Devotionals, HaitiLeave a comment

Get out of the pew

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  I leave for a weeklong visit to Haiti this week, and the past few days have been a flurry of packing, shopping online and in stores for supplies my small group will take for the work we have planned there, scheduling projects and visits in the town of Montrouis and trying to get caught up on my work to the degree necessary to allow me to be gone for the week. I have a feeling I’ll be tired when I leave and exhausted when I return. And yet, I can hardly wait. Something happened to me in Haiti during … Continue reading Get out of the pew

Sunday School LessonsLeave a comment

Reconciled and assured

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  Delivered April 23, 2017 I want you to think for a moment about a time when someone hurt you very badly, when someone did something incredibly unjust to you. Don’t say it out loud, but consider how you responded. There is a range of responses that we might have in such a situation. Let’s take a look at some of them here: Retaliation: The author Hunter Thompson wrote the following about the Hell’s Angels biker gang — “When you’re asked to stay out of a bar you don’t just punch the owner–you come back with your army and tear the … Continue reading Reconciled and assured

Devotionals, Newspaper work1 Comment

Overwhelmed by hope

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  Originally published March 26, 2016 in the Suffolk News-Herald Some days, it’s all just a bit overwhelming. Terrorism, insurrection and rebellion have spread across the globe. Innocent lives are lost every day, and families are left with the gaping holes of loved ones snatched from their midst. Divisive, bitter and disgusting political rhetoric either continues to widen the existing rift between people or simply shines a light that makes it impossible to ignore the division that already exists. One’s perspective on the matter is said to reveal his own prejudice. And while arguments ensue over who’s to blame for … Continue reading Overwhelmed by hope

Devotionals2 Comments

Praying for the impossible

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  For several months, I have been praying for something impossible to happen. I hope to learn this week whether it takes place. For the sake of this post, it doesn’t really matter what the impossible thing is for which I’m seeking God’s intervention. I am healthy, and this is not a life-or-death matter for anyone, so there is no need for anyone to be worried about the outcome. This thing I’ve been praying about simply isn’t something I have a right to hope for or expect. It’s not something that I could accomplish on my own power, and if … Continue reading Praying for the impossible

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Springtime, and the possibilities are endless

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Ah, springtime. I like to sit at the table on our back deck and listen to the sounds of our neighborhood. I do this all year long — even when it means I have to bundle up in layers against the cold of a Tidewater winter. But in the spring, there’s a special blessing, and I’m not talking about the layer of pollen I tend to bring inside with me when I’m done. Right now, the birds are twittering and squawking and chirping their various songs. A neighbor has just fired up his lawn mower for the first time this … Continue reading Springtime, and the possibilities are endless

SermonsLeave a comment

Amazed by grace

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Delivered January 2017 at Liberty Spring Christian Church What kinds of things are you amazed by? I used to be amazed by juggling. I’m basically an uncoordinated schlub, so watching someone toss more than one ball into the air at a time and then catch them all just seemed like straight-up magic to me. And then I had a juggler in college spend a few minutes teaching me about it one day. Ever since then, I can take three balls and — with a little practice — actually juggle. See? I’m a juggler. Even me, an uncoordinated schlub. Of course, … Continue reading Amazed by grace

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One big, happy family

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Delivered in Montrouis, Haiti in November 2016 Good morning. Thank you very much for the introduction, thank you pastor for allowing me to speak for a few minutes this morning, and thank you all for the opportunity to worship our great God together. I bring you greetings this morning from Virginia, USA, from Liberty Spring Christian Church, from First Baptist Church and from a family back at home that loves this family of believers very much, Pastor Chris and Christina Surber. I am told that today is Family Day here, so it is fitting that I bring greetings from my … Continue reading One big, happy family

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He’s always been faithful to me

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  Delivered in October 2016 in Montrouis, Haiti Good evening. I’ve been looking forward to coming back to Haiti for more than two years. My wife and I visited here back in 2014, right in the middle of August. We met many beautiful people here, and we made some great new friends. I had a chance to drive up into the mountains and look down on the coast. Your blue waters spread out below the green hillside made an impression I will never forget. But one of the things I have been most excited about was the chance to see … Continue reading He’s always been faithful to me