Alva Review-Courier -

What do you do as a part of the church? That’s a question that you’ve probably considered at some point, or if not, someone has considered it about you. I, on the other hand, haven’t considered that...

If you want something done right, just do it yourself. That’s how the saying goes. But sometimes I hear people say that phrase when they mean something else entirely. Sometimes what they actually m...

Do you know what is the hardest part of being a parent for me? It’s the constant “letting go” that must occur if a child is going to stand a chance in the world. First, you have to trust other peopl...

I want to share just a bit of my own experience dealing with a piece of worldwide news, one that seemed to impact everyone in their own way some time ago. That news being the tragic deaths of nine...

One of my favorite movies is the 2012 biopic Lincoln, starring Daniel-Day Lewis and directed by Steven Spielberg. In it, President Abraham Lincoln struggles to procure votes from both sides of the pol...

Most of the discourse these days, especially on social media, pertains to things that happen in the world and whether these things are good or bad, right or wrong, or, in the case of Christian...

There’s a famous song written by J.J. Cale and then performed by Eric Clapton, Lynyrd Skynyrd and Johnny Cash. You’d be hard pressed to find a better lineup than that to perform the classic rock son...

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a **future.” Jeremiah 29:11 is perhaps in the top five most quoted...

I have a recurring dilemma with my own faith as a Christian. It’s a specific dilemma, but it often happens in different ways. The predicament is that of unlimited grace. A pastor friend of mine had a...

Yes, I am one of those annoying people who play Christmas music and decorate my house in early November. And by “early November” I mean we’re getting boxes out and decorating inside the house on Oct....

I teach a class at NWOSU called Philosophy in Life. In it, we talk about several of the early Western philosophers, including an Irish philosopher named George Berkeley, who coined the famous...

The ticking clock above the door in my office is louder than normal today. Of course, that’s not true, as much as my awareness of its ticking has been raised. I have a short to-do list to conquer b...

I heard a comedian recently talking about how much he enjoys free time. While performing a stand-up routine onstage (pre-pandemic), he spoke about the pure joy that comes from plans being canceled,...

As Christians begin the Lenten season on our journey to Easter, we find ourselves at a familiar point in time. One in which we are used to “giving up” something for 40 days and 40 nights as a way of...

There has been a lot of talk about light and dark this year. People have described this as a dark year when it comes to the pandemic. I hear the phrase “light at the end of the tunnel” from those ref...

As of the writing of this column, the election for the next president of the United States is not officially over. And as many of you are probably aware, they kept reminding us on election night,...

I watched an interesting video the other night on YouTube called “Ascension” starring the magician David Blaine. He is known for his magnificent and unbelievable stunts and magic tricks (se...

I think going to the movie theater is the one thing I miss the most about pre-pandemic life. I definitely miss everyone being able to come to worship services in person, but we are still able to...

I hope that title caught your eye. That was the point. I have listened to arguments for two months, both in person and online, about how we as Christians, as well as Americans, should respond to the...

As people of the Christian faith, we sometimes feel like we’re at war with someone or something. We face challenges in our faith almost every day, but it can be tempting to assume that our only e...

Doesn’t this time of year just make you feel like a kid again? Between the music, the lights, people filling the stores to buy presents, and all the holiday dinners, this always feels like the most f...

What is your role? What is your official title? What do I call you? These are all questions people ask me on a regular basis, but especially since I’ve been the new minister at the First Christian C...