The people's voice of reason
The people's voice of reason
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In 1988, Bobby McFerrin released this famous song, which is still enjoyed by millions around the world as a light hearted, fun, happy song! In the midst of a worldwide pandemic, maybe some would think it a bit shallow. But I would say there is some great truth backing up the song. In fact, Jesus had some very pointed things to say about worry and teaches us that worry is a waste of time. Every time that song, Don’t Worry Be Happy, comes to my mind, I think of what Jesus had to say about w...
I'm not sure how you and Marie labeled any carryovers to other pages/sections ... ------------------------- A message of encouragement from Lester and Janeese Spencer As Christians, because of Easter and the Resurrection, we are people of faith! Through the resurrected Christ, God has given us His Spirit of power, love and self-discipline! “God has not given us a spirit of fear or timidity, but of power, love and self-discipline.” Paul, 2 Timothy 1:7 With the onslaught of information being rel...
Alcatraz Island sits in the middle of San Francisco Bay, surrounded by almost two miles of turbulent and treacherous water. For nearly one hundred years, the island housed a prison, and the place earned the nickname “The Rock” because it was inescapable. Constructed as a United States Army fortress in the 1850s, the twenty-two-acre island became an Army prison during the Civil War. In 1933, Alcatraz was turned over to the Department of Justice to be used as a federal penitentiary, and dur...
Several years ago, I went scuba diving with my sons. Although it was not the first time we’d dived together, and it certainly would not be the last, this particular trip was special, because it was the trip in which Joshua, my younger son, earned his certification as a scuba diver. His older brother, Harden, and I were already certified, and we accompanied Josh on one of his first open-water dives, which are part of the certification process. On this particular open-water dive, we were in the Ba...
I read about an enlisted soldier who was walking along a Bavarian road. World War I was over. Germany was defeated and devastated. The land around him was scorched by the destruction of war. This little fellow decided to end it all. With the Fatherland finished, what was the point of living? He came to a river, and he looked over a bridge railing to the icy waters down below. He decided to jump. He looked around again, and saw people aimlessly wandering about trying to find what was left of...
I really need Christmas this year! Let’s face it! There is a lot of division and mistrust in our culture, in our communities and in our country right now. On the political front, we are so divided! More divided than I have ever witnessed in my lifetime. We negatively label each other as Democrats, Republicans, Socialists or Libertarians. We are stereotyped as liberals or conservatives or moderates. It seems we have a hard time having civil conversations about things that matter deeply to us. T...
Free For All is the name of a new book I have written set to be released this December! The subtitle is 4 Things God’s Amazing Grace Can Do For You. In this book, we will explore four different ways we can experience God’s grace. God’s grace is truly free for all. The following is an excerpt from Free For All set to be released this December on Amazon. We find this SCUBA story in the chapter of the book where we explore God’s prevenient grace and the fact that it goes before us and surroun...
We all need to be encouraged, inspired and challenged, right? One of the ways I do that is by reading quotes. So, I often search for and screenshot quotes I like and keep them on my iPhone for future reference. Here are a few of my favorite quotes: “Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love.” – Mother Teresa “Stand for what is right even if you stand alone.” – Martin Luther King, Jr. “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter....
Part Two This month we continue exploring the seasons of the great life of King David with Part Two in our series. Last month we covered the first two seasons: The Season of Bethlehem and the Season of Gibeah. This month we will look at the last three. Have you ever considered that your life is a journey through different seasons? Your life is not just a meaningless series of ups and downs but rather an evolution of you becoming all you were designed and meant to be! Of course, when it comes to...
Part One Have you ever considered that your life is a journey through different seasons? Your life is not just a meaningless series of ups and downs but rather an evolution of you becoming all you were designed and meant to be! Of course, when it comes to the seasons of life, one can evolve into a wiser person who grows closer and closer to their creator through each season or one can chose to waste each season and keep repeating the same bad habits and learn nothing. One path leads to a more in...
“Don’t Worry. Be Happy!” Remember that song? It was written and sung by Bobby McFerrin and was a huge hit in 1988! It is still a popular song at parties, bars and football games. It sounds so easy. Just don’t worry and you will be happy. But the truth is there are a lot of unhappy people, aren’t there? I do think most folks really want to be happy, but many just don’t know how. Happiness, many believe, is related to luck or a positive attitude or providence. But I believe happiness is very sim...
Who was the greatest leader who ever lived? Before you answer, let me give you a definition of leadership. John Maxwell defines leadership this way: “Leadership is influence. Nothing more and nothing less.” So, to put the question another way, who has been the most influential person in history? It’s not a trick question. You may be thinking like the little boy when the preacher was doing a Children’s Moment one Sunday morning. The Preacher asked the kids, “what is brown, furry, climbs tr...
The construction of the beautiful Gothic Cathedral, Notre Dame, “The Cathedral of Paris”, began during the reign of King Louis VII in 1163 AD and was completed in 1345 AD. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a worldwide Parisian icon. It was the location of some of the most important moments in the history of France and survived many wars including WWI and WWII. It has inspired the architecture and construction of many Catholic and Protestant Churches around the world. Notre Dame is the off...
The Heart of the Christian Faith is the Resurrection! The Christian faith is based upon an event and that event is the resurrection of Jesus Christ. As Paul said in his letter to the Philippians, "All I want is to know Christ and to experience the power of his resurrection." (Phil. 3:10) Why was the resurrection so important to Paul. Because he knew that everything hinged on the fact and the power of this event. Paul understood the following facts very well. Through his death on the cross,...
On a dangerous seacoast where shipwrecks often occur, there was once a crude little life-saving station. The building was just a hut, and there was only one boat, but the few devoted members kept a constant watch over the sea, and with no thought for themselves went out day and night tirelessly searching for those who were lost. Some of those who were saved and various others in the surrounding area wanted to become associated with the station and gave of their time, money, and effort to...
Several years ago, I read John Ortberg’s book, Soul Keeping, which I highly recommend. It’s one of my top ten favorite books. John opens the book with a Prologue entitled: “The Keeper of the Stream”. I invite you to read it carefully and reflect on this powerful parable about your soul. The Keeper of the Stream "There once was a town high in the Alps that straddled the banks of a beautiful stream. The stream was fed by springs that were old as the earth and deep as the sea. The water was cle...
Dr. Karl Stegall is a great friend and mentor to me and to many other United Methodist Pastors in Alabama and West Florida! Karl served as the Senior Pastor at First United Methodist Church in Montgomery for 25 years before his retirement. He now focuses most of his time, energy and effort on the Stegall Seminary Scholarship Endowment Foundation which has raised millions of dollars for seminary student scholarships. Many of us United Methodist Pastors benefitted from the scholarship monies that...
“For you are saved by grace through faith…” [Paul, Ephesians 2:8] “Be perfect, as your Father in heaven is perfect.” [Jesus, Matthew 5:48] “I’m just an old lump of coal, dear Lord, but I’ll be a diamond one day.” [Johnny cash] Sanctifying Grace Sanctify – (Sank’ tə Fī) – To set apart as holy, to consecrate, to make holy, to purify. In this article, I’m going to be talking about sanctifying grace. Over the last two months, we've covered two other kinds of grace that John Wesley taught us about...
Part Two in a Series “Grace for all, Grace in all . . .Free for All, Free in All” – John Wesley Justifying Grace Jus’ta-fi – to be made right, to free from blame or guilt. Remember, the whole point of this series of articles is to help us to discover the three ways that we can experience the power of God's grace. True freedom leads to fresh power in our lives! And true freedom comes as a gift from God’s grace. Let’s look at Paul’s beautiful message of grace found in the letter to the Ephesian...
Long ago in an ancient but not forgotten letter, a man named Paul wrote an encouraging word to his friends in a town called Ephesus. In this letter stands one of the most famous and exciting passages ever written about God’s grace: “God saves you by His grace when you believe, and you can’t take credit for this. It is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus,...
Jesus talked a lot about forgiveness! As I mentioned last month in the Alabama Gazette, forgiveness isn't optional. If you know anything about Jesus' teachings, you will know that he ties our forgiveness to how we forgive others. In the Lord's Prayer, Jesus taught us to pray, "forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us." "For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your Heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your...
Do you have someone you need to forgive? We all do! Perhaps, someone has wronged you recently or in the past. Maybe you have experienced being lied about, betrayed, sabotaged, undermined, misquoted, left out, used, exploited, intentionally hurt, physically harmed, sexually abused, emotionally damaged or sinned against in some way. Maybe you can think of someone right now that you really don’t think you can ever forgive. In fact, you really don’t want to forgive them. Deep down (maybe no one even...
Worldviews Shaping American Culture What’s Your Worldview? You’ve got a worldview. Everybody has one. What’s a worldview? It’s everything you believe about what’s real and what really matters in life. It’s the filter by which we process all of our information. The lens through which we understand reality. Ronald Nash in his book, Worldviews in Conflict, defines it this way: “A worldview is a set of presuppositions (or assumptions) which we hold (either consciously or subconsciousl...
Congratulations to all the High School and College graduates! On behalf of all of us in the cities, towns and communities in the River Region, we honor you this month, and we are proud of you all! No doubt all of you have been blessed, encouraged and challenged by some great Baccalaureate Addresses and Commencement Speeches. But, may I add my three cheers and offer three big C’s to think about as you step out into your next season of life? I’ll keep it short and give you the Cliff-notes ver...
Most of us have heard or read many a message about the importance of having a positive attitude. However, if you are like me, I need to be reminded regularly in my life journey about the powerful impact my attitude has on myself and others around me! To a great degree, your attitude will determine your impact, your peace and your legacy. My absolute favorite quote about the importance of a positive attitude is from Chuck Swindoll: " The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude...
