The Pastor's Perspective

          Do you ever find yourself questioning the authenticity of someone's words? We've all been there, wondering if the promises made to us hold any real weight. This age-old phrase, "Actions speak louder than words," reminds us that true intentions are best revealed through what we do rather than what we say.      A remarkable story from 1994 perfectly illustrates this idea. Russel Herman, a man who passed away at the age of 67, left behind a will with grand declarations. He pledged $2 billion to the city of East St. Louis, another half-billion for the national forest system, and a staggering $6 trillion to the federal government to help pay off the national debt. But there was a catch – when Russel passed away, his only asset was a 1983 Oldsmobile.      While we might assume Russel had noble intentions, his lack of tangible assets meant his promises were empty. This story serves as a powerful lesson: nice words mean l...

            On May 19th, 1780 the House of Representatives were holding a meeting at Hartford Connecticut While they were holding this meeting the sky grew increasingly gloomy, and dark. As the men looked out of the windows some began to wander if this was the Lords return.       Many of them were wishing for an immediate adjournment to the meeting that they might return home. That is when Colonel Davenport, who was the Speaker of the Connecticut House of Representatives spoke up. He said;  "The Day of Judgment is either approaching or it is not. If it is not, there is no cause for adjournment. If it is, I choose to be found doing my duty. Therefore, I wish that candles be brought."      There are many people who love to think about the last days. They research it, listen to messages and teachings about it. They wonder and are interested in the topic. Some even go so far as write books about the subject. This is ...

    The Grace Reformed church in Washington D.C. had been the home church for president Theodore Roosevelt and he had attended quite regularly when he happened to be in town.      One day someone called the church and asked the pastor a interesting question that the pastor had never received before. The question was asked "Are you expecting the President in the church this Sunday?"      The pastor replied "I cannot promise, but we do expect God to be there and we hope that will be incentive enough for a reasonably large audience."     As a pastor myself I have to say that I approve of his answer.      Sometimes in our Christian lives we can often forget that the reason why we go to church is to draw closer to God. We sometimes forget the true meaning and purpose behind why we attend. We sometimes can lose sight on what real worship is. We like this man's question, can focus on who is going to be in the service. Or we can f...

    Back in the early 1930's there was a sheep rancher in the remote mountains of Idaho who loved to play his violin and listen to the radio. He loved to listen to one of the only stations that would come through clearly, which was located in California. He would try to play some of those songs on the radio, and sometimes try to accompany them from time to time. It was a source of great joy for the rancher.      As the rancher played his violin, the violin started to become out of tune and no longer sounded the way it should. He tried to fix it time and time again but it was always either a little to sharp or a little to flat. He had no way of getting his violin in tune because he did not have a tuning fork with that correct pitch.      As the rancher thought about his dilemma a thought occurred to him. Perhaps this radio station in California might be able to help him out. So he sat down and wrote a letter to the radio station, informing them of ...

    There once was a man who one day decided to go to church. This man was not really religious. In fact this man had not darkened the door way  of a church since he was a boy. However one of his co-workers who he was good friends with had invited him. So the man decided to go out of respect for his friend.      The man sat there as the service went on. Nothing unusual went on that day. They sang songs and some of them the man remembered from childhood memories. The preacher preached on what it meant to truly surrender to Jesus Christ. The preacher shared how to be a true follower of Christ will mean a great deal of changes and hardships that you will have to face.      As the sermon drawn to a close the pastor bowed his head and prayed a simple prayer. The pastor prayed "O Lord, you know we can trust the man that died for us" The prayer was simple, but it was the one thing that got this man's attention.      As the man headed ...