Words from a Branch

I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. John 15:5 ESV                 As the song says, “…The fundamental things apply, as time goes by.”   I suppose it is cliché to say that a particular verse changed your life, especially for a minister of the gospel; nevertheless this verse did change my life, especially as a minister of the gospel. Now allow me to depart from my typical tone and pull back the curtain a bit. In the midst of this pandemic I have been troubled. As an individual I have been made to compromise, it is necessary, but to me very uncomfortable. As a minister I have often been at a loss as to how best to serve the church and its people. Some things had to change very quickly, and because of that a lot things had to be, “good enough”, or, “the best we can do right now” instead of the very bes...

Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4: 5-7 ESV             As I write this it would be easy to lose heart. The outer self is greatly threatened by disease, and so the inner-self may also feel threatened. The looming presence has drawn quite near and people have reacted. The momentary affliction seems heavy and appears to stretch out beyond the moment. Even if we overcome the fear of death and of disease there are worries are other worries which assail us. We can be overwhelmed; our weakness can be exploited to drag us down to despair. Our hearts can become lost in the maze of concerns and uncertainties. What if we get sick? What we die? ...