The Pastor's Perspective

      Have you ever had a  moment when something pushes your buttons, and you feel your blood begin to boil . Perhaps you’ve said something in a fit of rage you immediately regretted, or acted in a way you wished you could take back . Personally I think we have all had moments like that to one degree or another. Truth is a nger is a powerful, very real human emotion that we all encounter from time to time.      It might surprise you to learn that anger is an emotion attributed to both God and Jesus throughout scripture.   The Bible speaks of God's wrath and we read of moments where Jesus Himself expressed His anger .       However, there's a crucial distinction between righteous anger and what we  might call "unbridled anger" . As Aristotle wisely put it, "Anyone can become angry. That is easy. But to be angry with the right person, to the right degree, at the right time, for the right purpose and in the right way—that is ...

       Ever felt like you're running on a treadmill, expending massive energy but getting nowhere? That feeling, that heavy weight in your chest, the constant irritation simmering just below the surface – that's the path of frustration. It's a path many of us find ourselves on, sometimes without even realizing how we got there. It can show up in countless ways: At work: That project that keeps getting delayed, the colleague who never pulls their own weight, the endless stream of emails, dead lines that seem to be missed, expectations that can never be meet. At home: The never-ending chores, the miscommunication with a loved one, the feeling of being overwhelmed by responsibilities. Things constantly breaking down, and bills that never seem to get paid.  In life generally: Traffic jams, slow internet, unexpected expenses, or even just feeling misunderstood.      Frustration is a powerful emotion, and if left unchecked, it can lead to bitterness,...

      Have you ever felt like you’re stuck in a loop of frustration? The coffee’s cold, traffic’s bad, your to-do list is endless, and suddenly, every little annoyance adds up until you’re just… grumbling. You find yourself frustrated at the current situation and every chance you get you share your frustration to anyone who will listen. You form your own little pity party and everyone is invited.        Complaining can feel like a harmless vent, but it can also be a slippery slope. Before you know it, you’re not just expressing a temporary frustration; you’re living on the "Path of Complaining," a journey paved with despair, disappointment, and doubt. Perhaps you know someone who has been on that path for some time. Every time your around them they always have something to complain about. You begin to think "Man is there anything that makes you happy?" They seem to point out things that they disagree with, things that are not just right. It's a p...

My Great Grandpa Roy Stonewall Johnson with his perpetual motion machine      My great-grandfather, Roy Stonewall Johnson, a man of many talents— served in both the Army and the Navy, and a serious tinkerer. He had a dream, a wild one at that: to build a perpetual motion machine. You know, the kind that runs forever without needing any extra juice. A machine that could power your car without gas, light your home without bills. Sounds like a sci-fi dream, right?      Humans have been chasing this dream since the Middle Ages. So my great-grandfather was not alone in his desire to make such a machine. Imagine, a device that defies the need for external energy! The possibilities are mind-boggling. But, as my great-grandfather likely discovered, there's a tiny, or rather, a huge problem: the laws of thermodynamics.      Those pesky laws, the first and second, tell us that in a closed system, energy inevitably dissipates. Kinetic energy, the energy...

            Have you ever been in a conversation where you realized the other person wasn't truly listening? Their mind was elsewhere, distracted by their thoughts or the screen in front of them. A common sight it seems like these days, and one that I am guilty of as well.      To be honest t his happens to my wife frequently. She can be sharing something important, but I might be reading an article, watching a video, or simply lost in my thoughts. Although I may respond with a nod or a murmur, I’m not genuinely listening. The real test comes when she asks me a question about what she just said. This causes me to franticly try to come up with an answer, instead of admit I wasn't really listening in the first place. Usually, my attempt to piece together an answer from the fragments I caught fails miserably. The result isn't always pretty.       This scenario isn't intentional or constant, but sometimes my mind is jus...

Dr. Alex Ramsey, fresh out of residency and brimming with idealistic fervor, found himself adrift. He'd aced medical school, pictured himself in a cutting-edge research lab, perhaps even on the front lines of global health. Instead, he was in Oakwood, a town where the most exciting medical case was usually a sprained ankle at the Friday night football game. He’d taken over the small, underfunded free clinic, a place where patients often paid with stories and gratitude, not cash.      One sweltering afternoon, his father, a retired carpenter with hands gnarled by years of honest labor, visited. Seeing the weariness in Alex's eyes, he asked, "How are things going, son?"      "Dad, I feel like I'm spinning my wheels," Alex confessed, running a hand through his already disheveled hair. "I'm not making a difference. I'm not...progressing."      His father, a man of few words but deep understanding, simply nodded. "Come with me today....

     Abraham Lincoln Praying There was a man who happened to have an appointment in the early hours of the morning with President Abraham Lincoln. He did not want to be late and so he decided he would arrive for this meeting 15 min early.       While waiting for the appointed time he heard in the next room a voice as if in grave conversation, and asked an attendant standing by, "Who is talking in the next room?       "It is the President, sir," replied the attendant.       "Is anybody with him?" the gentleman inquired.       "No; he is reading the Bible."       "Is that his habit so early in the morning?" the man asked.      "Yes, sir, he spends every morning from four o'clock to five in reading the Scriptures and praying." We live a life full of busyness and worry. Many times we have so  many things that need to get done and we feel like we have so litt...

     This is my second year working as a bus monitor. In that time I have seen several instances where people have lost control of there anger. Times when kids have become red in the face yelling and screaming for what appears to be nothing.      One time last year I was with a new driver who was driving a route neither me nor her had to much familiarity with. I was trying to give her the right directions, but I failed, and I led her down a dead end road. Now in a car or a truck that might not be a big deal. However we were in a large yellow bus and we were full of some of the wildest kids you can find. So to say that the bus driver was stressed would be an understatement.      She had to turn around and that meant backing up and pulling forward time and time again just to turn it around. Now to the bus drivers credit she kept her cool. However that can't be said for the old lady who came out of her house. You see as we started backing up we ...

          There was at one time an Italian bishop who had been struggling with his health. He had for some time, been struggling with a great amount of pain due to his ailment. Family, friends and those who were close to the bishop knew the amount of pain and struggle it was just to get out of bed.      The bishops struggles lasted for year and years. He would labor on each day with the pain and hardships due to his declining health. Those who were around the bishop and knew the struggle he had to endure each and every day were all amazed. Despite all that the bishop had to go through and the vast amount of pain that he had to endure; the bishop always had a positive attitude. In the years that they had watched the bishop day in and day out, not once did the bishop seemed irritated, impatient or depressed.      Well one day one of the bishops closest friends asked him "Would you tell me your secret on being content in this life...

    There was  man from Brooklyn who went to court to change his last name from Kelly to Feinberg. Then a year later he went back to the same court to change is name again. This time he changed his name to Garibaldi.      It was at this time the judge asked the man "Mr. Feinberg this is the second time you have petitioned this court to change your last name with in a year. Now I must ask you are you trying to make the court confused or foolish?"      The man replied "No not at all your Honor"      "Well then why are you changing your name then" asked the judge     The man replied "Because your Honor my neighborhood keeps changing"  We live in a world full of change do we not. From culture, to technology, to style, to politics nothing stays the same. In our church we have a wonderful godly lady who is 101 years old I can't imagine the changes she has seen in her lifetime. She used to teach in a one room school hou...