Columns
When the shepherd becomes the wolf
Headlines this week delivered a gut-punch that has become tragically familiar: A prominent pastor and supposed “devout servant of God,” arrested for solicitation of a minor on a dating site. Details; the brazen listing of same-sex attraction while maintaining a position of married clergy, coupled with the chilling casualness of the offense, do more than…
Read MoreJamie and shopping don’t mix
Each year, I put on my big boy shorts, suck it up, and go shopping with my wife, Amy, for our children. It is one day out of the year that brings such joy, fun, and excitement… for Amy! (Not really, probably, because she must listen to me complain.) When asked what her favorite hobby…
Read MoreBah humbug: the perpetual season
It’s the day after Thanksgiving; the official, time-honored start of the holiday shopping season in the US. Or is it? As we emerge from our turkey-induced stupor and brace for the Black Friday/Cyber Monday whirlwind, a far more profound change has swept the retail landscape: the phenomenon known as “Holiday Creep.” Once, the unspoken covenant…
Read MoreThe coming storm
Anybody with two eyes in their head can see a storm is brewing. Not a physical storm but a worldly storm. The Bible tells us of many things that will take place in the last days. We are seeing that play out right before our eyes. The U.S. dollar is being destroyed, and prices on…
Read MoreI missed a deadline!
I have been in the newspaper business since I was a little boy. The first job I ever had was cleaning up waxed paper off the floor. In return, my Dad, Max Gardner, would pay me with a shiny 50-cent piece. Next, I started helping insert the newspapers and then progressed through practically every position…
Read MoreCan you heal from church hurt?
Each Sunday, an untold number of people across America and around the world attend church services while flying the “I am Christian” banner. Many who ascribe to the title of Christ follower are earnestly seeking to improve their relationships with the Lord, intent on growing in the knowledge of scripture. There are those who, for…
Read MoreSuppertime
“When I was a boy, in the days of childhood, I used to play till evening shadows come. Then winding down an old familiar pathway I heard my mother call at set of sun. Come home, come home it’s suppertime. The shadows lengthen fast, come home, come home it’s supper time. We’re going home at…
Read MoreThe forgotten holiday
Thanksgiving is from a 1621 harvest feast shared by the Plymouth colonists and the Wampanoag people. After a successful corn harvest, Plymouth Colony Governor William Bradford organized a three-day feast to celebrate. The Wampanoag people were invited and participated by contributing deer for the feast. This event is traditionally considered the “first Thanksgiving.” The first…
Read MoreDead people receiving SNAP
According to a report by Epoch Times and Associated Press, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Brooke Rollins reported last week that the department has discovered there are 5,000 deceased people who have been receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), also known as food stamps. In addition, the secretary stated that there are 500,000 people…
Read MoreThe real church: Divine teleology versus contemporary individual sanctity
The institution of the Church, in its original design, was conceived not merely as a place of worship but as a radically functional community; the living and cohesive “Body of Christ.” This foundational teleology, its intended purpose, stands in stark contrast to how many individuals today approach its sanctity, often viewing it through a lens…
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