It seems like this past year literally flew by. Yet, it’s important to force our selves to slow down enough to appreciate the advances and the blessings of this past year. As I reflect on 2013, I could outline some of the great things that have happened. But my mind goes to how thankful I […]
One of the great Christmas hymns is “Joy to the World.” I love this great song. It has an upbeat tempo, a beautiful melody and the words are inspiring. Joy to the world! The Lord is come Let earth receive her King! Let every heart prepare Him room And heaven and nature sing And heaven […]
There is an old adage that goes something like this: “It’s not what you know but who you know that brings success.” Among the most important things we do as humans on this earth is to connect with others. We find jobs, friends, opportunities and support through our connections with others. In fact, connection, that […]
In Matthew 6:33, Jesus says something very powerful. He says, “Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things (life’s needs) will be added unto you.” This is a command linked to a promise. In the past, I have focused on “and all these things will be added” rather than the […]
Every church in our community is unique. I am thankful for the church in our city comprised of many local churches. Each one is serving Jesus in a distinct way. A distinctive of the Heartland Vineyard is the desire to equip and empower our members to do hands on, Spirit led ministry. As we enter […]
Read More… from A Distincitive of the Vineyard: Hands On, Spirit Led Ministry
Eleven years ago, Roi Lene and I had sold our home in Cedar Falls and were in the process of moving our belongings out to our acreage south of Waterloo. We were moving things little by little in our pickup. I drove back to our old home in Cedar Falls to load some of the […]
Last week in my blog, I openly and honestly described what I experienced during a recent season of sickness. My purpose was not to somehow garner sympathy or to underscore the glumly and morose. My purpose was to begin a discussion of why we experience pain. Are there any redemptive qualities to pain? What is […]
“I’ll take anyone. Old or young, dad or mom, black, white, purple. I don’t care. And I would be really appreciative. The best I could be” –Davion Only, a 15-year-old Florida boy in the foster care system asking for someone to adopt him and give him a family Davion has been in and out of […]
When I grew up on our Central Iowa farm home, I learned to eat many and various kinds of foods. We lived next door to my grandparents on our family farmstead so I was exposed to two very different styles of cooking. My Mom was from Idaho and she was the master of casseroles. she […]
Let’s take a vote. What is the last subject you would like to hear a pastor/teacher discuss on TV, Radio or in your home church? Most people would say giving and receiving, financial stewardship, tithing, etc. Anything to do with money makes me nervous. This is a touchy subject. Unfortunately, because of so much manipulative […]
As followers of Jesus, there are two paths that can be taken. The first path would be called the Old Way of Self Effort. The Old Way is a modern version of Old Testament living. It is a life where we seek to find out what we need to do to make life work. It […]
The church is the hope of the world because Jesus is the hope of the world. Because Christ lives in me and He lives in most of you reading this blog, the Apostle Paul wrote to the Church of Rome, “It is Christ in you, the hope of glory.” What a privilege to be the […]