Adam and Eve were rooted out of the Garden, Cain was booted from his land and Noah’s descendants scooted out of Babel when God confused their language. Abram scooted from his country when God promised to make his descendants a great nation, Hagar and Ishmael were booted out of the family home with the arrival of Isaac, and Lot was rooted out of Sodom prior to its destruction. Exile was at the heart of these events, and these encompass less than half of the first book of the Bible. From old to new Forced absence from one’s country or home […]

I think we could all use a little infusion of hope just about now. I don’t believe anyone would say that the last few years have been the best. Ever since the onset of COVID-19, all that was solid, familiar, and safe seems to have been jarred shockingly loose. Social media, once a place to connect with “friends,” is now a hotbed of harsh and hurtful diatribes. Family members won’t speak to each other because of sharp political disagreements. Many of our major cities have degenerated into debauched crime zones. Everything from automobiles to groceries to insurance is considerably more […]

While bringing the church service message at the Homestead Speedway on October 22nd prior to the NASCAR race, it struck me how appropriate it was to “bring God to the track.” For openers, as believers we have a defined start/finish line. He determined our arrival, and only He knows the “qualifying time” towards our finish line here on earth. Downshifting and accelerating are an integral part of both the vehicle and the spiritual race. It is imperative to have a competent crew, our “cloud of witnesses,” as we traverse through the deafening noise of society on our way to eternal […]