“Sharing Personal Secrets With Each Other Makes A Marriage Strong” is step 2 in the series, “7 Steps to a Healthy Marriage.” This series aims to respond to 1 of the most asked questions of my 50-year pastoral ministry. In part 1 of this series, I said that developing a lasting best friendship is the basis for a healthy marriage. Next, I emphasized that healthy couples take time to talk.“. That brings us to step 2 – “Sharing Personal Secrets... Read more
“Couples Who Take Time To Talk Have Healthier Marriages” is step 1 in the series, “7 Steps To A Healthy Marriage.” In 1992, Dr. Gary Chapman introduced his enlightening and popular book, “The 5 Love Languages® – The Secret To Love That Lasts.” The website states, “The premise of The 5 Love Languages® book is quite simple: different people with different personalities give and receive love in different ways. By learning to recognize these preferences in yourself and your loved ones, you... Read more
7 Steps To a Healthy Marriage – Introduction, is the beginning of a new series. The internet is full of information about marriage. I typed “How to have a happy marriage,” in my Google search engine and found about 879,000,000 results in 0.37 seconds.” What makes this series different? For 1 thing, my wife and and I have been married and in the ministry for 50 years. But how can I reduce 50 years of life into 7 steps? Good... Read more
Sibling rivalries in the Bible are some of the most memorable stories. It’s the same in our day-to-day lives. My sister Sandy and I got along pretty well when we were kids. She was 2 years, 8 months, and 7 days older than me. We were baby boomers, children of the ’50s. We grew up in a traditional family: Dad at work, Mom at home, transistor radios, black and white televisions, knotty pine paneling, a brick fireplace, and church on... Read more
Women Preachers? What does the Bible say about women preachers? I remember my father telling me that my grandmother was a preacher. Her name was Mollie (Wilson) Shelton but we called her Mawmaw. She and Pawpaw were from Harlan County, Kentucky. She was born in 1898. Pawpaw married her when they were still teenagers and in due time, they had 6 sons. Together, my grandparents started a house church during the Great Depression. That’s where Mawmaw preached. I’m pretty certain... Read more
The best way to deal with suffering is not a new question. For one, we know that suffering is an inescapable part of the human condition. I think it is helpful to think of suffering as hardship, and hardship manifests in nearly all our human interactions. It might be in relationships, your occupation, financial burdens, or countless other issues. Think of prisoners who are sentenced to life or even the death penalty. There is little consolation in knowing that suffering... Read more
Do you want to hear a story about how I got into a crazy situation? Good! It was one of those times when I knew I should’ve listened to that still small voice. Instead, I jumped in and assumed everything would work out just fine; but it didn’t. It was 1995, and I received an invitation to sing and teach at the Pentecostal World Fellowship Conference in Jerusalem, Israel. I was thrilled! I immediately began making plans to go. The... Read more
The 3 roads of the prodigal son are something you need to consider. If you’re a church-going person, you know The Prodigal Son’s story. You can read it in Luke 15:11 – 31. It is universal in its message. Most of us know someone who left home at 18 to start a new life. Some want to follow their dream. Others just want to get away from their parents. Some have to leave because they’re kicked out. Still, others leave... Read more
When your trauma goes to church, things can sometimes get dicey. This is a picture of me and my sweet Maltese-Poodle mix named Aspen. She’s 12 years old and a rock-solid member of my family. When I leave the house, though, I leave her at home. She has a crate and a bed that is comfortable for her. I used to take her to the church office when she was a puppy, but I’ve never taken her to a church... Read more
Surely, there are more than 6 Ways Jesus Wants To Help Our Trauma. Still, we will look at 6. In my first article, I shared that an earlier Google search of the term trauma yielded 1,780,000 results. However, by reading from a highly-respected doctor, we’ll discover the 6 primary ways that trauma affects a person. We will also see God’s immense grace for those trying their best to cope. So far, in my previous articles, we examined trauma as an... Read more
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