“Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I…

This weekend I’ve been pondering the significance of how we live our lives over what we do for a living. This past Thursday there was a shooting at a business in Minneapolis.  The next day I learned that one of the victims was a family friend during my teen years in Green Bay, Keith Basinski.  Keith…

Like most people, my Facebook news feed has been overtaken by links to political blogs and statements regarding this upcoming election.  Many contain strong statements or “proofs” of why one candidate or the other is “bad for America” or “someone a follower of Jesus would never vote for.” (I have both Republicans and Democrats as friends.) …

 “But I am afraid to surrender,” the king said, “for the Babylonians may hand me over to the Judeans who have defected to them. And who knows what they will do to me!” Jeremiah replied, “You won’t be handed over to them if you choose to obey the Lord. Your life will be spared, and…

This evening our city is hosting a meeting to discuss ways to resolve the problem of abandoned properties. (http://www.wishtv.com/dpp/news/local/marion_county/vacant-homes-a-danger-for-indy) Last fall a list was published that had Indianapolis ranked as the second “emptiest” city in the United State in terms of abandoned properties: http://www.wthr.com/story/15976887/indianapolis-near-top-of-emptiest-us-city-list.  In spite of all the positive headlines this city received over…

Shortly after I sent out the newsletter announcing our transition into a new area of ministry and the launch of Village Soul, I received a Facebook message from a friend encouraging us in this new step. His short note concluded with this thought, “I think every church needs such a missionary.” Though I don’t want…

At our office recently, we have had an encounter with a mourning dove that can be a great lesson in persistence. In mid-April, we noticed a mourning dove couple that was trying to build their nest on top the sign next out our door. Though we had nothing personal against this young couple trying to…

I read a great devotional based on Tozer’s writings today. http://www.cmalliance.org/devotions/tozer/tozer.jsp?id=545 The verse reference has to do with the impossibility of serving two masters. Tozers’s writings focus on the need to eliminate the bad in our life in conjunction with receiving the good.I particularly like the illustration of breathing that Tozer uses. He states “Exhalation…

Lately I’ve been pondering John Mayer’s song, “Gravity.” There’s a prayer in this simple soulful tune. It’s a prayer that each of us can identify with. Mayer is bewildered by an invisible force in his life that keeps him from achieving his full potential. He calls this force gravity. It draws him to do the…