Category Archives: Minister’s Minute

Pastor’s writings that appeared in the Delta Optimist.

Life is Precious

Posted on April 30, 2013 | Comments Off on Life is Precious

LifeisPreciousBy now I am sure many have heard of the bombings at the Boston Marathon. Our lives, whether directly affected or not, are in a world where tragedies and atrocities happen, and our lives, whether we like it or not, are affected by it. And in times like this I wonder, if this could happen there, could this not happen anywhere?

As I walk through life, I have seen disasters, both natural and man-made; I have seen acts of terror brought upon people.

Two that come to mind: the Challenger Space Shuttle explosion (as a child growing up in Florida, we were out on the playground watching the launch), and the other is 9/11 where I personally lost friends in that attack. One an accident and the other deliberate, but I have come to the same conclusion in both: Life is precious.

Being a pastor, I get to witness how precious life is, from births to deaths. In birth, parents often ask for prayer that God be with their child throughout life, and in death a prayer thanking God for having been with them through it and as they go into Heaven.

In times of tragedies and atrocities, I cannot help but look to God as my refuge and strength in knowing that He will neither leave me nor forsake me, and it is in times like in Boston, that I hold that faith ever closer still.

Published in Delta Optimist April 19 2013

Photo Credit Dale Chumbley

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Posted in Minister's Minute, Uncategorized

All is Forgiven

Posted on March 22, 2013 | Comments Off on All is Forgiven

DentistLast week I had an interesting thought as I was sitting in the dentist chair getting a cleaning.

One of the questions asked before they begin is, “how often do you brush your teeth and how often do you floss?”

The thought that came to me was, no matter what I say, none, one, or five times a day, the dentist once he starts cleaning will know. It was an odd realization because I have known people who have blatantly fibbed and truth be told I have too, when I was younger, on how often I cleaned and floss my teeth.

But my odd thought had not stopped there, as we get ready for the upcoming Palm Sunday, and Holy Week, I began to think of how often I have tried to hide or justify my wrong or sinful deeds.

The thing is God knows all that I have done wrong, and I can never hide it from Him, no matter how hard I try.

No matter how hard we try to make others think we are great and perfect, which none of us are, God doesn’t make me feel horrible (I do that on my own) about my sins but instead forgives me.

And thankfully, my dentist does something similar.

Instead of accusing me of lying or making me feel like I’m a horrible person for not flossing every day, he simply says afterwards, “Go, brush and floss daily.”

Published in Delta Optimist March 22 2013

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Posted in Forgiveness, Minister's Minute