.  That is because real joy isn’t found in circumstances or places; it is found in a person.  That person is Jesus Christ. Once you have had an encounter with Jesus, you want Hi...  Read More

What is it about the 1971 movie “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory”?  I find that people either absolutely love it, absolutely hate it or have never seen it. For those who have seen it, there are very few fence straddlers when it comes to this movie.  For me, it has a fantastical appeal that I love.  In the movie, a candy is introduced that is the center of the plot, the Everlasting Gobstopper...  Read More

On July 18, 2018, the Netherlands-registered cargo vessel, the MV Priscilla, grounded in the Pentland Skerries off Orkney at 4:39 a.m.  It is hard to believe that in this modern age of navigation marvel, a ship that size could shipwreck, but it did.  It seems that when the officer of the watch took over at 2 a.m. that morning, he turned off track steering and switched on the vessel’s autopilot.  He...  Read More

John Stephen Akhwari is a former marathon runner who represented Tanzania in the 42 kilometer marathon at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City. Mexico City is at a high altitude and Akhwari had not trained at such an altitude in his preparation for the Olympics. At the 19 km mark, feeling the effects of the altitude, he found himself in a crowd of runners who were jockeying for position. Unfortu...  Read More

A lot has happened in the life of my family the last two weeks and I want to express my appreciation to everyone who conveyed their condolences for the passing of my father-in-law, Billy Smith. Thank you for your expressions of sympathy through your cards, texts, phone calls, and in-person and most all, thank you for your prayers. As we continue our journey through the book of Joshua, it is plain t...  Read More

In college athletics, every college recruits a base of talented players to play for their particular sport and these players receive scholarships. Other students are allowed to try out for the team but not all of them receive any type of scholarship help. This type of student-athlete is called a “walk on”. A “walk on” athlete usually doesn’t play much but joins the team because of their love for t...  Read More

Many years ago, the late Larry Burkett of Crown Financial Ministries shared this story: Ten days before a church was to open their new sanctuary, a local building inspector informed the pastor that the parking lot was inadequate for the size of the building. Until the church doubled the size of the lot, they would not be able to use the new sanctuary. Unfortunately, they had used every inch of the...  Read More

As we continue our journey through the book of Joshua, we come upon chapter 10 and a great battle that takes place. The neighboring kings around Gibeon have attacked the Gibeonites because they have entered into a covenant with Israel. The Gibeonites sent a message to Joshua asking for help. The LORD reassures Joshua that he will be victorious by saying, “Do not fear them, for I have given them in...  Read More

When I was a little boy, my little brother and I found a box of our older brothers’ Halloween costumes. Inside the box was a Superman costume and a Batman costume. When we saw these costumes, we were ecstatic and decided to play “dress up”. We put these costumes on and ran around the house pretending to be Superman and Batman and capture bad guys. We had a blast. In Joshua chapter 9, we meet a grou...  Read More

In James 1:13-15 says, “Let no one say when he is tempted, ‘I am being tempted by God’; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death.” There is an old adage that says, “The first step to get ...  Read More

As we continue through the book of Joshua, I want to reflect on something that Moses said to Joshua before commissioning him to lead the nation of Israel into the Promised Land. In Deuteronomy 31:8, Moses said, “The Lord is the one who goes ahead of you; He will be with you. He will not fail you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.” What a promise!In Joshua chapte...  Read More

There’s an old saying that goes, “even the snail reached the ark by persevering.” Sometimes we find ourselves in the middle of trials and we wonder where God is. Why hasn’t he answered my prayers? Doesn’t He know that I need His help? It is in those moments that you must remember that God is never in a hurry. A great example of this is found in Joshua chapter 5 which begins with these words, “Now i...  Read More