A few months ago we opened a no-frills section of the website called Recommended Resources. I call it no-frills because there are no pictures or other fancy designs. If you click on the link, you will see what I mean. We have gathered on one page some of our favorite online resources. We start with a section called Bible Study Resources for those p…
We have just posted the report from our recent trip to the Philippines (March 26-April 7). During that time we visited Davao City and Bukidnon on the island of Mindanao and spent several days at at the end of the trip in Manila. We have packed the report with as many pictures as possible.As for the finances, we are grateful for those who gave to ma…
By now the whole inhabited world, by which I mean those who watch TV and follow the Internet, knows about Carrie Prejean who almost became Miss USA the other night but ended up in second place presumably because of how she answered a question from a strange fellow named Perez Hilton about gay marriage. Although Miss Prejean’s answer was not a…
I’m holding in my hands a lovely new book called “Blackberry Bend” by Debbie Hodson. It’s the story of two children who visit their Appalachian grandparents, along the way learning about the value of being rooted in a particular place. The book is beautifully illustrated with watercolor illustrations by Miriam Moyer. If you …
Not long after we moved to Oak Park in 1989, I met Don Gerig, my immediate predecessor as pastor of Calvary Memorial Church. He served with great distinction for ten years and led the church through the relocation process after the devastating fire in 1977. During all the years of my pastorate at Calvary and in the years since then, Don has b…
This afternoon I made a trip to the lodge where my books have been stored since October 2005. The lodge once housed a Christian conference center that flourished for a few years in the early 80s. When my brother Alan bought the property, it had been vacant for six or seven years. We lived in a cabin on the property for 20 months. Now that we’…
“I wouldn’t trust my best fifteen minutes to get me into heaven.”So said the preacher and I agree with him. In that one sentence he uttered a profound theological truth. I can think of five reasons why it must be true:1. Fifteen minutes isn’t long enough. 2. Fifteen of my “best” minutes can’t make up f…
A few months ago we announced a Holy Land tour for October 2009. Because of changes in airline schedules, we have had to slightly adjust the dates. The tour is now set for October 18-28. You can read the entire brochure online. We hope you will join us for this trip of a lifetime. When we adjusted the dates, we also slightly changed the itinerary s…
Yesterday during my bike ride I was listening to various songs when “How Deep the Father’s Love” came up on my iPod. The words and music make a perfect match. Among the many versions on YouTube, I particularly like this one by Sarah Sadler. I hope you’ll pay attention to the words. There is enough good theology here to take …
It’s been over a month since my last Bible Bus update. In January I committed to reading the whole Bible book by book. I’m not following any particular plan, simply reading one book at a time from beginning to end. Since my last update I have read the following books: Leviticus, Joshua, Judges, Hosea, Psalms, Amos, 1 Corinthians, Coloss…