tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35853556698261161092011-10-26T21:01:00.625-04:00Reflections on pursuing holiness in the midst of everyday life.Pastor Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08460908913641298381noreply@blogger.comBlogger991100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3585355669826116109.post-57776855005863532012011-10-26T20:41:00.000-04:002011-10-26T20:41:06.175-04:00

Last week, I attended the United Methodist Association of Communicators Annual Meeting in Albuquerque, New Mexico.  I had a fantastic time meeting new people from all over the world, spending time learning more about how we can better communicate God's timeless message of love, compassion, justice and salvation through 21st-century technologies, and seeing examples of some of the best materials

Pastor Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08460908913641298381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3585355669826116109.post-56300437093729127662011-07-28T11:42:00.000-04:002011-07-28T11:42:21.976-04:00

When was the last time the following songs were top-10 radio hits? "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" by Tears for Fears "I Wanna Know What Love Is" by Foreigner "One More Night" by Phil Collins "Saving All My Love for You" by Whitney Houston When was the last time the Kansas City Royals won the World Series? When were the following toys introduced? Teddy Ruxpin Care Bears Pound Puppies

Pastor Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08460908913641298381noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3585355669826116109.post-37103059671886810082011-07-11T16:24:00.003-04:002011-07-11T16:40:58.207-04:00

Last time on "Pursue Holiness," our daring adventurers had successfully achieved their beach objective, but the plot line was left unresolved ... how are they getting back?  No train tickets.  No open train station.  No knowledge of the language.  And worst of all ... blistered feet! The adventure continues ... We walked into the center of Vada and discovered a very pretty piazza anchored

Pastor Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08460908913641298381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3585355669826116109.post-6222100596342653332011-07-04T11:19:00.001-04:002011-07-07T09:53:48.154-04:00

In the previous post, I described the mistakes I made in making arrangements to travel the Italian regionale trains.  All I wanted to do was experience the "real" Italy, put my feet into the Mediterranean Sea, and enjoy some together-time with my wife.  I indeed accomplished all those goals, but ... Before going on, I must digress for a moment to help set the context of what happened when we

Pastor Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08460908913641298381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3585355669826116109.post-50889868884161887332011-07-01T18:17:00.000-04:002011-07-01T18:17:48.332-04:00

27,849 steps.  13.18 miles.  1665 calories burned.  Those are the figures reported by my pedometer once I returned from my greatest Italian adventure: the quest to put my feet into the Mediterranean Ocean.  Even more specifically, the portion of the Mediterranean known as Mare Ligure, the Ligurian Sea. I have had the opportunity to wade in the Atlantic Ocean, the Pacific Ocean (both on the west

Pastor Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08460908913641298381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3585355669826116109.post-63583507932182048692011-05-24T18:11:00.000-04:002011-05-24T18:11:28.452-04:00

Saturday was an incredibly active day.  It started with an early morning exercise program called "Climb the Dome" - the incredible dome of the Duomo in Florence.  It's official name is Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore, and to climb the dome, one must walk 463 steps UP, plus another 463 steps DOWN. All the guidebooks suggested going to do this as soon as it opened to avoid standing for hours in

Pastor Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08460908913641298381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3585355669826116109.post-16569415981832000422011-05-22T04:03:00.002-04:002011-05-24T07:26:02.825-04:00

Friday was a more relaxed day in terms of scheduled agendas.  The only hard and fast event scheduled was a noon guided tour of the Davanzati Museum's upper floors.  The Palazzo Davanzati dates back to the 13th century in it's initial construction.  It was expanded twice - by adding additional floors above the existing ones. It's unique in Florence for two reasons:  1) It focuses more on the

Pastor Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08460908913641298381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3585355669826116109.post-55870064874064599962011-05-21T02:18:00.001-04:002011-05-24T07:27:03.640-04:00

On Thursday, I may have experienced heaven - or at least as close to heaven as I will ever get while on earth.  And if that "prophet" from Family Radio is right, I will not have much longer to experience earth.  Today, Saturday, is supposed to be the Great and Terrible Day of the Lord.  While I anticipate Christ's return imminently, I don't expect it to happen today just because a guy with a mic

Pastor Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08460908913641298381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3585355669826116109.post-74833058446146182062011-05-20T04:35:00.000-04:002011-05-20T04:35:51.002-04:00

Over the past two days, my wife and I have experienced so much in Italy!  Florence is a beautiful city, and over the centuries, that beauty has been expressed in numerous ways.  Sometimes, however, the beauty is more difficult to see because our modern eyes no longer see beauty in the same way that our ancestors did. Wednesday morning, we went to the Central Market.  It is next to Santa Maria

Pastor Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08460908913641298381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3585355669826116109.post-60277353165101677232011-05-18T14:27:00.001-04:002011-05-20T12:10:23.345-04:00

My wife and I left Monday for our 10-day trip to Italy.  I hope to occasionally post updates and pics from our trip while we're away.  These entries will be both a way for us to share our experience with family and friends, and also to become a journal that I can look back on this vacation and relive the experiences again. In my quiet times, I've been praying that God would work to build up the

Pastor Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08460908913641298381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3585355669826116109.post-58729304802535447802011-05-13T17:53:00.000-04:002011-05-13T17:53:51.783-04:00

The "big me" before starting the process I've meant to update both the weekly weigh-down chart and write a couple more posts several times without success during the past three weeks.  Every time I think I will sit down and make it happen, something else comes along that takes higher priority.  With a pending trip to Italy and a daughter's wedding, my "to do" list has been ridiculously long! 

Pastor Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08460908913641298381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3585355669826116109.post-15102599769725475352011-04-18T11:16:00.000-04:002011-04-18T11:16:59.569-04:00

I'm terribly behind in my magazine reading.  I just finished reading the December 2010 and January 2011 issues of Christianity Today.  (Guess it's Christianity Yesterday by the time I get to them!)  But the January cover story for CT is relevant today - even if it was printed three months ago.  It's titled "Chasing Methuselah" and the hook is this: Exercise, technology and diet help us live

Pastor Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08460908913641298381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3585355669826116109.post-16499290084177206652011-04-09T08:52:00.000-04:002011-04-09T08:52:43.491-04:00

Last weekend, my wife bought a pair of Shape-ups from Sketchers.  You may have seen them; they look like normal athletic shoes on top, but abnormal on the bottom.  In fact, they rock on the bottom - literally!  According to their literature, Shape-ups are designed to help burn more calories, tone muscles and improve posture.  The tag line is "Get in shape without setting foot in a gym." That tag

Pastor Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08460908913641298381noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3585355669826116109.post-45690560839920060032011-03-14T20:18:00.000-04:002011-03-14T20:18:41.423-04:00

The Toledo Blade reprinted a story from the Dallas Morning News the other day that was incredibly inspirational to me.  It's the story of Harry Chapman, who lost more than 100 pounds in two years.  His epiphany was very similar to my own, and his starting weight was just slightly more than mine.  He was wearing size 44 pants; I was severely straining my size 42s. Harry lost his weight the

Pastor Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08460908913641298381noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3585355669826116109.post-10033271465655633302011-03-06T23:51:00.000-05:002011-03-06T23:51:53.330-05:00

Today, I reached a major milestone: 30 pounds lost since the beginning of January!! I've got a big pile of clothes on the floor of my closet that will soon go away because I've gotten too little for my britches.  Got a whole bunch of clothes dug out from the basement storage that I can wear again for the first time in almost a decade.  In fact, the suit I wore to church this morning had ticket

Pastor Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08460908913641298381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3585355669826116109.post-63972935423496158192011-02-26T18:09:00.000-05:002011-02-26T18:09:07.632-05:00

I never thought that I'd be encouraged in my journey towards fitness and health by the U.S. Army, but I was!  Not directly, of course.  I am not in the Army, and I have no desire to be.  I have tremendous respect for the men and women who are serving in all branches of the military, but I must admit that the Army is the LAST organization that I would choose to join voluntarily.  Guess it's a good

Pastor Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08460908913641298381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3585355669826116109.post-15333931206375406692011-02-10T19:07:00.001-05:002011-02-12T09:14:46.281-05:00

My wife bought a book a while back called Bod 4 God:The Four Keys to Weight Loss, written by Rev. Steve Reynolds.  "You might like this," she said.  "You ought to take a look at it sometime." "Yeah, I'll do that," I responded, mentally adding it to the long list of books that I've promised to look at without making a time commitment for actually doing so.  If you could see the pile of books in

Pastor Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08460908913641298381noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3585355669826116109.post-85854619691871763792011-02-07T12:33:00.000-05:002011-02-07T12:33:48.192-05:00

I must be a subconscious Green Bay Packers fan.  Not because they won last night's Super Bowl, but because I really packed in the foods last night while watching the game!  Or maybe I'm a subconscious Steelers fan, because I didn't sleep very well last night after they lost.  Actually, I didn't sleep well because of what my body couldn't turn over even though the Steelers turned the ball over

Pastor Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08460908913641298381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3585355669826116109.post-61191844689687329012011-02-03T16:19:00.002-05:002011-02-03T16:28:55.198-05:00

I received the February 2011 issue of Readers Digest last week.  The cover features two sunny-side-up eggs and a slice of curved bacon.  The overall effect is a smiley face.  In bold all-caps is the headline, "EAT THIS, LOSE WEIGHT: The New Science of Dieting." If you've read the last several posts of this blog, you know that I'm working on weight loss and healthy living, so this cover obviously

Pastor Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08460908913641298381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3585355669826116109.post-74262527512184118902011-01-31T12:42:00.001-05:002011-02-12T18:01:51.190-05:00

Last week was so busy that I never got around to posting what's been on my mind and heart.  But my heart, mind and body have been quite busy - even if the blog wasn't!  So here we go again... Working out with my friend and fitness expert - he's more experienced than me, but might not call himself an expert - at the Y recently, he said something that really stuck with me: "You're really a lot

Pastor Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08460908913641298381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3585355669826116109.post-8246447744086392082011-01-19T14:29:00.001-05:002011-01-19T15:53:53.969-05:00

Back before Christmas, I stepped on the scales and then read the result: 254.2. For a lot of people that would be a very discouraging number. For me, it was an encouraging number! It meant that I was down from the 258 that I weighed before Thanksgiving. Whether or not something is encouraging depends on the base line by which we measure it. That's true in weight management; that's true in

Pastor Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08460908913641298381noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3585355669826116109.post-87447263479890361312011-01-17T21:36:00.001-05:002011-01-18T17:11:36.737-05:00

I haven't posted to this blog in a VERY long time! More than a year, actually... But a wonderful aspect of the Christian faith is the idea of fresh starts... new beginnings... resurrection. And so I am taking a fresh start on "Pursue Holiness" with this post. Perhaps I might get a fresh start from readers who choose to follow this blog, too! Resurrecting "Pursue Holiness" is only one fresh start

Pastor Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08460908913641298381noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3585355669826116109.post-82806811679030293282009-05-20T22:32:00.002-04:002009-05-20T22:37:04.412-04:00

First published May 15, 2009 in The Daily Sentinel.Last week, an article about motherhood caught my attention. Maybe it’s because we just finished celebrating Mother’s Day last Sunday, maybe it’s because the article indicates that American society has radically changed its expectations of motherhood and fatherhood.In figures released by the US National Center for Health Statistics, four of every

Pastor Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08460908913641298381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3585355669826116109.post-32329642202226960932009-05-10T18:44:00.002-04:002009-05-10T18:48:47.759-04:00

First published May 7, 2009 in The Daily Sentinel.The US automotive industry is in turmoil. Chrysler is in bankruptcy and preparing to be at least partially merged with Italy’s Fiat. And GM has announced the elimination of Pontiac as an icon of American performance automobiles. The latter development has caught my attention.As soon as 2010, Pontiacs will no longer be produced. For me, a

Pastor Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08460908913641298381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3585355669826116109.post-80429193628033094472009-05-04T11:36:00.004-04:002009-05-04T11:49:12.739-04:00

Ai-yai-yai! Has it really been a month since I posted!Here's the latest article from The Daily Sentinel. Maybe at some point I will post the "back issues."First published in The Daily Sentinel on Friday, April 24, 2009In The Santa Clause, the first movie with Tim Allen as Santa, there’s a scene in which Tim’s character – Scott Calvin – cannot believe what he’s seeing in Toyland at the North

Pastor Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08460908913641298381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3585355669826116109.post-51386562579767850072009-03-30T11:24:00.001-04:002009-03-30T11:28:19.090-04:00

First published Friday, Feb. 15, 2009 in The Daily SentinelStill terribly behind in posting my articles from the newspaper onto this blog. Please check the side-navigation under "Recent Posts" if you've missed something that you'd like to see.And feedback would be very nice, too!This week, leaders from the House and Senate gathered together to finalize a new economic stimulus package. Almost

Pastor Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08460908913641298381noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3585355669826116109.post-20951933831668219842009-03-25T16:56:00.002-04:002009-03-25T17:00:55.313-04:00

First published Friday, Feb. 6, 2009 in The Daily SentinelI've gotten terribly behind in posting my articles from the newspaper onto this blog. So there is going to be a flurry of updates over the next several days as I attempt to get current. Please check the side-navigation under "Recent Posts" if you've missed something that you'd like to see.And feedback would be very nice, too!The economy

Pastor Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08460908913641298381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3585355669826116109.post-88454959825007793812009-03-19T22:29:00.003-04:002009-03-19T22:33:54.657-04:00

First published on Friday, January 23, 2009 in The Daily SentinelI've gotten terribly behind in posting my articles from the newspaper onto this blog. So there is going to be a flurry of updates over the next several days as I attempt to get current. Please check the side-navigation under "Recent Posts" if you've missed something that you'd like to see.And feedback would be very nice, too!With

Pastor Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08460908913641298381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3585355669826116109.post-1292755909581940722009-01-21T16:49:00.007-05:002011-05-24T08:34:45.478-04:00

First published on Friday, January 16, 2009 in The Daily Sentinel. I've edited the entry below from the printed version only in the reference to dates since the original published date in the paper and the posted date on this blog. Last Thursday was the actual birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr., but the nation remembered him officially on Monday: MLK Day. If he had not been assassinated on

Pastor Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08460908913641298381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3585355669826116109.post-44858902347910813342009-01-17T20:55:00.003-05:002009-01-17T20:59:00.610-05:00

First published Friday, January 2, 2009 in The Daily SentinelI've allowed myself to get behind in posting to this blog again.... By the time we get to mid-January, we're supposed to have already put the previous year behind us, but I think this article is still timely - because we all have to deal with death.In a lot of ways, I couldn’t wait to see 2008 put behind me. If I were to sum up the

Pastor Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08460908913641298381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3585355669826116109.post-13177872660792126242008-12-31T09:14:00.001-05:002008-12-31T09:17:55.716-05:00

First published Friday, Dec. 26, 2008 in The Daily SentinelThe stockings, once empty, then filled, are now empty again. The tree, almost hidden by presents just yesterday, now sits forlornly in the corner with nothing hiding under its branches. The trashcans are overflowing with discarded wrapping paper, crushed bows, and over-protective, theft-deterrent packaging. Christmas seems so slow to

Pastor Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08460908913641298381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3585355669826116109.post-20807335604972148562008-12-26T13:14:00.002-05:002008-12-26T13:27:53.222-05:00

First published Friday, December 19, 2008 in The Daily SentinelMy mother claimed victory over cancer 25 years ago by going home to be with her Lord Jesus Christ. If I have any talent in writing, it comes from her. I shared this story last year at Christmas, and I think I will make it my annual Christmas tradition – the sharing of “The Christmas Tree.” Merry Christmas!They were young; they were

Pastor Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08460908913641298381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3585355669826116109.post-10148358528031920222008-12-23T18:51:00.001-05:002008-12-23T18:53:24.675-05:00

First published on Friday, December 12, 2008 in The Daily SentinelOver the last several months, the newspapers, TV and internet have been full of stories talking about our economy. Our government has given billions of dollars to banks and financial services companies. Congress is considering giving billions more to shore up the “big 3” American automotive companies. Speculation is strong that

Pastor Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08460908913641298381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3585355669826116109.post-1107200734174141222008-12-06T20:56:00.002-05:002008-12-06T20:58:42.000-05:00

First published Friday, December 5, 2008 in the Daily Sentinel.Last Sunday marked the beginning of a special time for Christians. Did you catch it? It marked the beginning of the Christian calendar year. Our common calendar has the New Year another month away, but the Christian year begins with Advent, which started last Sunday.Advent is a time of preparation – preparing ourselves for the

Pastor Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08460908913641298381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3585355669826116109.post-55760971311478198252008-11-29T10:23:00.001-05:002008-11-29T10:25:57.097-05:00

First published in The Daily Sentinel, Friday, November 28, 2008As you digested yesterday’s turkey and all the rest, did you reflect on reasons to be thankful? After all, thanks-giving is what this whole holiday is supposed to be about!! (No, it’s not just the day before the biggest shopping day of the year)I have much to be thankful for this Thanksgiving. I returned from my mission trip to

Pastor Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08460908913641298381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3585355669826116109.post-10250439375537775962008-11-23T22:15:00.002-05:002008-11-23T22:24:40.564-05:00

First published in The Daily Sentinel, Friday, Nov. 14, 2008.When our children were younger, packing for a trip was more exhausting than the trip itself. We were still living in Texas, and we came to Ohio for Christmas with my wife’s parents. Our kids were something like 6 months old, almost two years old, and five years old. We crammed the van full of diapers, porta-cribs, bottles and formula

Pastor Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08460908913641298381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3585355669826116109.post-10308852158162427012008-11-07T23:40:00.002-05:002008-11-07T23:45:19.816-05:00

First published in The Daily Sentinel, Friday, November 7, 2008I promise that this will be my last column on the subject of presidential election politics. At least for a while. I am greatly fatigued by this presidential election season – and I feel like it’s gone on for next to forever. But I also feel strongly that there are a few more things to think about before we move on to the next

Pastor Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08460908913641298381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3585355669826116109.post-56351750481332351272008-10-28T18:19:00.002-04:002008-10-28T18:33:52.348-04:00

First published in The Daily Sentinel, Friday, October 10, 2008.With the elections happening next week, this post is still timely...The Bible talks a LOT about money. Most people know that – but they are less sure of what the Bible says specifically about money. In one of my Sunday school classes recently, I handed out a sheet that contained many different sayings. The class was asked to

Pastor Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08460908913641298381noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3585355669826116109.post-89545537564590240082008-10-20T14:59:00.002-04:002008-10-20T15:09:24.387-04:00

First published in The Daily Sentinel, Friday, Oct. 3, 2008My wife and I went to a major department store last week to look at new bath towels. This is an errand that I complete only every decade or so. When I buy bath towels, I like to buy the really good ones so that they will last a really long time.As we came off the escalator, we were surrounded by CHRISTMAS! Christmas trees, Christmas

Pastor Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08460908913641298381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3585355669826116109.post-21676602356584913092008-10-16T14:13:00.002-04:002008-10-16T14:16:15.896-04:00

I got behind in posting to the blog. Now I'm catching up... ;-)First published in The Daily Sentinel, Friday, Sept. 26, 2008.The big headline this week is the $700 billion bail-out plan for the financial services industry proposed by President Bush’s administration. I am flabbergasted by the sheer size of the proposal. Do you have any clue how big 700 billion is? Thomas Sowell, a syndicated

Pastor Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08460908913641298381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3585355669826116109.post-89978116357253838842008-10-13T22:20:00.004-04:002008-10-13T22:29:12.070-04:00

First published in The Daily Sentinel, Friday, Sept. 19, 2008Hurricane Ike slammed into the Texas Gulf Coast last weekend, unleashing ferocious winds, an 11-foot storm surge onto the beach, and pounding rain. I spent my first year after college in that part of Texas. My wife and I lived in Brazoria County, right next to Galveston along the coast south of Houston.Watching the news reports, I saw

Pastor Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08460908913641298381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3585355669826116109.post-86114905070201565882008-09-17T09:38:00.004-04:002008-09-17T10:06:17.958-04:00

First published in The Daily Sentinel, Friday September 12, 2008Yesterday was the seventh anniversary of the terrorist attacks on the United States. People paused for moments of silence to somberly remember those who lost their lives on that day. There is no doubt that what happened on September 11, 2001 was an attack on the United States and its commitment to freedom, liberty, and democratic

Pastor Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08460908913641298381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3585355669826116109.post-6184738071732985882008-09-04T16:09:00.002-04:002008-09-04T16:15:34.170-04:00

First published in The Daily Sentinel, Friday September 5, 2008A week ago hardly anyone had heard of Alaska governor Sarah Palin. Then suddenly her name is on the lips of every person interested in presidential politics. I am even more behind the times than most. I didn’t know anything at all about her – not even that Republican candidate John McCain had named her as his running mate – until

Pastor Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08460908913641298381noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3585355669826116109.post-18249890056933454822008-08-25T12:05:00.005-04:002008-08-25T12:30:13.263-04:00

First published in The Daily Sentinel, Friday, Aug. 15, 2008I learned the other day that a new Star Trek movie is in the works. I am a confirmed “Trekker,” so this is big news for me. I went on the Internet to learn as much about the new movie as I could. The last movie, “Star Trek: Nemesis,” was very disappointing. I hope the new movie will be much better.Going online, I uncovered rumor

Pastor Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08460908913641298381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3585355669826116109.post-13179775004393346932008-08-20T10:49:00.005-04:002008-12-09T03:56:46.238-05:00

First published in The Daily Sentinel, Friday, Aug. 1, 2008Did you ever study the famous Robert Frost poem written in 1920 called “The Road Not Taken”? It was part of my high school literature class. We had to find all kinds of deep meaning in the poem’s lines:TWO roads diverged in a yellow woodAnd sorry I could not travel bothAnd be one traveler, long I stoodAnd looked down one as far as I

Pastor Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08460908913641298381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3585355669826116109.post-73199778551771506642008-08-15T09:21:00.003-04:002008-08-15T09:31:06.755-04:00

First published in The Daily Sentinel, Friday, August 1, 2008The movers pulled out of the driveway after unloading all of our belongings into the new parsonage. I went back inside the house to be confronted by over 400 boxes, furniture that needed placement, and a kitchen still being remodeled. Things were a mess! Looking through the chaos, it was tempting to simply throw my hands up in

Pastor Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08460908913641298381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3585355669826116109.post-62821324443099703052008-08-06T14:38:00.004-04:002008-08-06T14:56:26.824-04:00

First published in The Daily Sentinel, Friday July 18, 2008By now, much of Meigs County – at least those who follow the goings-on in our United Methodist Churches – know that my family and I are moving. We left on Tuesday for my new appointment at the Grace United Methodist Church in Perrysburg, Ohio.Perrysburg is a south-side suburb of Toledo, thus I went from one corner of the state to the

Pastor Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08460908913641298381noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3585355669826116109.post-30790802436692931062008-08-01T18:32:00.004-04:002008-08-01T18:50:36.252-04:00

First published in The Daily Sentinel, Friday, July 4, 2008. Getting closer to catching up!The other day, a columnist in the paper complained about the amount of attention being paid to the religious faiths of the various candidates for president. He wanted less religion and more politics. And I think he expected to get great shouts of “AMEN!”He might have that reaction from some people, I am

Pastor Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08460908913641298381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3585355669826116109.post-40160008568135145532008-07-29T17:27:00.004-04:002008-07-29T17:43:48.860-04:00

First published in The Daily Sentinel, Friday, June 20, 2008.With this post, I finally got all of June's articles online. In a few days, I will get July posted; but , of course, by then it will be August! Will I ever get caught up??Every year, United Methodists from around the state gather for what’s called Annual Conference. Last week, I joined pastors from across the West Ohio Conference,

Pastor Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08460908913641298381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3585355669826116109.post-33302937845127375652008-07-09T11:30:00.004-04:002008-12-09T03:56:46.517-05:00

I've got some catching up to do with entries here. So, although Father's Day was last month, here's my Father's Day column:First published in The Daily Sentinel, Friday, June 13, 2008.Father’s Day is special to me – and not because I am the proud father of three children. It’s special to me because it allows me to honor my own father. I have written before about my mother and her impact on my

Pastor Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08460908913641298381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3585355669826116109.post-64463647147772007632008-06-30T11:03:00.005-04:002008-06-30T11:19:22.178-04:00

First published in The Daily Sentinel, Friday, June 27, 2008David Jones was in a hurry. He was running late to pick up his daughter, and he did not want her to wait any longer than necessary. He’d come all the way from Louisiana to Plano, Texas (a suburb of Dallas) to get her from his ex-wife. Driving down the six-lane street last Sunday morning, the traffic was light. It was easy for

Pastor Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08460908913641298381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3585355669826116109.post-37108220425879318842008-06-25T16:07:00.003-04:002008-06-25T16:20:21.491-04:00

Sorry, I've not kept this up to date with the articles in the local paper. June has been an incredibly busy month. Annual Conference kept me away for a week, and I am now in the process of packing up the family in preparations for a new appointment near Toledo, Ohio.Yes, I am moving from one corner of the state to another! But I will continue to write for the paper and post them to this blog.

Pastor Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08460908913641298381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3585355669826116109.post-28209248125685092742008-05-26T21:29:00.006-04:002008-05-26T22:19:04.293-04:00

First published in The Daily Sentinel on Friday, May 23, 2008.I read two books recently on very different subjects, but something this week made me see a connection between them. The first book was “Unchristian” by David Kinnaman and Gabe Lyons. The premise of the book is based on research among younger people, aged 16-29, who do not claim Christianity as their religion. What do they think

Pastor Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08460908913641298381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3585355669826116109.post-45166226276362731862008-05-17T13:48:00.003-04:002008-05-17T13:59:38.329-04:00

First published in The Daily Sentinel, Friday, May 16, 2008(note: I've somewhat anonymized this from its original publishing because of the less secure nature of the internet. Anyone who would like more details may contact me through the comments feature.)I went to fill up the car the other day. The cost of gasoline has now reached mind-boggling proportions – and there doesn’t seem to be an

Pastor Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08460908913641298381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3585355669826116109.post-50086433972067896562008-05-13T12:31:00.003-04:002008-12-09T03:56:46.573-05:00

First published in The Daily Sentinel, Friday, May 9, 2008.I learned something new this week. I learn many new things every week, but this week’s lesson strikes me as particularly compelling. And I’m curious how others feel about it. Mildred Jeter Loving died last Friday. Obituaries were printed in the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, the Washington Post, and several other major

Pastor Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08460908913641298381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3585355669826116109.post-20487957953194257602008-05-03T20:11:00.004-04:002008-12-09T03:56:46.589-05:00

First published in The Daily Sentinel, Friday, May 2, 2008First, I want to thank all those who expressed concern for my cat after last week’s column. He’s doing much better now, and is expected to make a complete recovery! His fight for life got me thinking about us when we face dire situations. Why do some people get sick and die while others get sick and then live? And I don’t mean

Pastor Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08460908913641298381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3585355669826116109.post-41429274465025600002008-05-03T00:12:00.005-04:002008-05-03T00:56:00.167-04:00

I am amazed at how far technology has come in the four years since the last United Methodist General Conference. I went as an observer to the 2004 GC in Pittsburgh, and I really wanted to go to Fort Worth for GC 2008, which was held this past week. But finances and ministry commitments at home would not allow for that.Then, as I poked around the umc.com website, I discovered that this time, all

Pastor Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08460908913641298381noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3585355669826116109.post-62667229250989318082008-04-29T10:33:00.003-04:002008-04-29T11:05:29.654-04:00

A couple of weeks ago, I posted a short survey asking people to prognosticate the future of the candidacy process within the United Methodist Church. Eleven responses were received - which is not as many as I had hoped - but I thank all who took the two seconds to vote. The result was rather pessimistic in outlook: 1 vote for "do nothing"6 votes for "refer to another study commission"4 votes for

Pastor Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08460908913641298381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3585355669826116109.post-78629070919823062872008-04-28T18:23:00.004-04:002008-12-09T03:56:46.673-05:00

First published in The Daily Sentinel on Friday, April 25, 2008Early Monday morning, our family was startled awake by barking dogs. Not barking in the distance, they were barking right below our house. My son came to my bedroom and said that he saw three big dogs attacking a cat from his bedroom window. The cat was black-and-white. We have a black-and-white cat. I quickly threw on some

Pastor Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08460908913641298381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3585355669826116109.post-50182856574141691092008-04-21T17:04:00.002-04:002008-04-21T17:07:48.138-04:00

First published Friday, April 18, 2008 in The Daily Sentinel I just returned from my second trip to Texas in less than a month. I wrote about the first trip just a couple of weeks ago. This trip was for the same reason: another grandmother passed away. I’ve been dealing with a lot of deaths, lately. Both of my wife’s grandmothers die within a month of one another; and a very dear person

Pastor Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08460908913641298381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3585355669826116109.post-26068324300930523932008-04-14T12:21:00.002-04:002008-04-14T12:31:19.212-04:00

First published April 11, 2008 in The Daily Sentinel.My kids have never heard of Rodney Dangerfield. I made some sort of joke recently – the kind Rodney would have said – and they looked at me like I had just crawled out from the slime along the Ohio River after hitting flood stage. “Oh, c’mon!” I said, “can’t I get any respect around here?” Those of us who can remember Rodney know that he

Pastor Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08460908913641298381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3585355669826116109.post-8029010812080649852008-04-07T10:03:00.003-04:002008-04-07T10:08:57.336-04:00

First published in The Daily Sentinel, Friday, April 4, 2008Be prepared for some heavy-handed political maneuvering. Accusations and counter-accusations may fly from both the right and the left. One side may accuse another other of losing touch with their basic human compassion. Meanwhile, that other side will point fingers back for not remaining truly loyal to their commitments. It may get

Pastor Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08460908913641298381noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3585355669826116109.post-46283252993896843002008-03-31T16:15:00.003-04:002008-03-31T16:21:28.180-04:00

First published Friday, March 30, 2008 in The Daily Sentinel.What’s a true test of family togetherness? The big Thanksgiving Day dinner? The Christmas festivities? Getting everyone into their Easter-Sunday best and to the church on time? All of those may be a true test of family togetherness, but I now know what can top them all: 40-something hours driving together in a minivan to Texas and

Pastor Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08460908913641298381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3585355669826116109.post-66967371309367873332008-03-22T19:23:00.003-04:002008-03-22T19:27:47.160-04:00

First published in The Daily Sentinel, Friday, March 21, 2008“Jesus, regardless of where his corpse ended up, is dead and remains dead.” Think that statement is provocative? Absolutely. Spoken by an atheist or irreligious person? Actually, no. Thomas Sheehan, professor at Stanford University’s Department of Religious Studies, said that. Dr. Sheehan has a theory about the story of Jesus’

Pastor Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08460908913641298381noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3585355669826116109.post-88037254254420469972008-03-17T16:57:00.002-04:002008-03-17T17:02:56.139-04:00

First published in The Daily Sentinel, Friday, March 14, 2008 Just in case you have been visiting your family off-planet somewhere, I’d like to officially inform you that Easter is only nine days from now! That’s right, this Sunday is Palm Sunday in the western Christian calendar, and the following Sunday – March 23 – is Easter! I received several emails – actually the same email from

Pastor Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08460908913641298381noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3585355669826116109.post-85527463510089738892008-03-07T09:11:00.002-05:002008-03-07T09:34:18.761-05:00

First published in The Daily Sentinel, Friday, March 7, 2008One of my favorite old hymns is “Tell Me the Stories of Jesus.” Actually, as far as hymns go, it’s not all that old. The words were penned by William H. Parker in 1885, and the music was written by Frederic A. Challinor in 1903. So that’s just over a century ago. “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing,” another of my favorites, was written by

Pastor Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08460908913641298381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3585355669826116109.post-57538572984440130252008-03-06T14:01:00.003-05:002008-03-07T09:11:26.532-05:00

First published in The Daily Sentinel, Friday, February 29, 2008.“Hi, I’m Pastor K, and I’m an internet joke junkie.” Chorus of “Hi, Pastor K.” How many of you could belong to my 12-step group for Internet joke collectors? I get jokes sent to me by email. I have a collection of “favorites” – websites that post clean jokes. I even have a couple of honest-to-goodness books of jokes, too.

Pastor Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08460908913641298381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3585355669826116109.post-26031595834559823302008-02-22T14:36:00.001-05:002008-02-22T14:41:48.292-05:00

First published in The Daily Sentinel, Friday, Feb. 22, 2008Meet Craig. He’s got a good job that earns a decent income. He has a lovely wife and two kids – one boy and one girl. Their home is cozy without feeling cramped. His truck is relatively new and has no mechanical problems. He has an active social life – good friends who know how to have a good time without getting into trouble.

Pastor Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08460908913641298381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3585355669826116109.post-55696739158530863702008-02-15T08:37:00.003-05:002008-02-15T08:43:42.460-05:00

First published in The Daily Sentinel, Friday, February 15, 2008Sometimes, when one is compelled to participate in an activity, there is a built-in resistance to everything that comes with participating. The kid in school who is compelled to run laps for physical education class is less likely to run with enthusiasm that the kid who volunteers to run the 400-meter race at a track meet. This “

Pastor Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08460908913641298381noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3585355669826116109.post-48061748178384827372008-02-14T09:22:00.003-05:002008-02-14T09:29:53.518-05:00

First published in The Daily Sentinel, Friday, February 8, 2008Last Sunday’s Super Bowl was a thriller – and a welcome change from the way it’s been most years. The game was actually more fun to watch than the commercials! Who would have expected such a defensive game when the most prolific offense in National Football League history was on the field? I didn’t publicly predict a final score,

Pastor Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08460908913641298381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3585355669826116109.post-22123212422910305812008-02-01T13:49:00.002-05:002011-05-24T08:35:07.756-04:00

First published in The Daily Sentinel, Friday, February 1, 2008 The rush of Christmas is behind us (whew!), and summer seems so far away. In the bleak midwinter, it is easy to get the bad-weather blues. In recent years, scientists have even developed a name for it: Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). Sad, indeed! Scientists tell us that the cure for SAD is light; we just don’t get enough of

Pastor Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08460908913641298381noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3585355669826116109.post-13059045826101159182008-01-25T20:09:00.000-05:002008-01-25T20:11:19.872-05:00

First published in The Daily Sentinel, Friday, January 25, 2008 Have you heard of Pastor Jason Burrick? Until last week, neither had I. Pastor Burrick doesn’t have the name recognition enjoyed by Rick Warren, Joel Osteen, or Max Lucado. But that didn’t stop him from being featured in the Wall Street Journal. For many people, the Wall Street Journal is all about business news: stocks,

Pastor Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08460908913641298381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3585355669826116109.post-23056351300558778612008-01-20T14:32:00.000-05:002008-01-20T14:47:04.726-05:00

First published in The Daily Sentinel, Friday, January 18, 2008In many ways, Dawn Sherman is your typical 14-year-old. She goes to school, sings in a church choir – and wants to make a difference in the world. But unlike most teenagers, she’s not waiting until she’s a “grown-up.” Dawn is making a difference – at least in her school district – right now. She is party to a lawsuit that’s

Pastor Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08460908913641298381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3585355669826116109.post-31549422471936511472008-01-11T23:06:00.000-05:002008-12-09T03:56:47.086-05:00

First published in The Daily Sentinel, Friday. January 11, 2008The new pastor was nervous. This was his first Sunday in the new church, and he wanted to make a strong first impression. The church’s sanctuary had some magnificent stained glass windows, so the pastor decided to make use of them during his children’s message. He talked about how each of us is called of God to help make up the

Pastor Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08460908913641298381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3585355669826116109.post-67294784784579154082008-01-05T12:59:00.000-05:002008-01-05T13:03:02.195-05:00

First published in The Daily Sentinel, Friday, January 4, 2007.I had to start a new calendar this week. I would guess that’s true for most everyone. It’s now 2008! Happy New Year!! One thing I have learned as I have gotten older is how much more quickly time goes by now. I’m still having a hard time remembering that the year no longer start with a “1,” much less getting it right that it now

Pastor Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08460908913641298381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3585355669826116109.post-8425527325579840492008-01-02T16:34:00.000-05:002008-01-02T16:46:20.447-05:00

This Christmas weekend, I want to share a special story with you. It was written by my mother over thirty years ago, set in a time even longer ago than that. Much in our society has changed over the years, but one thing remains the same: Christmas is about finding God in the midst of the every-day-ness of life. This is a very special Christmas story for me, and I hope it will be for you, too.

Pastor Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08460908913641298381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3585355669826116109.post-44073974208918975272007-12-14T13:32:00.001-05:002008-05-17T13:47:42.781-04:00

First published in The Daily Sentinel, Friday, Dec. 14, 2007I took my kids to see the latest Disney animated film several years ago. After decades of fairy tales and talking animals, Disney was taking on serious literature: The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Of course, “Hunchback” had some characteristically Disney characters, most notably the animated, singing gargoyles from the top of the cathedral

Pastor Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08460908913641298381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3585355669826116109.post-54478282418835479742007-12-11T09:17:00.000-05:002007-12-11T09:23:17.691-05:00

First published in The Daily Sentinel, Friday, Dec. 7, 2007When I was in my later elementary years, my mother made a discovery that truly changed how we celebrated Christmas. She discovered Advent. Advent, of course, is very old. Its origins date back to the early Christian church – somewhere during the 4th century – as Christians remembered and celebrated events of Jesus Christ’s life,

Pastor Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08460908913641298381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3585355669826116109.post-29419367564965663922007-12-10T08:03:00.000-05:002007-12-10T08:10:48.235-05:00

First published in The Daily Sentinel, Friday, Nov. 30, 2007“Dad, when are you going to get the lights up?” It’s not even December and I’ve heard that question (or some variation of it) at least a dozen times. Hanging lights on the house, yard, trees, bushes seems to have become the new Christmas tradition in the last decade or so. If its an outside object, then you can hang lights on it.

Pastor Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08460908913641298381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3585355669826116109.post-28146450067459963172007-12-08T08:37:00.000-05:002008-12-09T03:56:47.263-05:00

First published in The Daily Sentinel, Friday, Nov. 23, 2007Happy “Black Friday”! Don’t know what that means? A few years ago, retailers figured out that the Day-after-Thanksgiving sales were what pushed them out of the “red” in losing money into the “black” of turning a profit for the year. So “Black Friday” became the symbolic turnaround required to be successful in retail sales. Have

Pastor Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08460908913641298381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3585355669826116109.post-60274635378782418162007-12-06T19:03:00.000-05:002007-12-06T19:11:34.719-05:00

First published in The Daily Sentinel, Friday, Nov. 9th, 2007.We finally got the cooler weather that’s expected with the changing of seasons. Summer seemed to hang on far longer than most of us wanted. It certainly stayed hot too long for my tastes! Several times this summer, I commented on how much southeastern Ohio was feeling like the Texas summers I grew up with. And I moved away from

Pastor Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08460908913641298381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3585355669826116109.post-21716015942586597192007-12-05T12:19:00.000-05:002008-12-09T03:56:47.382-05:00

Here's another "behind the times" post - this time from November 1: All Saints Day.This Sunday, our church will honor the memories of loved ones who have died during the past two years. Their names will be read one at a time, and a bell will ring after each name is read. It’s a very solemn, but also joyful experience. We experience the grief of our losses – we miss these people tremendously!

Pastor Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08460908913641298381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3585355669826116109.post-63961317859692252007-11-29T14:13:00.000-05:002007-11-29T15:02:30.790-05:00

I'm quite a bit behind in posting my articles for the Daily Sentinel. This article first appeared back on the last Friday of October. It was a lot more timely near Halloween than Thanksgiving and Christmas. But oh well, enjoy anyway.....Last night was “Trick-or-Treat” Night here and in other communities in the County. Hundreds of children took to the streets dressed up in costumes and went

Pastor Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08460908913641298381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3585355669826116109.post-10044785687232976812007-11-28T12:36:00.000-05:002007-11-28T12:40:32.258-05:00

Not too long ago, I attended a special seminar on retirement planning. One of the exercises was to calculate my net worth. In simple terms, I added up the dollar value of everything I own, and then subtracted the amount of money I owe. The result wasn’t pretty. In fact, it was downright negative. I mean, literally in the negative! I owed more to others than what I owned. That meant even

Pastor Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08460908913641298381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3585355669826116109.post-84224964301423996842007-10-19T11:35:00.000-04:002007-10-19T11:52:39.444-04:00

Did you watch the Republican presidential debate last week? Were you aware they were even having a debate? I didn’t watch it. I’m not even sure which night they debated.I haven’t watched any of the several Democratic debates, either. I don’t want to get embroiled in presidential politics so early. But the media and the candidates certainly want me embroiled! It’s been non-stop Hillary v.

Pastor Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08460908913641298381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3585355669826116109.post-14925468222089300132007-10-12T16:38:00.000-04:002007-10-12T16:48:11.942-04:00

My column in the local paper went through a "hiatus" as my column was lost in the shuffle for several weeks. I have made it my policy to not post online until after the print version has been distributed. Then things got very busy for me and I did not get this article posted for another week beyond its first published date. So without further adieu, here is the article that was first published

Pastor Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08460908913641298381noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3585355669826116109.post-29830201044598283112007-09-17T15:05:00.000-04:002007-09-17T15:22:34.479-04:00

Originally published in The Daily Sentinel on Friday, September 14, 2007.This month marks a major anniversary – one that EVERYONE should remember! I’ll give you a hint: This is the 20th anniversary. Remember 1987?Still not sure? I’ll give another clue: television. Now I’m SURE you remember! …No? Alright, this month marks the 20th anniversary of the “Star Trek: The Next Generation”

Pastor Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08460908913641298381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3585355669826116109.post-52119820248355501012007-09-08T15:33:00.000-04:002007-09-08T15:41:32.815-04:00

First published in The Daily Sentinel, Friday, Sept. 8, 2007Two weeks ago, my wife and I took our oldest child to college. She’s attending a school in northeastern Ohio; it’s about three hours from home. Many people have asked me how I’m doing with her being so far away – and I think they’re expecting me to talk about how much I miss her and wish she were closer. But I don’t miss her. Well

Pastor Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08460908913641298381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3585355669826116109.post-73177888231729104822007-09-01T13:56:00.000-04:002007-09-01T14:12:19.056-04:00

First published in The Daily Sentinel, Friday, Aug. 31, 2007The River City Players present “Seussical—The Musical” this weekend. I play a supporting character, General Gengus Khan Schmitz, who runs a military school for young Who children. (That's NOT me in the photo ...)General Schmitz is an interesting person. He’s full of military pomp and bluster. He likes to put on a grand marching show.

Pastor Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08460908913641298381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3585355669826116109.post-24901259415354258252007-09-01T13:09:00.000-04:002007-09-01T13:42:44.163-04:00

First published in The Daily Sentinel, Friday Aug. 24, 2007I caught a few minutes of a talk radio show this week. Its funny how at night, AM radio can do strange things. I somehow managed to get a station from Boston, and the topic of conversation was the Michael Vick dog fighting case. Michael Vick is the star quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons. Over the last several years, the Falcons

Pastor Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08460908913641298381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3585355669826116109.post-74533622918724015172007-08-20T09:11:00.000-04:002008-12-09T03:56:47.642-05:00

Fair week is special. Adults get a break from the routine; kids get a chance at rides and prizes. Families get together and camp out in the RV. Some come to show off their skills in various events, others come to gawk at what’s been entered in the events. Some come to sell their wares, some to raise money for charitable or school groups; others come to buy the best tacos-in-a-bag or freshest

Pastor Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08460908913641298381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3585355669826116109.post-89746919799912517742007-08-10T11:14:00.000-04:002007-08-10T11:18:00.841-04:00

First published in The Daily Sentinel, Friday, Aug. 10, 2007Drive around this area during the summer and you’ll see garden after garden – in backyards, side yards, and even a few front yards. My wife and I joined the gardening movement last summer. We prepped an area back behind the parsonage and planted lettuce, spinach, summer squash, zucchini, and butternut squash. Garrison Keillor (of

Pastor Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08460908913641298381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3585355669826116109.post-45043006862406224122007-08-10T11:05:00.000-04:002007-08-10T11:30:54.215-04:00

First published in The Daily Sentinel, Friday, Aug. 3, 2007Last week my four-year-old niece, Cassandra, came to visit us for the week. It was my most intense experience with a preschooler in over a decade. How quickly we forget the way things were “back then!” For example, I’d forgotten about the importance of the bedtime rituals. My youngest daughter (now a teenager) occasionally still

Pastor Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08460908913641298381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3585355669826116109.post-62665218623446742532007-08-10T11:02:00.000-04:002007-08-10T11:05:29.519-04:00

First published in The Daily Sentinel, Friday, July 27, 2007There are three kinds of people in the world: those who can make and keep track of lists and those who can’t. OK, you can probably guess where I fit. I’ve tried to make lists and get myself organized. I’ve had day planners, gone to time management seminars, tried computer calendar and tracking programs – but none of them have

Pastor Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08460908913641298381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3585355669826116109.post-61922365386725099002007-08-08T20:48:00.000-04:002007-08-08T20:51:50.529-04:00

First published in The Daily Sentinel, Friday, July 20. 2007 By the time this column is published, no doubt some people will have already devoured the seventh Harry Potter book. For them, this is the most important event in their lives. More important than the war in Iraq. More important than who’ll be elected next U.S. president. Maybe even more important than what’s for dinner tonight!

Pastor Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08460908913641298381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3585355669826116109.post-76916650984847933602007-08-08T18:09:00.000-04:002007-08-08T18:12:32.020-04:00

Originally published in The Daily Sentinel, Friday July 13, 2007 Some people are into shocking others. Think Howard Stern. Paris Hilton. Madonna. The more flamboyant something is, the more those types of people like it. But not every “shock jock” is a famous personality. Some are right here with us in southeastern Ohio. I got a big shock last weekend. Our church hosted the funeral for

Pastor Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08460908913641298381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3585355669826116109.post-15242670010594688922007-08-08T18:04:00.000-04:002007-08-08T18:07:15.138-04:00

Originally published in The Daily Sentinel, July 6, 2007Earlier this week, I went to see “Evan Almighty” at the Kanauga Drive-In. I rationalized that it could be part of my sermon preparations for this Sunday. I am preaching on Noah and the Flood from Genesis 7, so I thought it would be a good idea to see how Hollywood has reinterpreted that story in a 21st century context. If you haven’t

Pastor Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08460908913641298381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3585355669826116109.post-77436529893509452392007-08-07T12:55:00.000-04:002007-08-07T13:00:01.473-04:00

Published in The Daily Sentinel, Friday, June 29, 2007When Irving Berlin wrote his first version of “God Bless America” in 1918, I imagine he never expected that song to be even more popular today almost a century later. Through the years, “God Bless America” has become the unofficial national anthem. It was the most popular song at memorial services following the terrorist attacks of

Pastor Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08460908913641298381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3585355669826116109.post-41542632149053160862007-08-07T12:26:00.001-04:002008-12-09T03:56:47.947-05:00

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