Posted in General on Dec 11th, 2011
Photo credit: ComfortBetrays.com Pastor Gary Gilley of Southern View Chapel (Springfield, IL) wrote a helpful analysis on elements of the old social gospel movement showing up in today’s Christianity, redefining the mission of the church: One of the important issues which the church has always had to address is that of its role in society. In the Old [...]
Posted in General on Nov 11th, 2011
This week I’m hurting for Armando, one of my brothers in Christ whose young brother, age 20, was just killed in a car accident in Bakersfield. I want to comfort him, but what can I even say in a time like this? There is no way to make the pain disappear for him and his family. [...]
Posted in General on Jul 22nd, 2010
I used to set up chairs in church alongside Kevin Mather, before the accident where he was hit on a bicycle by a truck traveling 60mph. That happened just over a year ago, and he’s been busy on a long and tough road to recovery since then, with frequent visits to the hospital in Northridge (where [...]
Posted in General on Apr 30th, 2010
One sign that you have made success an idol is the false sense of security it brings. The poor and the marginalized expect suffering, they know what life on this earth is “nasty, brutish, and short.” Successful people are much more shocked and overwhelmed by troubles. As a pastor, I’ve often heard people from the [...]
Posted in General on Nov 22nd, 2009
New & Recommended! (For reading, listening, watching, doing) Here are a few things to check out and get involved with. Instead of a separate write-up for the following book, album, movie, blog, and events, I decided to just toss everything into a quick list. Book to Read “Counterfeit Gods: The Empty Promises of Money, Sex, [...]
Posted in General on Aug 5th, 2009
Last week I visited Kevin at the Northridge Hospital Medical Center as a part of the team from the church delivering meals to him and his wife. Kevin Mather was on a bicycle ride with some friends here in Santa Clarita last month when he was hit by a fast-moving vehicle, and the injuries to [...]
Posted in General on Mar 26th, 2009
Sadly, when I come to a difficult time in life, or even a painful situation, I find myself hoping and praying that it ends. Immediately. Or at least soon. Because hard times are bad. …or are they really? Isn’t it in the valleys, rather than the mountaintops, that we can learn the greatest lessons? Not [...]
