A young man named Andre went to church one Sunday and sat in the last row. Things hadn’t been going well for him since his grandmother passed away a few weeks earlier. After the choir sang a song, the preacher started talking, and Andre listened. Before long something strange began to happen. It seemed like … Continue reading The Journey – Intentional Christianity
Overcoming Poverty
"The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor...” Luke 4:18 Jesus uttered these words in the Synagogue one day to announce his ministry to his hometown. Up to that time, he had grown up as the son of a carpenter, been baptized by … Continue reading Overcoming Poverty
Be Happy – Don’t Worry
For the past few years I’ve been focusing on being a positive person. I’m sure no one is surprised that this is not easy in our society. There is plenty of bad news and negativity all around us. To add to that burden, the work that I do is centered on handling complaints and negative … Continue reading Be Happy – Don’t Worry
The New & Improved ELL Word!
It has been almost 4 years since I originally began publishing The ELL Word blog. A lot has happened in the world since July 2013 and some of those things have been written about on this site. But like going through high school, after 4 years it's probably time to step things up. So I … Continue reading The New & Improved ELL Word!
Who Turned Out the Light?
There is an interesting dynamic playing out in the media and social media in our country right now. Government leaders are proposing to slash financial support for all kinds of programs that everyday citizens have come to rely on. News reports say that they plan to drastically decrease funding for things like feeding the elderly, … Continue reading Who Turned Out the Light?
An Experience With God, or, just emotions
Today was an extraordinary day for me. It began at early church service where I thoroughly enjoyed the worship portion. Then one of my favorite speakers delivered a really good sermon. It was a solid word delivered with clarity, humor and, best of all, straight from the Bible. After church, I spent some time praying … Continue reading An Experience With God, or, just emotions
A Political Statement
I’ve tried to remain relatively silent about the upcoming elections. Like most everyone else, I am dumbfounded at the options that the American political process has placed in front of us. Without commenting on any of the candidates or parties that are engaged in the contest for the presidency, I am choosing to communicate my … Continue reading A Political Statement
The Purpose of Man?
There is a question that I have been struggling with for a long time, and maybe someone can impart some wisdom to me on the subject. Brace yourself, because it’s one of those big, hairy questions. What is our purpose? Why are we here? Now I know there are some people who can speak … Continue reading The Purpose of Man?
Easy Salvation?
I wonder if we [the church] have fallen into the trap of making salvation too easy. Is it possible that in the rush to fill pews [and perhaps offering baskets] we have lowered the bar for becoming a Christian to a dangerous level? Is it possible that we have begun to preach an easy form … Continue reading Easy Salvation?
I think I Want to be a Priest?
Recently, I heard someone say to a group of Christian men that we should all be “priests of our homes”. I wasn’t sure what they meant by that, but I involuntarily shuttered at the thought. The first thing that came to mind was the story I heard preached about the ritual of the Jewish high … Continue reading I think I Want to be a Priest?
The ELL Word 