Incoherent Ramblings of an Insane Pastor

I am doing my best to protect myself and others from COVID19. I'm working from home. I'm trying to limit my trips out. When I do go out, I have a pocket sized sanitizer that I diligently use. I hope that your are taking it seriously too. I read this week about Martin Luther. He was in Wittenburg living with his pregnant wife during the plague. The plague, black death, the pestilence, all names for the outbreak that killed 75-200 million in Eurasia. Can you imagine the stress that he was under? This is what he had to say, Therefore I shall ask God mercifully to protect us. Then I shall fumigate, help purify the air, administer medicine, and take it. I shall avoid places and persons where my presence is not needed in order not to become contaminated and thus perchance infect and pollute others, and so cause their death as a result of my negligence. If God should wish to take me, he will surely find me and I have done what he has expected of me and so I am not responsible for ...

With the pandemic sweeping across the world, America is in a position of seeing this wave of sickness and death heading towards us. The news is filled with stories of doom from other countries. Yet we are almost powerless to do anything about it. In Matthew 8:23–27 , Mark 4:35–41 , and Luke 8:22–25 there is a story with a similar feeling. Ludolf Backhuysen: Christ in the Storm on the Sea of Galilee The disciples had gotten into a boat to cross the Sea of Galilee . Jesus found a spot in the boat and fell asleep. Many of the disciples had been professional fisherman. These guys knew what they were doing. But as the ship had gotten underway, a storm was brewing. I can imagine the disciples, especially Peter, James, John and Andrew, jumping to action doing what sailors know to do. I've never been a sailor or even a decent fisherman, but I would have been pretty comfortable with these guys in charge. All the while, Jesus was sleeping like a baby. But after a time, the sto...

Are you tired of seeing this word yet. I know I am. But I am afraid we are going to see a lot if it over the next year. It's amazing how life can be going along normal and all of the sudden... BAM! Here's a new normal for you. So, we shelter in place. We practice social distancing. We work from home. But hardest of all, we suspend gatherings of people. This is the toughest for a Christian. We are meant to be together. In Hebrews it says... 10:25 And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near. -NLT Throughout the book of Acts, people gather together to learn, love, and help each other. That is what the church does best. But now, for public safety, we have to stay apart. We have to be creative. Find a church stream online and attend church there. Use every resource to reach out to others. Keep in contact with your local church and find out if there is a need you can fil...

I wander back here from time to time. Here's the latest update. My wife and I now have married daughters who are doing fantastic things in their own lives. This left us wanting to "downsize" and build a house in the country. We looked around the Jackson area and decided on Crystal Springs, MS as our place to plant. We tried to continue to support the church we were attending that was 30 miles away. The long commute had us "doing the math" every time an event was planned. We'll have to leave the house by... then by the time we leave the event to go home it  will be... then we won't get back home till... All that was too crazy. We needed to be in a community church, but where? We looked around and really prayed about this. In my mind the church had to be really doing the work of Christ. Just meeting on Sunday isn't a church. God stretched me again and I wandered into Crystal Springs United Methodist Church. I had no idea what to expect. I had o...

Where Everybody Knows Your Name by Gary Portnoy and Judy Hart Angelo Making your way in the world today  Takes everything you've got;  Taking a break from all your worries  Sure would help a lot.  Wouldn't you like to get away?  All those night when you've got no lights,  The check is in the mail;  And your little angel  Hung the cat up by it's tail;  And your third fiance didn't show;  Sometimes you want to go  Where everybody knows your name,  And they're always glad you came;  You want to be where you can see,  Our troubles are all the same;  You want to be where everybody knows your name.  Roll out of bed, Mr. Coffee's dead;  The morning's looking bright;  And your shrink ran off to Europe,  And didn't even write;  And your husband wants to be a girl;  Be glad there's one place in the world  Where everybody knows your name,  And they...

There was a time when the church was the community meeting place, the  elementary school and center of social activities. A politician without a church affiliation would most likely lose an election. I don't believe that the church has ever been perfect, but it was respected and it's influence was broad. Without making this an incredibly long post about the myriad of causes, let me start with this statement. Christianity seems to be losing it's influence in society. Atheism is at an all time high. The separation of church and state has been used to pull any reference of God out of our government, schools and public places. Opinions of moral values are quickly branded as intolerance. In an effort to “stem the tide”, conservative Christians have engaged in this culture war. Picketing abortion clinics, taking a stand against homosexual marriage, and rallying for morality legislations, conservatives have drawn lines in the sand on several fronts. They are losi...