The annual gathering happened two days before Thanksgiving. Each year, most of the churches in the small town where I pastored gathered for a community Thanksgiving service. A different church hosted the event each year,
Read moreThe Gathering
Tag: Martin Wiles
Flawed but Functional
Sin had ensnared another victim. I listened as the newscaster gave a piecemeal report. The leaders of a noted mega church met behind closed doors. The pastor had planted the church sixteen years before on
Read moreThe Spitting Image
“He is the spitting image of his mother (or father).” Image entails the physical characteristics found in a child that are also found in one or both parents. Most of the time, this involves body
Read moreMentored
Some were family and some were friends, but each one invested something different into my life. My first cousin mentored me. He was three months older than I and was the third born of my
Read moreWhat Freedom Means
On July 4th, the United States of America celebrates her freedom, a freedom won originally from England, but a freedom that continues to cost men and women their lives. Our original march toward freedom was
Read moreMen and Fathers Stepping Up
The evidence remains clear: children who grow up in homes with absentee fathers face greater challenges than those who grow up in two-parent homes. Twenty-three percent of children in America under the age of eighteen
Read moreDo Good
“Thank you for being a Good Samaritan.” Our pen sickness caused by Covid-19 grew, so my wife and I began searching for places in the great outdoors where we could take our two oldest grandboys
Read moreToo Fast, Too Furious
Despite his actions, I did what I always do. Driving to the school where I teach takes about ten minutes. One morning as I puttered along, I noticed a snazzy Range Rover behind me. It
Read moreDon’t Feel Like Cranking
For six years—except when the battery died—she had cranked…but not now. During a cold snap in December, I noticed the key proved difficult to slide in and out of the ignition of my old Ford
Read moreGod Loves
But not a single sparrow can fall to the ground without your Father knowing it. Matthew 10:29 NLT Hogs and birds have taught me a lot about God’s love. My maternal grandfather—Pappy I called him—raised
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