“Spiritual Hunger” What are the most memorable meals you have ever eaten? Years ago when I was in high school our Pastor took us on a mission trip to rural Maine where we worked in a camp for handicapped children. It was quite an experience for a young man from northern Indiana to see a […]
“Divine Fraud Detector” A few years ago I got a call from the fraud department that supports my VISA card. “Mr. Naylor, we’d like you to confirm a couple of expenses that were recently charged to your account.” Whenever I hear those words I take a deep breath. I wonder what grabbed their attention. Did […]
“Champions” On a wintry morning in 1956 a riding instructor named Harry de Leyer drove from his farm in Long Island four hours to Pennsylvania to a horse auction. Every Monday as many as 300 horses were auctioned at this auction. Harry had hoped to purchase a gentle horse that could become a training horse […]
“Does Your Life Reflect the Savior?” The woman in the silver SUV laid on the horn exasperated by the man who was driving slowly in an express lane. As they came to an intersection she tried to go around him but he hit the brakes. She pulled over in the shoulder absolutely committed to getting […]
“The Mystery of Suffering” We are seeing some suffering all over the world from COVID-19. But we are also seeing incredible events from nature that are causing people additional strife. The wildfires that are raging in the west are taking a human toll and an environmental toll as firefighters seem to lose ground daily. Then […]
“Trusting God to Fill the Empty Places in Your Life” If God wants to do something special in your life this week, will he have space to work? That question emerges from a fascinating story in the Old Testament. In II Kings chapter four, a widow approaches the prophet Elisha. “My husband is dead,” she […]
“Never Give Up–Pick Up a Brick” In 1834, the British philosopher, John Stuart Mill approached his friend Thomas Carlyle with a proposition. Mill had signed a contract to write a history of the French Revolution. But he had over-committed himself to other work. Would Carlyle be interested in taking on the project, along with its […]
“The Captain” It’s been over 30 years ago but I will never forget that time in my life and ministry. I came to First Presbyterian Church in 1985 as Senior Pastor. What a great and daunting opportunity God had called me to here in Muncie. I knew it would be necessary to have a competent […]
“Your True Identity” We all have seen the story of the caterpillar that eventually becomes a beautiful butterfly. But recently I saw a picture of a knobby, spiky, multicolored organism that slithers through the forests of Sri Lanka, India and Southeast Asia. The message this intimidating protuberance effectively delivers is a simple message: “You don’t […]
“Seeing With the Eyes of Jesus” Who’s the greatest hero in American literature? Author and scholar Elliot Engel believes we shouldn’t be surprised to discover it’s a black slave. But what should amaze us is that this heroic character was invented by a white Southerner in 1885–just 20 years after the end of The Civil […]
