2003 Articles by Ray Pritchard

Praying With Paul (Jan 05, 2003)
PRAYING WITH PAUL by Ray Pritchard Our 2003 church theme is “Lord, Teach Us to Pray.” If you wonder how we choose the themes each year, the answer is, “It varies.” Sometimes the pastors spend a long time discussing it and sometimes the answer comes very quickly. This year the theme came very early, durin…

Three Cheers for the Salvation Army (Jan 12, 2003)
THREE CHEERS FOR THE SALVATION ARMY by Ray Pritchard Would you accept a $100,000 gift if someone told you they won it in the lottery? I suspect that most of us would say yes. Probably some of us would wonder why anyone would even ask the question. Recently the Salvation Army said no and made the news as a result. The story …

WMBI Commentaries (Jan 16, 2003)

A Potpourri of Items (Jan 26, 2003)
A POTPOURRI OF ITEMS Here are few items I ran across while rummaging through my desk: 1) Last Sunday Dr. Donald Gerig spoke in our worship services. We are grateful for his timely message on prayer. What I forgot to mention in advance is that this year the three living former pastors of Calvary will be speaking to us. Dr. G…

Forever Grateful (Feb 02, 2003)
FOREVER GRATEFUL by Ray Pritchard The precise details of the following story have been slightly changed for the sake of privacy. But the lesson is eternal. The letter came from a friend whose husband is slowly dying. Both husband and wife know the Lord and both of them know what is ahead. She writes to say that her husband …

Is Evangelism a Hate Crime? (Feb 09, 2003)
IS EVANGELISM A HATE CRIME? by Ray Pritchard A recent editorial in Christianity Today raises a question that just a few years ago would have been unthinkable. Is sharing Christ with others a “hate crime” that deserves punishment? In the changing religious landscape in America and around the world, the answer from …

Sharon's Law (Feb 16, 2003)
SHARON’S LAW by Ray Pritchard A week ago I flew to New York to spend a few days teaching at Word of Life Bible Institute. Because of dense fog that closed Midway Airport, my flight was delayed for six hours. While I was waiting near the gate, a woman named Sharon took the seat next to me. I know her name because she in…

Charlton Heston and Moses (Feb 23, 2003)
CHARLTON HESTON AND MOSES by Ray Pritchard Years ago Charlton Heston was interviewed on The Merv Griffin Show. This was at a time in Mr. Heston’s career when he had gained much notoriety over his two mega-movies, The Ten Commandments and Ben Hur. During the interview Merv Griffin asked him, “Has your spiritual out…

Putting the Letters Together (Mar 16, 2003)
PUTTING THE LETTERS TOGETHER by Ray Pritchard Someone clipped a comic strip called “One Big Happy” and left it on my desk. The first panel shows a little girl kneeling by her bed getting ready to say her prayers. It must have been a long day for her because she begins this way: “I'm so very tired tonight that…

"Big Mouth, Big Feet" (Mar 23, 2003)
“BIG MOUTH, BIG FEET” by Ray Pritchard Several weeks ago while preaching at Word of Life Florida, Harry Bollback told me the secret of Jack Wyrtzen's faith. I had just finished my sermon on “Beyond Your Imagination” from Ephesians 3 when Harry said, “Jack had a sermon he liked to preach called ‘Bi…

What Color is Your Dot? (Mar 30, 2003)
WHAT COLOR IS YOUR DOT? by Ray Pritchard Our church theme this year is “Lord, teach us to pray.” During the month of April we want to take a practical step in that direction by encouraging everyone to pray daily for the lost. Here's how we plan to do it. In the pew racks this morning there is a card with some smal…

The Renovation Plan (Apr 06, 2003)
THE RENOVATION PLAN by Ray Pritchard The next time you walk toward the West Wing of the church, I encourage you to look across the lawn to the cornerstone embedded in the wall. It's a wonderful monument to the faith of a previous generation. The stone says “1930.” That's when the West Wing was built. At that time …

Dear Mr. Miller (Apr 13, 2003)
DEAR MR. MILLER by Ray Pritchard Thank you so much for writing. I am honored that you took the time to read An Anchor for the Soul and then took even more time to thoughtfully write out your objections. I am further honored to have the response of a man who has served his country with such distinction for so many years. You…

Straight Talk from Senator Santorum (Apr 27, 2003)
STRAIGHT TALK FROM SENATOR SANTORUM by Ray Pritchard A few days ago Senator Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania got in trouble for making some disparaging remarks about homosexuality. During an interview he seemed to place homosexuality in the same category as bigamy, polygamy, adultery, incest, and a few other socially unaccepta…

His Eye Is on the Sparrow (May 04, 2003)
HIS EYE IS ON THE SPARROW by Ray Pritchard It has been well said that God's omniscience is a comfort to believers and a terror to unbelievers. The comfort is easy to see. If he truly knows all things and if he ordains all things, then everything that happens to me or to those I love must happen as part of his plan. F. B Mey…

Forgiving Without Repentance (May 11, 2003)
FORGIVING WITHOUT REPENTANCE by Ray Pritchard After last Sunday's message, a friend sent the following e-mail: “The sermon was a hard one for me this Sunday. Forgiving someone when they refuse to apologize is where I am struggling. I have been hurt too much. Tough!” My friend is right. Forgiving is hard enough eve…

Waiting & Enduring (May 25, 2003)
WAITING & ENDURING by Ray Pritchard A new friend wrote this week asking for some advice. After long years of study, he finally had graduated with excellent grades, many awards, and a ranking near the top of his class. The future seemed very bright. He had only to pass an exam and then the doors of opportunity would be open …

Groundbreaking Sunday (Jun 01, 2003)
GROUNDBREAKING SUNDAY by Ray Pritchard The elders have designated June 29 as Groundbreaking Sunday for our renovation project. A number of unique features will make it a Sunday unlike any other in the history of our church. Here are the details: On that Sunday there will be only one service, which will begin at 10:30 a.m. W…

My Commencement Address to the Class of 2003 (Jun 08, 2003)
MY COMMENCEMENT ADDRESS TO THE CLASS OF 2003 by Ray Pritchard Thanks for allowing me to share this happy occasion with you. My congratulations to the parents and grandparents who prayed and worked and wondered if this day would ever come. Soon the seniors will graduate and high school will be behind them forever. When you r…

The "First Fruits" Offering (Jun 22, 2003)
THE “FIRST FRUITS” OFFERING by Ray Pritchard In the book of Leviticus, the children of Israel were instructed to bring a special offering to the Lord at the start of each harvest season. For instance, at the beginning of the wheat harvest, two loaves made from the first bit of ripened wheat were offered to the Lor…

The Legacy (Jun 29, 2003)

Reaching, Teaching, Caring, Worshiping (Jun 29, 2003)
REACHING, TEACHING, CARING, WORSHIPING by Ray Pritchard At the Biannual Business Meeting in March, I announced to the membership that we are reorganizing the staff and all the ministries of the church around four great biblical priorities–reaching, teaching, caring, and worshiping. The idea came to me as I read Rick Warre…

WMBI Commentaries (Jul 30, 2003)

When We Stop Playing Games (Sep 07, 2003)
WHEN WE STOP PLAYING GAMES by Ray Pritchard The call came from an old friend, someone I have known for over 40 years. His marriage was in serious trouble, and more importantly, he saw clearly that unless he changed from the inside out, what happened to his marriage wouldn’t really matter. His wife wasn’t the probl…

Why the World Hates "Christers" (Sep 14, 2003)
WHY THE WORLD HATES “CHRISTERS” by Ray Pritchard William F. Buckley has just published a column with the provocative title, “Bush is Evil.” It begins this way: “In a private forum the question arose, Why do they hate Bush so? And what will they do with that hatred? How far can they carry it? How…

Moving the Elephant (Sep 21, 2003)
MOVING THE ELEPHANT by Ray Pritchard Recently I had breakfast with a friend who told me that working in the church is like “moving the elephant.” He explained that moving an elephant can be quite difficult, especially if the elephant doesn't want to be moved. You can get in front and pull on the trunk or you can s…

Good News for Scared Sheep (Sep 28, 2003)
GOOD NEWS FOR SCARED SHEEP by Ray Pritchard The e-mail came with this title: “I'm glad people pray for you.” A friend was writing to comment on a story I posted on my daily weblog (located on the “Pastor Ray” page of the Calvary website: www.calvarymemorial.com) about being shot with a pellet gun while o…

Discernment: Making Wise Choices Under Pressure (Oct 05, 2003)
DISCERNMENT: MAKING WISE CHOICES UNDER PRESSURE by Ray Pritchard “So that you may be able to discern what is best” (Philippians 1:10a). This is a prayer for spiritual discrimination. In our day discrimination has a mostly negative tone, but in the spiritual realm we desperately need to discriminate between good an…

Marriage Protection Week (Oct 12, 2003)
MARRIAGE PROTECTION WEEK by Ray Pritchard You may not have heard the news until now, but I am happy to report that President Bush has designated October 12-18 as “Marriage Protection Week” in America. The official proclamation begins with these words: "Marriage is a sacred institution, and its protection is essent…

The Son of So Many Tears (Oct 19, 2003)
THE SON OF SO MANY TEARS by Ray Pritchard One of my favorite stories about the power of prayer to win the lost is over 1,600 years old. It begins with a woman named Monica who was raised by Christian parents in North Africa. When she was old enough, her parents arranged a marriage to a pagan man. Evidently the marriage was …

When God Wants You in Kansas City (Oct 26, 2003)
WHEN GOD WANTS YOU IN KANSAS CITY by Ray Pritchard A couple of weeks ago Bob Weller sent me a note saying that he and Denise are moving to Kansas City very soon. I was surprised to hear the news and wondered what led them to make the move. Along with his e-mail, Bob sent an attachment he called “Coincidences.” It …

Keep Walking (Nov 02, 2003)
KEEP WALKING by Ray Pritchard You wouldn’t think of finding spiritual inspiration from a whiskey ad, but that’s what happened to me the other day. While leafing through the pages of a recent issue of Sports Illustrated, I came across an ad for Johnny Walker whiskey. The ad is actually a picture of a youngish man s…

The Persecuted Church—Who Cares? (Nov 09, 2003)
THE PERSECUTED CHURCH–WHO CARES? by Ray Pritchard Headline: “Fallout From Iraq War: Christians Targeted for Persecution” I wonder how the Bears will do against Detroit today? They’ve won two in a row. I know they’re not very good, but they ought to beat the Lions. A three-game winning streak would be a…

Christians and Muslims — What's the Difference? (Nov 16, 2003)
CHRISTIANS AND MUSLIMS – WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE? by Ray Pritchard Last Tuesday night I spent an exciting hour with our Power Connection junior high ministry. They invited me for the annual “Stump Pastor Ray” question night. Because they gave me the questions in advance, I was better prepared than usual, but …

Everything I Needed to Know, I Learned at Christmas (Nov 30, 2003)
EVERYTHING I NEEDED TO KNOW, I LEARNED AT CHRISTMAS by Ray Pritchard Several months ago Lou Diaz of Wheaton Evangelical Free Church suggested to me the idea of preaching on “Christmas and the Christian Worldview.” Because the coming of Christ changed history–literally, from B.C. to A.D.–we aren't straining thi…

Unanswered Questions (Nov 30, 2003)
UNANSWERED QUESTIONS by Ray Pritchard “I don't know if he was a believer.” It was a statement partly of hope and partly of resignation, made after a loved one had died recently. Where is he now? How should we think about such things? This is a difficult and tender topic for many people. It would be wonderful if ev…

Written in the Heart (Dec 07, 2003)
WRITTEN IN THE HEART by Ray Pritchard No statement is regarded as more elementary to the student of the Bible than the statement that a day of judgment is coming for the human race. Hebrews 9:27 says, “Man is destined to die once and after that to face judgment.” That statement, as elementary as it might seem, is …

Cut It Down and Forget About It (Dec 14, 2003)
CUT IT DOWN AND FORGET ABOUT IT by Ray Pritchard Here are two stories to ponder. One comes from the Civil War, the other from the Vietnam War. In Charles Bracelen Flood's book Lee: The Last Years, he tells of a time after the Civil War when Robert E. Lee visited a woman who took him to the remains of a grand old tree in fro…

Mystery & Wonder at Christmastime (Dec 21, 2003)
MYSTERY & WONDER AT CHRISTMASTIME by Ray Pritchard Christmas has been slow in coming this year. Maybe that's a statement about me personally, but I think it's more than that. It's almost as if the whole nation has been busy and distracted and we almost forgot that a special occasion is just around the corner. But now, at la…

The Keys to the Cell (Dec 28, 2003)
THE KEYS TO THE CELL by Ray Pritchard The man hugged me and wouldn't let go. “For the first time in a long time, I listened today and I heard what you said.” He told me that some friends came to see him and told him the truth. They were taking a big risk because they didn't know how he would respond. It wasn't goo…