Facing the giants in life is easy, or at least we could admit that the giants in a man’s life are plentiful. We are often forced to face our giants when we leave work on Friday wondering we’ll return to job loss on Monday, or when we walk into the kitchen and see the pile of unpaid bills on counter, or when we catch the glimpse in our wife’s eyes as she turns to hide … Continue reading →
God made, Adam ate, Noah arked, Egypt plaqued, Water parted, Law gave, Saul freaked, David peeked, Kingdom divided, Messiah came, Sacrifice made, Christ arose, And Jesus is on the way! … Continue reading →
I was once driving through the Smokey Mountains from North Carolina to Gatlinburg, Tennessee when I spotted a mother bear and her cubs near the side of road. I came to a quick stop and tried to wake my sleeping children in the back seat. When I finally woke them and resumed driving, I heard brakes squealing and horns blowing. As I resumed driving an ambulance with its lights on, passed me, but I didn’t think … Continue reading →
In 1994 I had assumed the pastorate of a church where I had the unusual opportunity to sit down with the outgoing pastor to discuss various issues of that congregation. As I was sitting with him in his office talking, he handed me his keys and said, “Oh, I almost forgot, each Wednesday at 11:00 AM you have a counseling session, here in this office, with Mrs. Redford.” Not her real name, but I did … Continue reading →
While working with Hurricane Katrina victims, as a hospital chaplain, I was struck by the quick turn-around one patient took, when he suddenly found something to laugh about. He lost everything he owned, including his house, his pets, and his brand new 5-day old F150 Ford pick-up truck. His adult children and his wife were safe, but like most Mississippi coast residents who lost all, he was depressed and numb. About a week into his … Continue reading →
Pastor Steve Durkac’s Personal Testimony… I grew up as one of five adopted children and it was my story of adoption that most influenced my faith in Jesus as my personal Savior and here is how… As a teenager in the cold snowy, over-cast, small Northeast Ohio town of Rossford, during the heavy metal punk-rock era of the late 70’s, my life took a detour from what should have been a typical mid-America working class home … Continue reading →
I just watched a documentary video on the issue of children and youth leaving their parents faith and practices behind as they enter adulthood. The YouTube video documentary is embedded below and the link is too, because I am aware now that sometimes the embedded video doesn’t always show. (It is at https://youtu.be/3fKsWait2pE) We’ve all heard that upward of 80% of our youth do not remain in church attendance as adults and the documentary is suggesting … Continue reading →
I consider myself an advocate of house churches, but I have long been perplexed by books, blog posts, and statements that claim an identifying mark of a house church is having “no pastor” or no leader. Usually the flip side of that coin is often explained as “the priesthood of all believers” and everyone in the house church is involved. This is puzzling to me because according to the Bible in Ephesians 4:11-12 it was … Continue reading →
