Roger

Have you ever prayed and had to wait for God’s response?  Of course you have.  We all have! In Matthew 7: 7-8 Jesus says, “Ask and it will be given to you, seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.”   The Greek tense of the verse renders the meaning:    “Keep asking, keep seeking, and keep knocking.”   This viewpoint focuses on God’s true meaning of this passage.   Scholars refer to these times as employing the prayer of importunity, or perseverance.   Sometimes we are called upon to persevere in prayer, not because of God’s indifference to our needs, but because timing is always a factor with God, and He more often than not pursues a deeper purpose beyond our requests. Importunity does not constitute begging but rather when we persevere in prayer, God has time to pull things out of our lives that He deems more important than even answering our prayer.   God is not a slot machine, that responds to our every ...

Family.  There’s nothing like it!  During our time on earth God places us within a family unit to love, nurture, and provide for our basic needs.  None of us are given a choice as to what family we’re placed.  As for me, I’m the middle of seven children and my parents were a hard-working and devoted couple.  My family of origin was made complete by many aunts and uncles on both sides, who also took an interest in our large brood!  And to be sure, family dynamics – good and bad –have impacted all of us throughout our lives.  Our family unit met with tragedy when the unthinkable happened.   Mom was taken from us while all teenagers and dad floundered to hold us together.   He did the best he could, given the time, resources and energies he possessed; but frankly, when dad lost the love of his life, he was never the same.   Our family was shaken to its very core.   Returning to Jefferson to plant a church after 40 years away...

My wife and I recently took a group of people through a video series on the book of Matthew.  Actually, the script WAS the book of Matthew and the actor who played Jesus was superb.  He accurately spoke Jesus’ words and beautifully captured the emotions of each event in the narrative. Matthew’s “snapshots” of Jesus’ life and ministry were astounding as we were transported back in time! The book of Matthew was written to a Jewish audience.   The writer’s goal was to present Jesus as their long-awaited Messiah.   The story of His birth, His baptism in the River Jordan, the feeding of the four thousand, then later five thousand astounds the imagination.   His dealings with the Scribes and Pharisees, His miracles, and ultimately His mock trial, crucifixion, death and resurrection all capture the essence of His short life and life-changing wonderful ministry. Toward the end of Matthew’s discourse, I was deeply touched by Jesus’ parable of the talents (Matt...