I ran into Tim Hawkin’s for the first time last night. It’s great to have another "clean" comedian I can watch and listen to. As I was working on my sermon today, this great bit came to mind. Sadly I won’t be able to work it in. 🙂 Graham Maxwell, a friend of mine (and…
Author: Alan
Alan is an ordinary guy, living in a small, high plains Colorado town...and humbled to be a minister of God...
WealthTV?
I can’t help but think there is something wrong with Sky Angel, a Christian TV provider (through Internet streaming) adding this channel to their lineup, even if it is not part of the “Faith Package” (as compared to “Family Package” or “Family Values Package”). I’ve been away from the Internet (mostly) for more than three…
Prayin’ Like a Pagan (Part 2)
Quick Review Before we jump into "Prayin' Like a Pagan (Part 2)" (otherwise known as "Winslow's Sermon on the Lord's Prayer (Part 2)"), let's quickly review the highlights of part 1. Although we are reviewing eleven verses (Matthew 6:5-15), we only made it through three of them two weeks ago when I last preached. I…
A Lesson from Smuggling
One of the first editions of Ruport Murdoch’s new iPad-only newspaper, The Daily, included a story that had all the makings of a great old-fashioned G-Man tale.1 An unmarked truck sneaks out from Pennsylvania before dawn with liquid contraband destined for Manhattan. After arriving, the banned substance is clandestinely slipped into a crowded room of…
Diane’s Miracle
In the "we took way too long to start it" category are the monthly church prayer meetings that began in January (and will repeat every fourth Sunday at 10AM instead of Bible study). Although other items were also brought before the Lord, one request especially stood out—Diane’s need for an operation that might finally stem…
Diane’s Miracle
A friend of mine has had multiple sclerosis for over 22 years now…and has been slowly…painfully…loosing the battle. There is a new treatment that could give her a lot of her freedom back…but they don’t have the insurance to cover it. So, as the first step in a new ministry to reach out to shut-ins,…
Prayin’ Like a Pagan (Part 1)
A.K.A. Winslow’s Sermon on Prayer (Part 1) I have asked folks to let me know if there is anything they’d like me to preach on, and a few weeks back Winslow delivered by requesting a sermon on the Lord’s Prayer. I postponed doing it because it’s far less simple than it sounds…and although I still…
How Far Would You Go?
The lead article in the most recent Voice of the Martyrs Newsletter is about the exploits of Rolo, a former member of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Columbia (FARC) who now spends his time leading residents of FARC-controlled areas (and FARC rebels themselves) to Christ. Needless to say, it is a very risky proposition. Not…
Would Jesus Use Facebook?
As an avid user of Facebook it would seem especially important for me to answer this article’s title. However, I’ll admit that I never slowed down enough to ask myself its question; instead it only came to mind when a friend (in a Facebook message) mentioned that "since joining Facebook [she has] often wondered if…
Going Down in a Blaze of Glory
Text messages How many of you use your cell phones for text messaging? Do you text a lot? A little? Do you get any automatic text messages? For instance, do you…like me…get the weather every day on your handset? For instance today… [ Read them this morning’s forecast. ] Along with the weather at 8:30…
“For Those Who Will Believe”
Expository preaching Last week I said that I was preaching my first…and perhaps last…expository sermon. As anyone who has listened to me know, I am more of a topical speaker…although one who attempts to make sure it is Scripture that is speaking about the subject, not me. As fate would have it, however, this sermon…
You Are Not Alone
Earlier this week I got a Facebook suggestion from Diane Kendall to "like" the Facebook page of an organization called YANA1. For those not familiar with Diane, she is half of the John and Diane Kendall husband-and-wife team that is such a significant and welcome part of the Antrim community, including owning one of my…
Do You Have the Time?
Preaching Styles Who is your favorite preacher? No…I won’t take it personally if it’s not me! 🙂 But, who is your favorite preacher? Now, why? What appeals to you about his (or her) approach? Is it because you are big on theology, and they dig deep into the word, even leveraging their immense knowledge of…
Do Views Exist On a Linear Trajectory?
Often when we see the excesses of a given group—political, religious, or etcetera—we connect them with one end or the other of the given categorization’s spectrum. It is as if we pull out some graph paper, draw a straight line, and are convinced that anyone’s view can be plotted on it. A little bit left…
Reacting to a Shooting
This past Saturday a lone gunman allowed the demons in his mind to escape in the form of a deluge of bullets, starting with one into the brain of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords. By the time bystanders were able to wrestle him to the ground six people had been killed (including a nine year-old girl) and…