When my boys were much younger, Carolyn and I took them to Israel. It was the trip of a lifetime for them and they still talk about it. Just this past week, our oldest was remembering when we got off the bus and some local shepherds put a lamb in his arms. The shepherds knew […]
I pastored First UMC in Martinsville for eight years. While there the District Parsonage was moved from Danville to Martinsville. A group of pastors volunteered to move the District Superintendent. I rented a Penske truck and about a dozen others had pickups. We loaded all the trucks and drove to Martinsville in procession. When we […]
I spoke with a husband/wife team last week who are both pastors. They moved into a new area for them and they started out by telling me how nice the new churches had been. Their comment was, “We haven’t had to cook for three weeks!” They were overjoyed. Many churches have a team of people […]
When we lived in Chester, we had a cat who adopted us. One night when I was leaving the church, he was at the church door and it was a cold night so I took him home. He grew up with our family. When we moved from Treely Road to Woodpecker Road, I left him […]
First responders show dedication and courage wherever they are needed. On September 11, 2001, 2983 lives were lost in New York. More than 400 emergency workers lost their lives. In Surfside, Florida the Champlain Towers South came crashing to the ground in the middle of the night. This is an area known for its clean […]
Have you ever spoken to someone who doubts the existence of God? They may seem lost, lonely and very, very unhappy. There seems to be no purpose for their existence. Thomas is mentioned as a disciple of Jesus in Matthew, Mark and Luke but it’s John’s gospel that gives us a close-up look at Thomas. […]
John Wesley was born on June 17, 1703 in Epworth, England to Rev. Samuel and Susanna Wesley. Samuel was the pastor of St. Andrew Church. John was the sixteenth of nineteen children born to Susanna. Samuel served as rector of St. Andrew Church for 39 years. In the mid-18th century the calendar was changed in […]
On one of my first trips to the Holy Land, I was having dinner one night in the hotel when I saw Oral Roberts eating by himself. I asked if I could have dinner with him. He was pleased to have some company. We talked about many things, but the thing I remember most was […]
I saw an article recently about a horse that visits patients in a hospital. This horse walks up and down hospital halls and goes in to visit patients recovering from surgery. This horse will put his muzzle up next to sick patients and seems to know who is the sickest. Patients look forward to his […]
My last assignment was in the Shenandoah Valley. My territory as district superintendent was from Strasburg to Staunton. Everywhere I went, I was accompanied by mountain views. When we moved to Richmond, I didn’t realize how much I missed the mountain views until I went back for a visit. There before me were the rolling […]