We don't write papers, we build scrapbooks
Sorted by date Results 1 - 25 of 227
Recently, I inadvertently came across an old copy of a magazine called Birds & Bloom. The magazine is all about just that – birds and blooms. The subheading under the title says “Beauty In Your Own Backyard.” As I thumbed through the magazine, the beauty of God’s creation overwhelmed me. By now, the attention to minute detail that went into all of God’s creation shouldn’t surprise me, but for reasons beyond my comprehension, it does. This magazine was a self-help guide for all bird...
Farm kids are in high demand when they grow up and go out into the working world. The obvious reason is because most of them know how to work. Early mornings, late nights, and all the hours in-between teach a person a lot. The responsibility of taking care of animals carries much responsibility. The lessons learned involving the farm animals makes the reality of life and death very real. When a mamma cow dies after giving birth - the ultimate sacrifice - it makes one realize the value of life....
A few years ago, I was interested in purchasing a vintage pickup. There was one in town that I drove by several times a week. It was a 1946 Dodge with the double front grill. It sat in a lean-to beside an old, weathered barn. It had been neglected for so long that a tree had grown up through the front bumper and all four tires were flat. One day I stopped at the house to inquire on the truck’s status. An elderly gentleman and his spaniel/collie mix met me at the door. I stated my business and...
This has been quite the winter so far. We had lots of snow to start out, the ground beneath the snow never did freeze. While moving it along the edges of the lawn and the driveway I ended up accidentally making huge divots in the yard. When the snow melted, I put them back in place. The snow melt did not cause flooding, it all soaked into the ground. Somebody told me the other day that this February was almost exactly the same as February 2012. His point was: expect a drought. But I say,...
Both of my parents are from large families as are most of my aunts and uncles. I am also am from a large family. There was never a shortage of cousins in my childhood and we always had lots of fun – especially when they came to the farm for a few days. My brothers and I were normally fairly well-behaved, but when our cousins were around we always managed to get into a lot of trouble. Dad would have to “take us aside” and remind us that just because our cousins were there, that did not...
When my son was still in high school, he and I set out to restore a 70 year old tractor. This tractor was manufactured during the World War II years and had been neglected for about 40 when we got our hands on it. Well, we stripped the thing down to nothing more than a pile of parts with labels, organized an inventory of what we needed, took the engine to the machine shop to get it rebuilt, and that’s when we got a little distracted. What happened was, shortly after we started working on the...
Several years ago, I read a book authored by a man named David Hansen, titled The Art of Pastoring. The story-line in the book is his day to day routine as he pastored two rural churches in Montana. The theme he threads through each chapter is how to be a parable of Jesus Christ every day. One particular pastime this pastor enjoyed was trout fishing when he had a day off. He would travel up into the mountains and walk a mile or so into the back country to his favorite fishing spot and throw his...
Many years ago, my wife and I were driving through the Rocky Mountains in Colorado. It was at night and a winter blizzard had blown in. We were on the switchbacks, winding our way down the mountain. At times the road was clear and we could see well. At other times, the falling snow was so heavy and thick and blowing, it was a total black out behind the wheel – like someone had thrown a blanket over the windshield. During those times, we were just guessing at where the road was. Off to our...
You can’t make everybody happy. You’re not a taco. We have a friend, Ed, who served in combat in Vietnam. We first met about 8 years ago. When he found out I was a pastor, he said that he wrote God out of his life when he was on the battlefield in Vietnam. My wife and I invited him and his wife to church. She was happy to join us when she could, but Ed wasn’t much interested, although he was a bit curious. Then one day he came up with the idea that he would come to church and afterward,...
The following may or may not be a true story. There was a foursome at the golf course who walked on together for an afternoon of golf. None of them knew each other prior to this event. One was a senior Pastor and another was a somewhat cocky younger man. The other two men had retired from the work force and golf was part of their retirement regimen. At a short par 3, the Pastor asks the young man, “What club are you going to use on this hole? The young man replied, "An 8-iron, Pastor. How...
Last Saturday, a group of 19 of us returned from a 5-day trip to Clarksville, Tennessee where we went to help with disaster relief after tornadoes went through that area on December 9th. We were there because two members of our church have a disaster relief organization they have developed over the last 17 years called “No Excuses Disaster Relief.” They contacted the Fellowship of Christian Farmers International and they helped coordinate the relief event. It takes a lot of impromptu coordin...
So, this is it. Christmas is here. As a young man, before I was married, Christmas shopping meant that after we got the chores done in the morning on Christmas Eve, a bunch of us brothers piled into the car and went Christmas shopping. People made fun of us, especially the early birds who boasted of being done Christmas shopping in October at the latest. There were also those who chided us because Christmas shopping was supposed to be a year round event where each gift was to be carefully...
An elderly widow decided it was too much trouble to get all of her kids and grandkids’ Christmas presents, so she decided to send them a check with a card. A few days after she mailed all the cards, she discovered she forgot to include the checks in the cards. Imagine all those kids opening a card from grandma with a note inside that says, “Buy your own presents.” I have a friend who vacations in Jamaica at Christmas time. One year he told the Jamaicans it was 20 below back in Wisconsin. T...
At MCC we love to celebrate the birth of our Savior - the Light of the world - with lights! The Christmas tree is up and decorated. I have heard through the grapevine that many of you have had your homes decorated since long before Thanksgiving. That’s ok with me if it’s ok with you. But at our house, we do not take our fall decorations down until Thanksgiving is over - at which time our Christmas decorations go up. (This year, there was snow on the pumpkins). Here are some fun facts about...
It all started in a conversation I had with a random group of people sitting around a table over Thanksgiving. Not being sure of what the conversation was about, I took a seat and said, “What are you guys talking about?” Someone asked: “Do you believe we actually went to the moon?” I said, yes, of course I do. And they wanted to know why? Well, I have lots of reasons why, but none the least of which, is why not? Why would the government go to great extremes to create a hoax then try to...
“The Spice of Life” This Thanksgiving, along with so much, I am thankful for the extra characters God has brought into my life and blessed me with. Everyone has a story to tell. I could tell you her name, but that might give it away. Several years ago her daughter and son-in-law came to me for marriage counseling. I gave them the best advice I could at the time and sent them on their way along with a homework assignment. The daughter went home and told her mom what my advice was (which by...
It’s easy to read attitude and motives into people’s actions and text messages. I understand that not everyone respects God, the Church, church-goers or pastors. Some people even despise us. I know that some people don’t care for this column or me, even though we’ve never met and maybe never will. I don’t often receive fan mail, but occasionally I get an encouraging letter in the mail about something I wrote. One editor I submit my columns to told me one time that people were...
In the USA, Veterans Day annually falls on November 11. This day is the anniversary of the signing of the armistice, which ended World War I hostilities between the Allied nations and Germany in 1918. On the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918 an armistice between Germany and the Allied nations went into effect. On November 11, 1919, Armistice Day was commemorated for the first time. In 1919, President Wilson proclaimed the day should be "filled with solemn pride in the heroism...
The story goes how the teacher instructed her students to pass their essay papers forward so she could collect them. The students dutifully did as they were told, except for one little boy, who walked up to her desk and handed the teacher his pencil. “What’s this,” she asked? “It’s my essay,” he responded. “This is your pencil,” she said. “Yes,” he said, “but my essay is inside that pencil. You just need to get it out of there.” If this column were a sermon, I would say...
Most people in the print business enjoy getting feedback from their readers, especially the good kind. I read where a certain publication received the following letter to the editor: “Dear Editor: When I subscribed a year ago you stated that if I was not satisfied at the end of the year I could have my money back. Well, I would like to have it back. On second thought, to save you the trouble, you can apply it to next year's subscription." A man takes his place in the theater, but his seat is...
There is a lot happening in the world today - mainly in Israel. Ever since I was a little kid, my parents had the radio on and I remember hearing about wars and battles taking place in the Middle East. I only remember the Six Day War in 1967, where Egypt attacked Israel and was quickly defeated, because I read about it in history. I was a young teenager in 1973 when the Yom Kippur War broke out. At that time, I remember hearing about The Golan Heights and the Sinai Peninsula and the Suez Canal...
A few years back, the coach of UCLA’s football team, Pepper Rodgers was in the middle of a terrible season. It got so bad that it even upset his home life. He recalls: “My dog was my only friend. I told my wife that a man needs at least two friends… so she bought me another dog.” Several years ago, an elderly gentleman began attending Martintown Community Church. He had been out of church for some time – having given up on the possibility that there was a church out there that he...
When we travel by car, I like to figure out ahead of time how many miles it is to our destination and how many hours it will take us to get there. In the olden days, I would get out my trusty road atlas, look at the index in back where it has a chart that tells you how many miles it is between any two certain cities and then map out the route we’d be taking. Then we’d pack our bags and hit the road. Nowadays, I just bring google maps up on my phone and it does the rest. But some things...
Who says God is dead? A few years ago, I’d say about 30 to be exact, there was a little white church out in the middle of nowhere in the country that was in trouble. Their pastor had just stepped down in the middle of controversy and they asked me if I’d be their new pastor. This was not an ideal situation, but I was much obliged to walk through the door God had opened for me. On my first Sunday behind the pulpit, we welcomed about 20 people to the worship service. Word soon got out that...
There is no mystery in day to day life quite as exhilarating as the ordinary mailbox. Every day the possibility of something new arrives when the mailman stops at the end of the driveway and drops off the mail. I always thought being a mail carrier would be the best job in the world. You get to see the people on your route every day and you are the one they always look forward to seeing. Growing up, we didn’t necessarily watch and wait for him, but we were excited when we saw the mailman. I...