Here Sheepy, Sheepy! by Phil Luke Chapter 15 is probably one of the most familiar chapters in the Bible. It's the Jesus parable trilogy! We start out with the ever popular parable of the lost sheep. Then, like many movie trilogies, we move on to the parable of the lost coin - still good but not quite as memorable as the rest. Finally, Jesus wraps it up with a blockbuster - the parable of the prodigal son. These stories were originally directed at the Pharisees and teachers of the law, but...
10 days ago • 2 min read
Two Score Less Five Years Ago... by Phil On October 20th, Pam and I will have been married 35 years. One of my friends asked if we had any "hot topics" we avoid in conversation that would lead to an argument. I thought about it for a while and honestly couldn't think of any. I guess we've mellowed as we've aged, as that was not always the case. For example... Early in our ministry, our anniversary fell on a Sunday. A pastor called and asked if Pam and I would lead a worship service at his...
17 days ago • 1 min read
Rescued from the Burn Bin by Phil Several weeks ago I wanted to make a birthday gift for my preacher buddy so I went to the back yard and grabbed a log. I cut off a section, mounted it on my lathe and started turning. Almost immediately I ran into a soft spot of decay. I thought I'd turn past that area, so I kept going deeper but didn't come to the end of the spongy-ness. Finally, I gave up and threw the log into my burn bin. When the burn bin gets full I pull my mobile fire pit onto the...
24 days ago • 2 min read
Happy October Everybody! This is our favorite time of the year - Leaves changing colors, the nip in the evening air, the Chiefs playing football (that last one is all Pam, but Phil does enjoy watching the animated exchanges with the TV). Above all that, we are enjoying our new role as grandparents! We've been blessed to have a few opportunities to watch our new little buddy and everybody is doing great. Pam is the queen of feeding and book reading time, while Phil excels at naps. (This may...
about 1 month ago • 1 min read
The Benefits of Getting Old by Phil Growing older isn't for the faint of heart. Things that used to work don't work anymore, and things that still work, hurt. I've heard your memory is the second thing to go... but I can't remember the first. Sure, I could grumble about these inconveniences, but I choose to see them as blessings. I can't see as good as I used to, but the people I hang around with don't look as good as they used to so that's probably not a bad thing. In fact, I wouldn't want a...
about 2 months ago • 1 min read
Say what??? by Phil I don’t know if it’s because I’m a creative person, a song writer, or just plain weird, but I don’t like to take things at face value. I’m always looking for the deeper meaning, the subtle clue that reveals the author’s intention behind the obvious statement. One way I do this is when it comes to Bible passages, I imagine myself hearing it for the first time in the time and place the scripture originally occurred. This is especially effective for passages that have become...
about 2 months ago • 2 min read
Choices by Phil When I study the Bible, I like to use several different translations as well as go back to the original languages for specific words. The reason is simple, I like to see how different scholars through the ages have tackled the daunting task of expressing in English what was written in Greek or Hebrew. For the most part, they are very similar, but occasionally there is a slight phrasing difference that brings a whole new clarity to the original thought. Let me give you an...
about 2 months ago • 1 min read
Lessons from the Other Phil by Phil My very talented and crafty wife has made several customized T-shirts for me, but I haven't gotten her to make me this one yet. Let's be honest, it's not only funny, it's Biblically accurate - if we consider the other Phil, Philip the disciple. We talk a lot about evangelism in the church, the act of sharing our faith with others. It's an important job for Christ followers, and unfortunately, we sometimes do more harm than good with our approach. That's...
2 months ago • 2 min read
What do you do? by Phil Labor Day is fast approaching and that has me thinking. One of the common ice breaker questions in conversation is "What do you do?" This has always been particularly challenging for me to answer. My tax return says I'm a "Musical Evangelist," but I don't have a document that bestows that title on me - I made it up. Am I a singer? Yes. Am I a piano player? Yes. Am I a Minister of Music? I like to think so. But I'm also a woodworker, a graphic designer, a writer, a...
2 months ago • 2 min read