Crazy Horse

In 1948, Korczak Ziolkowski was commissioned by Lakota Chief Henry Standing Bear to design a mountain carving that would honor the famous Native American hero Crazy Horse. Ziolkowski devoted the next 30 years to carving the statue, which, when completed, will be nine times larger than the carving on Mt. Rushmore. Ziolkowski died in 1982,…

The Sin Process

Relapse is a process, not an event. Thomas Kempis said, “Sin is first a simple suggestion, then a strong imagination, then delight, then assent.” The man who grew up with Jesus said, “Each one of us is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it…

Rest

You wanna hear something that will blow your mind? The command of rest is just as much a part of the Ten Commandments as the command about murder. Or adultery.  “Six days you shall labor, but on the seventh day you shall rest; even during the plowing season and harvest you must rest” (Exodus 34:21). …

Super Bowl Prediction

It is the little stuff that matters. Why? Because doing the little things, over and over, brings big results.  God brings victory, little by little. Speaking of Israel’s enemies, he promised, “Little by little I will drive them out” (Exodus 23:30). I’m a huge fan of American football. Today is the big day – THE…

Extremes

The warmest temperature ever recorded in the United States was 134 degrees, in Death Valley, California, on July 10, 1913. The coldest temperature ever recorded in the U.S. was -80 degrees in Prospect Creek, Alaska, on January 23, 1971.  I’m guessing neither option sounds like your next vacation. We live in a world of extremes.…

15% of Your Day

The average person spends 145 minutes on social media each day. That is 15 percent of our waking hours. And that is a sign that too many of us spend too much time wasting too many opportunities. There are two kinds of people in the world – those who watch things happen and those who…

The Problem You Know

Some of us are more comfortable with the problem we know than the solution we don’t. Three guys went fishing, when an angel showed up, offering to heal any physical maladies they might have. The angel healed the first man’s back, then the second man’s poor eyesight. Then the angel approached the third fisherman, who…

Bet You Didn’t Know

Okay, trivia buffs, let’s go. For those of you who live in the USA, can you guess which of our 50 states has the most golf courses per capita? Keep reading for the answer. Here are a few other things you might not already know: You can relapse at any time. If you are 90%…

It Took 43,800

Noah’s ark took 43,800 days to build. It was the length of one and a half football fields, and designed at a ratio of 30:5:3, which designers use to this day. If the average animal had been a sheep, the ark could house 125,000 animals. Have you visited the National Zoo in Washington, D.C.? You…

A 100-Year Lease

From 2010-2015 I served as pastor of First Baptist Church in Conroe, Texas. In looking back over those years, we have much for which we are grateful – membership growth, attendance, baptisms, adding two additional services, record offerings, programs, hiring of new staff, and the renovation of six buildings. But it was something else we…