Perspectives

Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep …, that familiar prayer from childhood that we have passed from one generation to the next, and the Lord's Prayer we traditionally learn as we grow a bit older and recite word for word. We bless our food by saying, what we refer to as grace, Jesus wept or God is great, God is good let us thank him for our food, Amen, and while they ar...

Typically, I begin each message with a tidbit of gossip about my life, the peaks and valleys, failures, and successes, however I cannot in and of itself, take any personal credit, for the good as I am a debtor to many. In fact, I owe a wealth of gratitude to a fellow servant in Christ, who patiently through immeasurable kindness invested in my wellbeing and took personal interest in my salvation,...

I want to begin by wishing each of you listening today Happy Easter.   Seeing is believing is a phrase commonly used as an abstract meaning for distrust. For example, when someone repeatedly tells another, I will see you next week, and as the weeks and months pass, they are nowhere to be found. Some are easily swayed, and yet others, having been deceived over and over, lend little credibility to w...

It is incredible how our taste changes over time. Fish sticks, pork & beans and wieners,  tuna and string bean casseroles (what is with the onions), fruitcake, brussels sprouts, hog-head cheese, and goober grape, of which I do not like even today. I have had the honor and privilege of watching my grandson and granddaughter grow into the individuals they’ve become. In fact, I can boast, that I...

How many of us would trust someone with our most prized possession? Who would you trust with your life? Trust is often misunderstood and misrepresented, and its definition can vary depending on who we are speaking to, or who is using it. Trust gives the utmost confidence and allows us to confide unconditionally in someone else. That is supposing we cast aside our inhibitions. I can recall when I w...

As we approach the season of grace, Easter, I believe it necessary to speak of the urgency and necessity of Salvation. However, we do not want to find ourselves in a place absent of God’s presence, or have to speculate about the merits of our own salvation, living in constant fear wondering if we did enough, loved enough, cared enough, gave enough, shared enough, listened enough, yielded enough, o...

Referenced scriptures today are: Ephesians 4:31-32; Hebrews 12:14-15; Matthew 6:14-15; and Romans 12:18 I have a storage space that I pay a handsome ransom for each month. It is full of unforgettable things that I either, no longer have use for, I've outgrown, or have not seen for more than eight (8) years. The clothes are exquisite; however, I am several pounds heavier (give or take); the shoes s...

There are few things that frustrate us more than having to wait. We willfully accept with gladness, the answer yes , and begrudgingly come to terms with the answer no , but having to wait is problematic for us, as we suffer great anxiety in doing so. Oh, the anticipation of heartbreak or jubilation. Our prayer should constantly be, teach me to wait . Patience is a prized commodity in very short su...

For as long as I can remember I have loved playing the game of football. So much so, in fact, I can recall my brother and I playing in slow motion in the living room, he’s at the 50, the 30, the 10, touchdown, or tackling each other just short of a fictitious goal line as we mimicked our favorite teams and players  (mom I know you’re listening, I don't think we broke anything). Growing up, ju...

According to Rae Oliver (2023) It is estimated that Americans will spend an estimated $21.8 billion dollars during valentine’s day (58 million pounds of chocolate, and $2.3 billion in floral arrangements). This is the day most associate with our show of perpetual love and affection. If that is so, I would like to begin with a question, what is God’s nature towards us, his creation? Reading and int...

The authenticity of our faith is forever under the watchful eye of others. There are those that are eager to see what becomes of us, while on the other hand there are those that mockingly anticipate our failure, waiting to openly declare our faith is less than genuine. I often believe there is immense confusion about who we are, and the significance of our place in the world. Considering, as well,...

Have you ever been lost? You know you’re somewhere, but you just can’t quite figure out where that somewhere is. You have a map and very detailed directions, but it does not make sense, in fact you’ve tried them a routine number of times only to wind up right back where you started from. How many of you have been there? Of course, being lost in the daytime is completely different than being lost a...

I've often heard people say, "expect the worse and you won't be disappointed". Have you ever been absolutely wrong about your perception of someone, only to realize their random act of kindness changed everything; they said thank you; they asked “how’s your day?”; they asked about your family, or sent a heartfelt condolence concerning the tragic loss of a loved one; they remembered your birthday;...

One of the first games we learned as a child is hide and seek. The rules appear simple enough, it is when one person, by signifying, one potato, two potato, three potato , is designated to count (typically to ten [10]), while all the other participants run and hide. Consequently, some are found almost immediately, as they were unable to successfully conceal themselves, and then there are others in...

Imagine parents struggling and searching for a place to give birth, going from door to door, inn to inn asking, begging, and pleading for a well-mannered place for a child to be born. Consider Mary's pains as her labor intensified each time they were told, there is no room . Contemplate the bustle of people in Bethlehem as they gathered to take part in the census mandated by Caesar Augustus. Yet,...

Today’s podcast is very special as I have the distinct pleasure of introducing a wonderful friend and mentor Pastor Gerald Wilcoxon and First Lady Janice Wilcoxon, of Mount Sanai Institutional Baptist Church, in North Chicago. Biography Pastor Wilcoxon is a graduate of Lakeland College, Wisconsin, with a Bachelor of Religion, and a graduate of Milwaukee Theological Institute with a Bachelor of Min...

Have you ever done something out of character? Something that catches everyone off guard and throws an otherwise predictable situation in an entirely different direction. At times it may have unplanned consequences, and others may completely change, no matter how innocent, the way we are perceived by others. I know it creates dueling conflicts in what we expect of ourselves, and what others expect...

An article by Jim Lucas speaks of Sir. Isaac Newton as one of the most influential scientists of all time. His ideas became the basis for modern physics. He is best known for his work in studying gravity and the motion of planets. Newton’s first law of Motion , suggests, "A body at rest will remain at rest, and a body in motion will remain in motion unless it is acted upon by an external force." T...

On Thursday, November 24, 2022, we will celebrate Thanksgiving once again, as a time specifically reserved for giving thanks for the blessings that we’ve received thereupon. The holiday was born out of a harsh and devastating winter in which many immigrants to the new land, suffered and died from cold, starvation and disease. However, through the help of friends, the harvest, the following year, w...

Last year I decided to take a road less traveled from Northern to Southern California. Rather than using the tradition route (Interstate 5), I chose to drive the serene and scenic Pacific coast highway. While it added nearby 2.5 hours to my trip the view of the jagged cliffs, and the waves crashing upon the rocks was breathtaking, and will in its immediacy leave one breathless. However, just a few...

Before I begin I just ask a special prayer for a young man named Dillan that I met while away. I was there for work, but God sent me to Denver to meet him. Thus the title of today’s podcast. Several years ago, many, before graduating high school, the family went to a brand-new shopping mall (Glendale Galleria), if you could not find it there it wasn’t to be found. My mom and her sisters, my cousin...

In a quote by Anne Lamont, she expresses, I do not at all understand the mystery of grace, only that it meets us where we are, but does not leave us where it found us. How would we describe grace? Would it simply be a footnote, an afterthought, or an anecdote, given little or no regard, or would we genuinely be able to comprehend the expanse of God's grace (loving kindness) towards us? In life’s m...

There is a beautiful song produced by Vineyard music, in which the lyrics simply says. Change my heart Oh God, make it ever true. Change my heart Oh God, may I be like You. You are the potter, I am the clay, Mold me and make me, this is what I pray. Change my heart Oh God, make it ever true. Change my heart Oh God, may I be like You. Psalm 51:1-2; 10 Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lov...

There she was pristine, candy red, white convertible top and interior, cassette tape and the most beautiful sounding engine, I had to have it. I prayed, Lord if you let me get it, I will go to church every Sunday , but that was a commitment and promise that did not last, and the thing I believed so beautiful became accursed to me. Every other week, something broke, and when it rained it leaked. My...

I want to introduce today’s podcast a little differently today, with the context of scripture at the beginning, as it sets the stage for the entirety of the message. Joshua 7:1-12; 19-25 Achan’s Sin Today’s podcast is titled. Hidden Idol My entire life I have been tasked to give an account, take some manner of inventory, signing for this, accounting for that, and lastly identifying what is missing...