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Index of Articles

The articles below were written for The Connection - the newsletter of the Creekside Evangelical Free Church of Merced.  They are listed chronologically.  An introduction is given to each to give an idea of the theme of the article. 
 

2003

• March:  As we are moving from celebrating Jesus’ incarnation towards the celebration of His death and resurrection I would like to share one word with you, “Maranatha.”  I hope the meaning of this word will be an encouragement to you.  “Maranatha” is found only once...  Go to the article

• April:  Little Philip, born with Down's syndrome, attended a third-grade Sunday School class with several eight-year-old boys and girls.  Typical of that age, the children did not readily accept Philip with his differences.  But because of a creative teacher, they...  Go to the article  

• May:  There is a story about a pastor who went to see a man who didn’t attend church very faithfully.  As they talked they sat before a fire watching the warm glow of the coals.  It was...  Go to the article  

• June:  Recently, I read about a celebration which took place at a New Orleans municipal pool.  The party around the pool was held to celebrate the first summer in memory without a drowning at any of the city’s pools.  In honor of the occasion, two hundred people...  Go to the article

• July:  Remember what it was like before personal computers?  Remember when long distance meant using an operator?  Consider...  Go to the article

• September:  Imagine it is 8:00 a.m. Sunday morning and suddenly you’re awake.  You’ve overslept - last night when you went to bed you were too tired and forgot to turn on the alarm.  You quickly shower and try to get up to speed while your spouse is trying to get the kids dressed.  Breakfast is a process of preparing, cleaning, and eating - all at...  Go to the article

• October:  Its the championship game.  The series is tied at three games each.  The score is tied 1-1 in the bottom of the ninth inning.  There are two outs and a full count on the batter when he hits a tremendous drive to left center field.  The ball is on its way out of the stadium.  Every fan in the park is standing, screaming at the top of their lungs.  They’re going...  Go to the article

• November:  A businessman traveling by plane from San Francisco to Denver happened to sit next to a nun.  Anxious already about traveling by air the businessman was doubly concerned when he noticed that the nun...  Go to the article

• December:  Two of my favorite restaurants in Merced are the China Grand Buffet and the HomeTown Buffet.  Oh my!  So much food.  Such a great variety.  There are techniques for eating at a buffet.  How to get the most for your money.  How to eat the maximum amount of food.  How to gain...  Go to the article

• February:  According to a story I recently read by Jim Thomson, some scientists decided to genetically engineer a fish that could live outside water.  So, selecting some healthy red herring, they bred and crossbred, hormoned and spliced, and did all the...  Go to the article

• April:  Several years ago a person shared an observation with me that has stuck in my mind.  He said, “Pastors don’t deal with the real world.  Pastors deal with spiritual and church things while the rest of us have to live in the real world.”  That observation is...  Go to the article

• June:  In a few weeks our congregation will have the privilege of participating in Merced’s city-wide Vacation Bible School (VBS) ministry...  Go to the article

• August:  “How could this happen to such good people?”   Go to the article

• October:  The first thought that goes through my mind when I’m stopped at a red traffic light is, “When can I go?”  It seems it is important to rush...  Go to the article

• December:  A man from the back mountains of Tennessee found himself one day in a large city, for the first time standing outside an elevator.  He watched as an old, haggard woman hobbled on, and the doors closed.  A few minutes later the doors opened and...  Go to the article

• February:  At 7:58 a.m. on December 26, 2004, 18.6 miles beneath the Indian Ocean, the earth shifted.  The 9.0 magnitude earthquake moved the fault line between the India and Burma plates 45 feet.  Enough...  Go to the article

• April:  Take a deep breath.  As you inhale, say to yourself, “God gives life...”  As you exhale, say to yourself, “and He sustains mine.”  Repeat this exercise a few more times.  Don’t be shy.  It’s only you and...  Go to the article

• June:  When elderly Adele Gaboury turned up missing, concerned neighbors in Worcester, Massachusetts, informed the police.  A brother told police she had gone into a nursing home.  Satisfied with that information, Gaboury’s neighbors began...   Go to the article

• August:  August!!!!  If you are like me, you are sitting in dazed amazement wondering what happened to your summer.  In just 15 days school begins.  A new cycle.  New expectations.  New responsibilities.  What if we’re still struggling with...  Go to the article

• October:  First there was Katrina.  What we saw was unbelievable devastation and suffering.  Over 1,000 people died.  Many of them alone.  The scars will take generations to heal.  And then there was Rita.  Again we saw the devastation of...  Go to the article

• December:  It has been said that there are three ages of man.  First, when we believe in Santa Clause.  Second, when we play Santa Clause.  Third...  Go to the article
  

• February:  Forty feet below the surface my guide stopped his descent.  All around the waters of the tropical Pacific Ocean bathed me in an ever-changing explosion of brilliant colors and overwhelming beauty.  I had to force myself to... Go to the article

• April:  Abdul Rahman became a follower of Jesus Christ while working as a medical aid worker for an international Christian group helping Afghan refugees in Pakistan.  After returning to his native Afghanistan...  Go to the article

• June:  A woman apparently frustrated by slow traffic on Santiago Canyon Road (Orange County), took out a baseball bat and began swinging at a truck when she couldn't pass, authorities said. Then she hurled...  Go to the article

• August:  For many, September is a time of beginnings.  Summer has past and ahead lies a new school year, a new year of service with the church, a new round of holidays, and perhaps...  Go to the article

• October:  Someone has said that there is a fine line between fishing and standing on the shore like an idiot.  Words that have come to my mind often during my vain attempts...  Go to the article

• December:  “Lo, I am with you always.”  (Matthew 28:20b)   A businessman...  Go to the article 

• February:  The prize for the most useless weapon of all time goes to the Russians.  During World War II they invented the “Dog Mine.”  The plan was to train dogs to associate...  Go to the article

• April:  John Newton spent the early years of his life as the captain of a slave ship, capturing, selling, and transporting African slaves to plantations in the West Indies and America.  He was a man devoid of any...  Go to the article

• June:  For Safety's Sake... Do not ride in automobiles, they a cause 20% of all fatal accidents.  Do NOT stay at home,  17% of all accidents occur in the home.  Do Not walk on the streets...  Go to the article

• August:  Ticked?  As a passenger boarded the Los Angeles-to-New York plane, he told the flight attendant to wake him and make sure he got off in Dallas.  The passenger awoke just as the plane was landing in New York.  Furious, he called the flight attendant and demanded an explanation.  The attendant mumbled an apology and, in a rage, the passenger...  Go to the article

• October:  Putting A Finger In the Dike...  Imagine  your child standing in the middle of Bear Creek.  Upstream they let out a massive flow of water.  Suddenly your child is swept away by a massive wall of water and crud, struggling to breathe and stay afloat.   Hollywood, the media, the society around us, the context...  Go to the article

• December:  Grace...   A vagrant lives near the Fulton Fish Market on the lower east side of Manhattan.   The slimy smell of fish carcasses and entrails nearly overpowers him, and he hates the trucks that...  Go to the article  

• April:  Trust?...   T here is an old story of a father who took his young son out and stood him on the railing of the back porch.  He then went down, stood on the lawn, and encouraged his son to jump into his arms.   “I’ll catch you,” the father said confidently.   After a lot of coaxing, the little boy ...  Go to the article

   
• June:  Need To Fill Up?...   Last summer our family drove east from Bakersfield, through the Mojave desert, and into the wastelands of Arizona and New Mexico.  It is amazing how empty the land is as one heads east.  For hundreds of miles, as far as the eye can see, there is nothing but ...  Go to the article

   
• August:  Re·new·al,  n. revival; restoration; regeneration...   There are times when we are desperate for renewal.  In the rush of our daily lives.  When life at home is toxic.  As work becomes a test of endurance. When hope seems non-existent.  Resolution is impossible.  The finish line is out of reach.  When we go to bed tired and wake up ...  Go to the article

   
• October:   Thanks Giving...   Football fans are different.  70,000 rabid  uninhibited fans jumping out of their seats loudly showing support for their team is a different feeling, a different acoustic, a different atmosphere than any other sport.  Crowded into a stadium there’s a mass hysteria that ...  Go to the article