-
Be holy
BY JACK WARD Ludwig Nommensen traveled to begin mission work with a tribe in Southeast Asia. The village chief welcomed Ludwig and said, “You have two years to learn our customs and convince us you have a message worth hearing.” After two years, the tribal leader asked the missionary how Christianity differed from the tribe’s
-
The Modern Prodigal Son
BY JACK WARD From a sermon by Scotty Plummer: The day I turned 18, I left home. I had saved some money, and despite my parents’ strong objections, I packed a few things in my Volkswagen and headed for California. Just outside of Needles, California, a man at a rest stop pulled a gun, took
-
We need a sign
BY JACK WARD Rabbi Feldman had been having trouble with his congregation. It seemed they could agree upon nothing. Controversy filled the air until the Sabbath itself became an area of conflict and unhappiness filled the synagogue. The president of the congregation organized a meeting of 10 elders and the rabbi. They met in the
-
The ‘Living Water Challenge’
BY PASTOR JACK WARD Remember way back in 2014, when they had the Ice Bucket Challenge, sometimes called the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge? It involved dumping a bucket of ice water over one’s head to raise awareness of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and encourage donations to research. It went viral throughout social media in mid-2014.
-
Blessing or curse
BY PASTOR JACK WARD Genesis 12:1-3: “Now the Lord had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee: And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great;
-
A faithful church member
BY PASTOR JACK WARD This is an alleged New Year’s letter written from a church member to the pastor. Dear Pastor: You often stress attendance at worship as being very important for a Christian, but I think a person has a right to miss now and then. I think every person ought to be excused
-
The true Christ of Christmas
BY PASTOR JACK WARD “And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.” John 1:5 A person without Jesus is not only spiritually dead, he is also spiritually darkened. Jesus said in John 8:12: “Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, ‘I am the light of the world. He who
-
Blessing or curse
BY PASTOR JACK WARD Genesis 12:1-3: “Now the Lord had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee: And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great;
-
Do not take no for an answer
BY PASTOR JACK WARD A story came across the wires from Reuters about a family of ducklings that fell down a sewer grate in Vancouver. Their mother did what any parent would do: She got help from a passing police officer. The mother duck grabbed the police officer by the pant leg while he was
-
The Pastor’s Pen: With Heart and Hands and Voices
BY JACK WARD Phil 4:6: “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.“ 1 Th 5:18: “In everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” Martin Rinkert was a minister in the small town of Eilenburg, Germany,
