Several years ago the Senior Pastor at our church announced that he had decided to retire after over 40 years of service. The months that followed involved a number of unexpected twists as the pulpit committee attempted to find his replacement.



Since the church is a large congregation in a small denomination, the number of candidates experienced enough to lead a church with over 2,000 members is somewhat limited. At long last they found their man. 28 months ago Pastor Dave Plaster was… Continue

I don't know another way of saying it. This hasn't been a good week. In fact, it's been a very bad, not good week. There are times in life when you feel like you just can't win and there are other times you look back on those times as the "good ol' days".



Sunday night my wife and I were returning home from a Valentine outing in my college clown car when she asked me to roll her window down for a moment. As I did, it made a grinding sound and a clip, down in the bowels of the door must… Continue

My only brother died in 1983. The victim of a single-car accident, he was snatched from our lives at the tender age of 30. He left behind a wife and 18 month old baby girl. He left a shattered me behind as well. It’s funny; I still dream about him at times. His face is so clear in my mind, yet somehow, I can’t remember his voice. Brad’s death was both an end and a beginning for me. It was the end of my living in his large,… Continue

Working a second job wasn't what I had expected of life at age 46 but my business had gone through a real rough spot so I jumped at the chance for some additional income, even if it was for just a few weeks. The 80+ hour work weeks grew old quickly.



It was a cold Sunday evening when I made my way to my car on the far side of the frozen parking lot. The temperature couldn't have been over 10 degrees. Exhausted, I fell into the driver's seat and turned the key - click, click, nothing.… Continue