A few years ago my Kentucky friend Ray Bagwell buried his father, a man from what we call ‘The Greatest Generation.’ His name was Bill Bagwell, though he was just called ‘The General’ by his friends around town. There’s a chapter in Bill’s life that deserves telling and will do your soul some good. When Bill was 17 he signed on with the Navy and left his home in Texarkana, Texas to be stationed at Pearl. That was 1936. We know what happened at Pearl in 1941. By 1942 Bill was fighting in the Philippines, and when it fell to... Read this post

Come, my people, enter your chambers, and shut your doors behind you; hide yourselves for a little while until the fury has passed by. – Isaiah 26:20 The ER doors closed behind her and I returned to the truck, hoping it wasn’t the last time I’d see my wife. She not only had an already compromised immune system, but she also had every symptom of COVID-19 and we’d been sent to the hospital for her to be tested. The tell-tale raging fever, cough, shortness of breath, and headache signaled that she too was a likely victim of a menace which,... Read this post

Personal and Family Devotions Monday, March 30th Grace and Peace to you! You’ll have heard by now that the Covid virus may well have paid a visit to our home too. Like many, we are experiencing isolation and quarantine. We are in something of an exile. What shall we do in such places? It seems to me that three options present themselves to us when we find ourselves exiled from the people of the covenant and living a strange new life. Psalm 137 describes the option of despair. “By the waters of Babylon, there we sat down and wept, when... Read this post

Personal and Family Devotions Wednesday, March 25th Grace and Peace to you! Throughout this crisis, I’ll be sending you devotions/studies with some readings and questions, along with some links for songs and hymns. I’ll try to include some great quotes too (Hey, I love quotes!) to help us discover wisdom from the past to live well right now. These are unprecedented days for us with the unexpected rushing at high velocity into our lives. These are not unprecedented experiences, however, in history, making this a season in which we can draw on the experiences of those who’ve gone before us,... Read this post

I desire mercy, not sacrifice, the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings. – Hosea 6:6 The thought of canceling worship or closing churches causes me deep distress. But I have to ask, “Why is that being done? Is it persecution?” No. “Is it government overreach?” Some say so. But… Why is the Government insisting on closing churches in many places, as in the UK tonight, and perhaps here very soon? Why have we voluntarily said ‘No’ to large gatherings for worship, foregoing our fellowship, even in smaller groups? Here is why: We love our neighbors. Right now, the glory... Read this post

Personal and Family Devotions Monday, March 23rd Grace and Peace to you! Throughout this crisis, I’ll be sending you devotions/studies with some readings and questions, along with some links for songs and hymns. I’ll try to include some great quotes too (Hey, I love quotes!) to help us discover wisdom from the past to live well right now. These are unprecedented days for us with the unexpected rushing at high velocity into our lives. These are not unprecedented experiences, however, in history, making this a season in which we can draw on the experiences of those who’ve gone before us,... Read this post

Personal and Family Devotions Saturday, March 21st Grace and Peace to you! Throughout this crisis, I’ll be sending you devotions/studies with some readings and questions, along with some links for songs and hymns. I’ll try to include some great quotes too (Hey, I love quotes!) to help us discover wisdom from the past to live well right now. These are unprecedented days for us with the unexpected rushing at high velocity into our lives. These are not unprecedented experiences, however, in history, making this a season in which we can draw on the experiences of those who’ve gone before us,... Read this post

Personal and Family Devotions Thursday, March 19th Grace and Peace to you! Throughout this crisis, I’ll be sending you devotions/studies with some readings and questions, along with some links for songs and hymns. I’ll try to include some great quotes too (Hey, I love quotes!) to help us discover wisdom from the past to live well right now. These are unprecedented days for us with the unexpected rushing at high velocity into our lives. These are not unprecedented experiences, however, in history, making this a season in which we can draw on the experiences of those who’ve gone before us,... Read this post

Personal and Family Devotions Wednesday, March 18th Grace and Peace to you! Throughout this crisis, I’ll be sending you devotions/studies with some readings and questions, along with some links for songs and hymns. I’ll try to include some great quotes too (Hey, I love quotes!) to help us discover wisdom from the past to live well right now. These are unprecedented days for us with the unexpected rushing at high velocity into our lives. These are not unprecedented experiences, however, in history, making this a season in which we can draw on the experiences of those who’ve gone before us,... Read this post

Personal and Family Devotions March 17, 2020 Readings Today: Romans 8:31-39; John 16:32-33; Psalm 91 A Joyous St. Patrick’s Day to All! There’s a short version of this great prayer, usually confined to the last several lines, beginning with ‘Christ with me, Christ before me…’. Since my middle name is Patrick, and since I was supposed to be in Ireland today, I’m including the entire prayer for your devotions today. As you pray through this magnificent supplication and confession, you will discover in fresh ways what we noted yesterday in Romans 8 – God sends his Spirit and strength to... Read this post