Burnham: Speak up with words

You may think you have nothing to offer.

Don’t overlook God in the daily shuffle

God is our refuge and strength, a help always near in times of great trouble. That's why we won't be afraid when the world falls apart, when the mountains crumble into the center of the sea, when its waters roar and rage, when the mountains shake because of its surging waves.

Scharf: The gift of the spirit

This Sunday was Pentecost in the Church year - the day we mark what happened in Acts 2. If you aren't familiar - open up your Bible and read the story. Pentecost was really the kick-start to the New Testament Church - with miracles all over the place - the sound that filled the city, the flames of fire, the speaking in all those languages! Can you imagine being there? And it wasn't just the ...

McCoy: Trinity Sunday celebrates good things in threes

Now faith, hope and love remain - these three things - and the greatest of these is love.

Scharf: That the world may know

Have you ever heard someone pray for you?

The wind is blowing!

When Pentecost Day arrived, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound from heaven like the howling of a fierce wind filled the entire house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be individual flames of fire alighting on each one of them. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages as the Spirit enabled them to speak.

Just a thought: your work matters

Do you know your work matters to God? Yes, and it matters to your employer and your co-workers.

Holy Spirit transforms

Do you show evidence of the transforming power of the Holy Spirit in your daily life? A look back at the disciples before and after photos gives us some things to look for in our own personal lives.

Thanks again, Mom!

How can I describe the emotions of parents who love their children? We stamp a remarkable similarity in heart and in appearance on the character of small children. This is especially true of mothers, who have even more sympathy than fathers toward the feelings of their children because they gave birth to them in great pain.

An ounce of mother

There's an old Spanish proverb: "An ounce of mother is worth a ton of priest." So, on this Mother's Day weekend, let's thank God for many ounces of godly mothers.

McCoy: Always follow the true leader

Do you remember playing games when you were younger? I love to watch children play Simon Says or Follow the Leader.

Scharf: Listen to the shepherd’s voice

McCOY: Don't get tired of doing good

I pray that your love will keep on growing and that you will fully know and understand how to make the right choices. Then you will still be pure and innocent when Christ returns. And until that day, Jesus Christ will keep you busy doing good deeds that bring glory and praise to God.

Scharf: Peace in everything

Peace be with you. That's one of those things churchgoers hear all the time. So how is it working for you? Is there peace in your world?

Taxing online enterprises makes sense

Congress is in recess for the November election. They left D.C. without acting on any tax issues. Fear of the electorate kept them from voting to increase or decrease taxes on different income-level groups, as well as taxes on industries that move their operations out of the U.S. Any mention of tax increases can be toxic, but I'll put on the gas mask and bring up increasing tax revenue. As the "season for spending" (Christmas, ...

Blessed with adversity

The events of the past 11 weeks have left me feeling like the description of Waffle House hash browns: scattered, smothered, diced and covered. Since the morning of July 26, when my mother fell and broke her back in two places, our experiences have included Dr. Dalton Hanowell's fantastic Kyphon balloon kyphoplasty surgery at Newton Medical fixing my mom's back, her three weeks of rehabilitation at the Morgan Memorial Transitional Care Unit, and 10 days ...

About Faith: Butterflies and ants

I recently read an article about a European butterfly known as the Large Blue. Its beautiful iridescent wings would make it a striking addition to any collection. But I was disturbed by an unusual feature of its life cycle that I found on Wikipedia:

About Faith: Hide and seek

Once when I was a very young boy, I created a big stir in my neighborhood by going missing. Apparently, I was being loosely supervised by the older children as they played hide-and-seek around the yard. Of course, I was not as good at hiding, and my attention span not as long. I soon grew tired, and it being close to my nap time anyway, I went inside and crawled under my covers. As my ...

Grace Notes: The comfort of Revelation

What do you think of when you think of the book of Revelation? Try describing it in one word. I asked that question to begin our new Bible study series on that last book of the Bible last week. And you can probably guess some of the answers I got: "Scary"... "Confusing"... "Destruction"... "Difficult." Then one person said - "Comforting." That answer is almost shocking compared to all the other ones, but when you think ...

About Faith: Manufacturing community

When I was a child, my social studies teacher taught us a lesson in civics through the ancient medium of storytelling. "There once was a company that decided to build a new plant out in the desert of Arizona, next to the Colorado River," she began. As the story unfolded, the plant manager moved into a trailer and lived next to the plant site. At first, they hauled water in five gallon ...

Grace Notes: The story of the lost lamb

The recognition of Sept. 11 has come and gone - and all those images of violence and hatred were revived in our minds…again.

About Faith: The kingdom of God is at hand

"Repent, for the kingdom of God is at hand," Jesus said. Returning from spiritual and physical fasting, having just encountered and conquered the temptations we face daily, Jesus wasted no time picking up the urgent message of his cousin, John.

Grace Notes: Let the gospel fly

Are you familiar with North Carolina's vehicle license plates? There's a sketch of an antique airplane in the background and this slogan on top: "First in Flight." That's a pretty bold claim, isn't it? Sure, I'm familiar with the Wright brothers and Kitty Hawk and Dec. 17, 1903, but that wasn't the first thing ever to fly.

Grace Notes: Be a hero

Nine years ago tomorrow, one of the most significant events in United States history occurred. "9/11" is now much more than a date on the calendar between 9/10 and 9/12. Just hearing that string of digits now fills us with emotion.

Grace Notes: Does he know you?

If you've ever been asked the question "Do I know you?" You know how devastating that can be. Whether it's someone you've had several conversations with that you thought you had made a connection to or someone you haven't seen in a while, it is tough when you find out your relationship isn't what you thought it was.

About Faith: A word of hope

Remember the TV series, MASH? In one episode, someone asked B.J. Honeycutt why he didn't give into temptation in the midst of the Korean War. He answered, "I live in an insane world where nothing makes sense. Everyone around me lives for the now, because there may not be a tomorrow. But I have to live for tomorrow, because for me there is no now." Without using the word, he was speaking of hope.

About Faith: Deeds along the road

There is a legend about a very wise king who decided to build a highway from one end of his kingdom to the other. Everyone approved of the king's plans, and watched with anticipation as road crews went to work. This highway would be the pride of all who lived there. It would be used by soldier and monk, royalty and pauper, citizen and sojourner alike, and all who traveled it would bless ...

Grace Notes: Put on the full armor of God

You are at war. I know, you probably didn't have to swerve to miss any IED's on the road today, and I'm sure you weren't dodging any heat-seeking missiles when you went to get the paper. Nevertheless, you are at war. That's the way God's Word describes your life here on this earth: War.

About Faith: This is hard!

In the gospel stories, I do not recall any occasion when the disciples complained of being hungry, or tired, or of pain. As followers of an itinerant rabbi, they were prepared to hike for miles over rough terrain, sustained by meager fare and perhaps suffer violence at the hands of their detractors. We see stories where the disciples note a lack of food ("send the crowds away so that they may go ...