On the way to ballet, my ten year old wanted me to tell her a story.  Of course I only told her true stories of great courage and determination.  The Battle of Midway is one of those stories to remind us all that it is always too soon to give up, and to never doubt that there is a God.  

Have you ever been betrayed?  I have.  Several times in fact!  How do you deal with the pain of betrayal?  There is a way forward.  I hope you are encouraged by my story today.  

I grew up in a household of screaming and yelling, chaos and addictions.  It was not "Leave It to Beaver" or "Father Knows Best."  But God used two things to motivate me to change my life at a young age:  pain and hatred.  (Later he added two other emotions:  love and gratitude, but we'll talk about that later.)  He can take the pain and the hatred you feel today to make a good and lasting change in your life, just like he did for me.  Stay tuned; there is more than just one episode in this story.

I was talking to a young man (he's in the fourth grade) and he asked me what I thought about George Washington.  Here are five things I think he could learn from the Father of Our Country:  courage, ambition, seriousness, self-control, and integrity.  In our self-made "crisis of masculinity" these days, George Washington is still a wonderful real man for boys to imitate!

"Stand your ground, don't fire unless fired upon, but if they mean to have a war, let it begin here."  The immortal words of American patriot, Captain John Parker as he stood on Lexington green that morning that heard "the shot heard 'round the world."  What lessons do we learn from this clash between the might of the British Crown, and American farmers?  Plenty!  Tune in and enjoy!

I encountered a young mom with a snarling four year old hellion who was running around a McDonalds and refusing to put on his jacket.  She was exhausted, clueless as to what to do, and pleading with her little child to cooperate.  Raising children doesn't have to end up with out of control brats running your life.  She asked me what to do, and I offered her the following advice...

If you or your family member or any innocent person is being physically assaulted, what is the righteous, godly thing to do?  Does God want us to be totally pacifistic?  Or can we use violence to stop the attack?  How should we handle "thou shalt not kill" and "turn the other cheek" in a deadly and evil fallen world?  

What do you do when you are in your late 50s, lost your home, lost your income, lost the fight you've been in for the last four years, and you still have to take care of your arthritic wife who is wheel-chair bound?  Listen to this true and encouraging story of courage, compassion, mercy, reconciliation, and wisdom from American history.  

I've gone to several evangelical Protestant churches in the past year, mostly because I am searching for one to attend regularly.  Here are a few observations about what I've found recently.  

In the past year I have heard a number of pastors preach sermons.  Some really connect with their flock and leave a message that impacts the heart.  Others don't.  What is a "missing ingredient" in some of these messages?  Here are just a few musings from a retired preacher.