Growing up I lived with my grandparents in Bellmead, Texas. It was during World War II and my Dad was in Germany. My mother had contracted Tuberculosis, and was in a sanitarium in west Texas. My grandfather worked hard six days a week, but Sunday was our day. We went to church, followed by lunch,…
When Jacob was finally made aware of the location of his son Joseph, he was allowed to take his family to Egypt. Upon arrival, Pharaoh asked Jacob, “How old are you?” (Genesis 47:8). In most cultures, this is a question that is considered rude to ask. Most older people don’t want to give their age….
Here’s a Christmas word for you. The oft-read “Christmas Story” from Luke 2, contains a wonderful word, largely a lost word in our vocabulary – “ponder – “to consider something deeply and thoroughly; to meditate; to weigh carefully in the mind; to consider thoughtfully.” “Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart”…
I speak in a lot of diverse places and under a variety of circumstances. Sometimes the welcome is warm and cordial. Other times, not so much. This time, I had completed a Sunday evening assignment of speaking in a church located not far from my home. I make it a practice to know as much…
Tis the season for graduations. Many years ago, at my Seminary graduation, the commencement speaker spoke on the subject “Don’t Forget the Lily Work” from 1 Kings 7:15-22. Hiram finished the construction of Solomon’s Temple with two pillars, each one 27 feet tall, topped with two capitals, each 7 ½ feet high. Then 34 ½…
Have you ever judged someone only by their appearance? Samuel took one look at Eliab and came to a conclusion – “He looked at Eliab and said, “Surely the Lord’s anointed is before Him!” (1 Samuel 16:6) but God corrected Samuel’s opinion. With every semester that I taught, I looked over my students and resisted…
Early in my tenure on a seminary faculty, I attended an annual academic meeting of national scholars, similar to the one that attracted 10,000 persons last week in Boston. From the time I graduated (the first time) from Seminary, until my retirement, my ministry related to campuses – fifteen years to three University campuses and…
Sometimes preachers have thoughts during their sermons that did not occur to them during the preparation time. It happened to me several years ago on the Sunday before Thanksgiving. As expected, I was preaching on being thankful, using the example of the one leper out of ten who returned to thank Jesus for healing (Luke…
Ten years ago I began writing “Dr. Dan’s Monday Morning Manna” and sharing it with whoever was interested in reading it. One of the methods of sharing was the subscription list, of which you (and over 500 others) are a part. Unfortunately, the world is full of people who have nothing more to do than…
We observed time-change Sunday again yesterday. I’ve been doing this twice a year for fifty years, and I still can’t remember which way to change my clock. Do I fall backward or forward? Do I spring up or down? I occasionally just wait till later on Sunday morning to see what my computer has done…