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Family Reunion
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| Written by Gregory L. Jones |
| I attended a family reunion last weekend. It was on the day my Grandmother Burkholder would have turned 100. When she died two years earlier, my surviving Uncle made the suggestion we all get together just like old times. Most of us were there, and indeed, it almost felt like old times. My sister and I still marched to the beat of a different drummer (we got creative during the scavenger hunt,... (continue reading) |
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Frumpy Pastor
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| Written by Gregory L. Jones |
| Today I just don't feel like a pastor. Oh, I know I wore the suit and stood in the pulpit, but I really felt out of place. I conducted a funeral today with another minister who has mastered the warm handshake and sympathetic smile; who has learned the art of engaging conversation and has all the right answers to questions. The family of the deceased love him. I, on the other hand, stumble... (continue reading) |
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The Evil in this world (and what God is doing about it)
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| Written by Gregory L. Jones |
| I'm in the middle of a book written by N. T. Wright titled Evil and the Justice of God. I was intrigued by the title, especially since my many debates with Atheist seeminly end up on this topic (if God exists, why is there so much evil/suffering in this world). Although I have not finished reading the book, so far it has caused me to look at evil in a way my heart feared. I came kicking an... (continue reading) |
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A Great Legal Accomplishment?
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| Written by Gregory L. Jones |
| This past week’s incident with Don Imus had an effect on the worship service this past Sunday. I know it sounds odd, but I awoke Sunday morning with these nagging thoughts that something was wrong about the whole case. I would agree that Don Imus has said things that were not appropriate; I don’t care if other people are using them. That still doesn’t make it righ... (continue reading) |
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A Weak Foundation
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| Written by Gregory L. Jones |
| I was doing some research for a sermon recently and happened upon a web site entitled ExChristian.net. Of particular interest was an article called "House Built on a Weak Foundation". Since I was planning to speak on this issue, as Jesus discussed at the end of Matthew 7, I read the whole article (found here at http://exchristian.net/exchristian/2006/07/house-built-on-weak-foundation.html). My ... (continue reading) |
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The Restaurant
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| Written by Gregory L. Jones |
| I ate lunch this week with about 15 people, but it’s not like we intended to share a meal together. You see, we all happened to be eating at the same time in a restaurant. Fate, it seemed, drew us together for a chance meeting on a cold day. In the booth behind me sat a retired older couple; two life long friends sharing a quiet meal together. Across the isle sat a group of farmers ... (continue reading) |
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A Good Enough Life
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| Written by Gregory L. Jones |
| About three weeks ago, during a visit with my grandmother, she made a statement that caught me off guard. “I just hope I’ve lived a good enough life”, she reflected. I thought, 98 years of life and this saint still wonders? Of course I reminded her that God finds favor not in our being good but in our being surrendered to the work of Jesus. She smiled and nodded in agreement... (continue reading) |
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Fall From Grace
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| Written by Gregory L. Jones |
| The news has been following the story of Ted Haggard, the pastor of a large congregation in Colorado. It seems that Ted struggled with a sin in his life for quite some time, and a gay prostitute felt this sin needed to be revealed. At first I didn’t want to believe the accusations. I suspected it was politically motivated. But this weekend Pastor Ted confessed to his struggle, and resig... (continue reading) |
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