Articles written by John Clapp
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Look at my scars
Imagine Thomas' condition. A week earlier, he had watched Christ die. He had placed all of his hope and all of his life on Jesus. Jesus was everything to him, and now he was dead. Three days after the...
True love acts
Many search and look, often without success, for simple true love. True love is defined as a love that demands action. It is not only expressed in words; it moves to action. If you love someone, you w...
The message of angels
Christmas is almost here. If you are like me, it has been a busy time throughout December. No one experiences many quiet moments as Christmas approaches — parties, shopping, cooking, greeting cards, always a lot to do this month. Then there are t...
Being thankful in the moment
With the arrival of colder temperatures this week, fall is certainly in full swing, and winter is on its heels. As fall concludes, we find ourselves moving into the holiday season. Thanksgiving and...
Bringing children to Christ
Our church is finishing up our Vacation Bible School this week. This year is special because it is my wife and my 30th VBS. We have seen so many children create all kinds of crazy themes and have had a great time each year. VBS is a treasured week...
Crumbling memorials
John M. Davis was a wealthy man. His wife had just died and he did not like any of her family. He was an orphan and he had no children. To prevent his in-laws from getting his wealth when he died, he...
Where's the rain?
Talk to any farmer, and you will see the growing concern about the drought we are currently experiencing. Driving around, you will notice the dried-up ponds and browning wheat fields. It is a very...
Ghosted
The older I get, the harder I find it to keep up with new terms the younger generation creates. I find myself using Google to understand what new terms mean. One such new term I recently came across...
Jarred journeys remind us of what's important
Our journey through life can often become so busy and distracting that we forget some of the most important things of our journey. Sometimes our journey is jarred by events that make us realize the...
What is this all about?
Remember the Charlie Brown Christmas Special, Charlie Brown? How about the part where Charlie Brown is frustrated that he cannot figure out what Christmas is all about? Charles Schultz wanted the...
The ugly part of November
The first of November is always a welcome sight. Trees turning, the first batch of homemade chili on a cold night, and the approaching holiday season with loved ones. The only difficult part of Novemb...
The God of Thorns
Thorns are painful. They are a good deterrent from gardening and landscaping! The Bible uses thorns as a metaphor for adversity, pain and trials. Adam was told that thorns would be a part of his life until his death. All of mankind struggles with...
Summer is over
How do you mark the end of summer? Some look at Labor Day, others when it starts to cool. Some look at the start of school, and some hold to the official date. For me, it begins with the end of VBS, school starts, the county fair, and then the annual...
We need a second Great Awakening
I hope you and your family will have a great holiday this weekend. We can all use some much-needed family time and a great BBQ. Monday night, I hope all your fireworks go off and are loud and bright....
Loneliness
A few weeks ago, I experienced one of the loneliest times of my life. My wife had just gone into surgery, and I was sitting alone in the surgical waiting area. After almost 30 years of ministry, I am used to hanging out in surgical waiting rooms. I...
He is here.
What makes Christmas time so special? When I was a child, it was the wrapped presents under the Christmas tree. As a teenager, it was getting out of school for a few weeks. When I became a father, it...
The darkness of pain
Last November, I started down the journey into darkness. I was tired. Covid had beaten me down. Pastoring in a pandemic is hard, as it was with all pastors and churches. My wife and I still had residu...
The forgotten virtue of kindness
Ask anyone in retail if they have had customers treat them unkindly. After spending almost 20 years in the retail world, I can attest to it. All three of my children worked in retail while they were...
Your name spoken by the divine
I am sure that your mother was the same as mine. We lived on a farm and I had 40 acres to run and roam. One thing was a must. If Momma called, you best be making your way back to the house. Sometimes...
An attitude of gratitude
There is no doubt that this has been a challenging year. By February, our nation was starting to face a pandemic that seemingly will not go away. Within nine months, we have learned to wear masks,...
Certain Bible truths for uncertain days
This year has undoubtedly been interesting. It reminds me of a roller coaster. You slowly ascend, then downward you go, twisting every which way. The problem is that the ride keeps joining! Disease,...
The crazy ride of 2020
What a ride this year has been! I never thought that we would still be dealing with masks, quarantine, and the general confusion that has defined our lives for the past seven months. I am grateful that we live in a relatively safe area and those who...
What the Bible says about racism
I am really struggling to write this article. I'd much rather preach and write sermons than articles, but tonight that is not the story. Tonight, I find myself like most of you, angered, confused, worried and absolutely tired of social media and all...
The blessing of a thorn
What a time of history it is that we find ourselves facing. A month ago, lives were normal. All of us were making plans for the spring – graduations, reunions, summer vacations; like I said, normal. Then came the storm. A microscopic virus has g...
How we suffer
The oldest book of the Bible addresses the singular aspect that all humanity faces, that of suffering. The ancient poem of Job addresses human suffering on a level that few would ever experience. The Book of Job opens with, “There was a man in the l...
