Some folks in our area will remember a Roller family that lived in the valley several years ago. Mark served as principal at Toms Brook School for 28 years and his children participated in local community events. I was delighted to recently reconnect with his son, Richard, who now resides…
In addition to reading the Bible each morning, I also enjoy reading other books, especially those concerning local history or creation. One of the volumes I’ve nearly finished is “Life of John Kline.” It is not his complete diary but excerpts chosen by Benjamin Funk who knew him personally. Brother…
Twelve years ago I traveled to Haiti to visit some dear brothers and sisters in a church there. In addition to some preaching, we did some painting and other work with them. One day, God willing, I hope to return. One of the primary leaders of that Haitian church was…
The year 2020 has been a doozy and most of us won’t be sad to see it go. Some have said they’re going to stay up on December 31st not to see the New Year in, but to make sure the old one leaves! This past year has surely had…
Many museums and art galleries host unveilings to reveal new sculptures or paintings. A program is planned, the artist secured, refreshments prepared and invitations mailed. Meanwhile, the piece of exquisite art is covered with a sheet to prevent anyone from seeing it until the moment when it will be revealed…
Here we are deep in the heart of December with Christmas less than two weeks away. It’s hard to believe the earth has made its way all around the sun yet again and that we are on the cusp of celebrating another birthday of Jesus. Although there are many modern…
I’m very aware that Thanksgiving is past and that we are now steaming full bore toward Christmas. Nevertheless, I must share some words of gratitude for the last few weeks. As some readers may know, after months of vigilant mask wearing, sanitizing, and distancing, somehow the minute invader made its…
As we celebrate Thanksgiving this year, we might be tempted to moan and complain about how different it is due to COVID-19. It does promise to be a very unusual holiday, but we still have so much to be thankful for. For starters, we can be thankful that this is…
Even though Biblical illiteracy is at an all-time high, most people still have some idea of what the Ten Commandments are. While they may not be able to list more than a few, they are at least aware that God gave these laws for human behavior to Moses who faithfully…
Here we are eight months into the worst pandemic any of us have ever witnessed and sadly, we are seeing an increase of COVID cases in our local area. I’m sure that all of us are praying for this trend to rapidly reverse as well as for a vaccine to…