Sorted by date Results 1 - 25 of 25
When I was in high school I took a weekend long driver’s ed class in hopes that it would help with the high cost of car insurance for a 16-year-old driver. I don’t think it did anything for the insurance, but I did take something away that I still remember to this day. Delineators! Do you know what those are? I see them all the time and I am brought back to that weekend as I drove along with Mr. Mackres through the mountains outside of Colorado Springs. I am sure you see them all the time but just don’t know what they are. Unfortunately, there...
James 1:5 NIV: If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. In the summer of 1940, my grandfather, Murray Kearns, and his father, Edwin J. Kearns, were on their way into Liberal, Kansas, because my great-grandfather wanted to get his hair cut. As I remember the story as told to me by my father, my great-grandfather was insistent that he needed his hair cut that day. Little did they know the impact that decision would have on their lives! We make decisions every... Full story
As I have thought about all the world around us and the extreme ideas that have been released, whether true or false, it seems that fear has been the motivating factor for those that want their sides heard and followed. It doesn’t really matter if it’s someone that wants us to ignore the mainstream media or just trust God. The fear card has been played multiple times throughout the whole issue with Covid-19. If we doubt what we hear, either way, we can begin to focus on the wrong thing and fear will take over. I want us to look at Scr...
“They dress the wound of my people as though it were not serious. ‘Peace, peace,’ they say, when there is no peace” (Jeremiah 6:14 NIV). Peace! Wouldn’t it be nice to be able to grab a little bit of peace right now? Who knew that the year that was supposed to help us get focused and on the right track would actually bring about such chaos and destruction? The year 2020 will be one for the record books, at least in the United States, as one of the most out-of-focus and severely confusing times in our nation’s history! The strife and hatred that...
I have been thinking a lot lately about my future. As a pastor, and even more specifically simply as a follower of Jesus, I have wondered if I should have my own plans and ideas for what my life should look like. I don’t understand the whole idea of having a plan for your life. Sure, I get the idea of hoping to have a college degree by this time and maybe hoping to own a home by a certain time, but if I have abandoned myself to the will of the Lord, should I have personal goals? I don’t have a three year or a five year or even a tomorrow pla...
When I was a kid, my dad sang in a gospel trio with some friends from our church in Colorado Springs. At first, they sang on Sunday mornings and other church events but they eventually ended up singing at other events associated with our larger church organization. This then led to the start of traveling to sing at other churches. By the time they decided to finish this part of their lives, they had sung all over the Midwest with the last tour lasting three months over five states. I have some great memories from that trip; memories I hope I...
Grace and Mercy! Those two words should be at the forefront of every single person’s vocabulary and thought process that exists today. I have had multiple conversations with medical personnel and pastors over the last few weeks and it’s amazing how different every one of their opinions has been as to how we should be living and acting right now during this time of confusion. Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely believe truth is truth, but that doesn’t always translate to the same reaction from every single person that hears the truth. I have be...
WOW!! That’s what is going through my mind as I think about what has happened in our world over the last month and a half. Though we may not see the direct impact of this enemy we call COVID-19, believe me, it’s there. Our family has been directly impacted by the virus itself and the aftermath of what it has been doing to communities in our country. I am reminded of the telling of the battle between David and Goliath in 1 Samuel chapter 17 in the Old Testament as I think about feeling powerless against this formidable foe that is against us rig...
“The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit” (Psalm 34:18, NIV). My family has some friends who are hurting beyond what words can describe. It’s the kind of thing you wish you could reach in and take the pain away for them or have just the right words that would reach this wound that has penetrated their minds, body, heart, and soul. But sometimes there is nothing humanly possible that can be done for a grief so real and a burden so great. The only thing I know to do is pray. In reality, I have to ask y...
In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great a...
I’ve been thinking a lot about judgment lately. There are several phrases that use the idea of judgment in them: an error of judgment, in my judgment, against one's better judgment, pass judgment, reserve judgment, sit in judgment. I’m sure there are more, but this is a pretty good list. Judgment is probably thought of in a negative side of things; that is of course unless the judgment goes your way. Why is it so easy to judge others? I have come to the conclusion that we either are in need of bettering ourselves or we just don’t have a clue. I...
As I sit here thinking about what to write, knowing that one of the most important holidays in our country will happen tomorrow, Independence Day (yesterday as you read this), I am reminded of the wonderful song “America the Beautiful.” I am in Colorado Springs, Colorado, right now and have the ability to look up and see the majestic mountain called Pike’s Peak. I had the privilege of living just seven miles away from this beautiful mountain during high school while attending Woodland Park High School. When I learned as a teenager that “America...
I’m about to say something that might seem rude and judgmental. But I want you to know it’s out of love and concern that I tell you about my observation of the community of Alva. Please read the whole article before you choose to get upset or whatever this reading might do to you. This past weekend, my wife and son and I had the privilege of helping out the Community Food Bank by going around and picking up the bags of food left by several community members. It was one of those days I’d rather have been doing something else but was bless...
Most people in the middle of the country would know exactly what I mean if I said the term, “black ice.” Webster’s Dictionary describes it like this: “a transparent coating of ice, found especially on a road or other paved surface.” Basically, we’re saying that black ice is ice that you can’t see because it’s virtually invisible. In the mid-'90s, there was a band called, “Johnny Q Public.” They had a song called, “Black Ice,” where they compared it to sin. The chorus basically said, “You can say it’s not there, but it’s there. You can believe...
Matthew 5:20 (NIV): For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven. So … How good are you? Most would say they are pretty decent compared to others. As a whole, when you look at the whole of society, we are all pretty good. The majority of us haven’t murdered anyone. We haven’t embezzled millions of dollars from the business we work at. And I’m sure the majority of us have never stolen anything. But by whose standard are we calling...
Psalm 34:18 (NLT): “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed.” I received a disheartening phone call this week from someone very important to me. She was in a very dark place; lower than I’ve ever seen from her. She is normally a very strong person, but she was not able to pull herself up from the pit she was in. Alone! That was what she was saying, “I am so alone.” This person works as a crisis counselor for people who are at their lowest: people who are suicidal. I’ll tell you that if I did her job...
Psalm 42:1-6a – For the choir director: A psalm of the descendants of Korah. As the deer longs for streams of water, so I long for you, O God. I thirst for God, the living God. When can I go and stand before him? Day and night I have only tears for food, while my enemies continually taunt me, saying, “Where is this God of yours?” My heart is breaking as I remember how it used to be: I walked among the crowds of worshipers, leading a great procession to the house of God, singing for joy and giving thanks amid the sound of a great celeb...
“And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity” (Colossians 3:14 NIV) I have had one statement said to me multiple times over the years regarding my appearance. “You don’t look like a pastor,” has been said to me right from the beginning of my time as a pastor. It doesn’t bother me whatsoever because I don’t really even know what I’m supposed to look like. I know of a pastor who was ripped apart by his Elders because he was seen outside of his house in a white T-shirt and dress pants. They were furio...
Hebrews 12:15 (NLT): “Look after each other so that none of you fails to receive the grace of God. Watch out that no poisonous root of bitterness grows up to trouble you, corrupting many.” Fairly close to the middle of the book of Genesis, we learn about a set of twin brothers that didn’t have the best relationship. It’s interesting how that works, isn’t it? We either love or hate our siblings, especially when we’re younger. Thankfully, time has a way of changing our perspective when it comes to our siblings; not always, but usually it does. Ge...
“For we live by faith, not by sight.” – 2 Corinthians 5:7 (NIV) Our eyes can deceive us. Have you noticed that, when driving, the road ahead looks as if it gets smaller and smaller? Obviously we know it doesn’t, but it sure looks like it does. Many people have burned up electric motors because they didn’t have the right kind of extension cord. Just because it looks like it's bigger doesn’t mean it can handle the right amount of power. Goliath thought he had the battle won when this teenager walked out to battle with no sword or shield and...
“Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not break your oath, but fulfill to the Lord the vows you have made.’ But I tell you, do not swear an oath at all: either by heaven, for it is God’s throne; or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. All you need to say is simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No;’ anything beyond this comes from the evil one” (Matthew 5:33-37 NIV). Wednesday, the 15th, was the 10t...
My family and I had the privilege of going to Colorado Springs, Colorado, over the 4th of July week to visit my mother and my son’s family. My grandson turned one on July 5 and we were not going to miss that wonderful day. But the day we got there had me thinking very differently about the whole situation until I looked at what went on from a different perspective. My mother had redone her landscaping since the last time I had been there and we were all walking around her yard to see how different everything looked. All of a sudden, I heard b...
“For we are co-workers in God’s service” (1 Corinthians 3:9a NIV) Yesterday, the 2018 World Cup started in Moscow, Russia. Though the United States still hasn’t quite picked up on the popularity of the game of soccer, more people will watch the “World's Game” than America’s football game, the Super Bowl or baseball’s World Series. There are many famous soccer players who only need one name to identify who they are: Messi, Ronaldo, Maradona, Pele and many others. These particular four names are brought up in conversations whenever someon...
Ephesians 4:29, New International Version (NIV): Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” Sadly, this lie has been spoken and believed by many, if not all of us. Words are powerful weapons! What we say to one another can either tear down or build up. James, the brother of Jesus, tells us that our tongue is the most powerful muscle in our body. Jam...
The Parable of the Unmerciful Servant (Matthew 18:21-35, New International Version) “Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, 'Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?' “Jesus answered, 'I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times. “'Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand bags of gold was brought to him. Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and h...