How many variations of Jesus’ story of the lost son can be told! Many of us can tell our own versions, sometimes as the lost child, sometimes as the welcoming parent, amazing ourselves at what we learn about ourselves in both roles and at what we learn about God’s love. What might be regarded as […]
Author Archive | Charles G. Mickey
Location, Location, Location! – Matthew 7:24-27
You’ve heard the old real estate rule about location. The Selken family thought they had the ideal location for their home near Shirley, Arkansas. Tonya was very careful to choose the best two of her grandfather’s 210 acres, not just for the incredible scenery, but also for protection from tornadoes. During 60 years of property […]
Beyond Generosity – 2 Corinthians 8:9
Everson Walls arrived at the Dallas Cowboys’ training camp in 1981 as an undrafted rookie from Grambling, but he led the NFL in interceptions in 3 of his first 5 seasons. He picked off 57 passes and made the Pro Bowl 4 times over his 14-year career which later had him with the Giants and […]
Rejoicing in Prison – Philippians
I received so much positive response to my summary of the New Testament book of James that I decided to do the same for Philippians. Paul wrote it most likely from a prison in Rome, though some would argue Caesarea or Ephesus. The beginning of the Philippian church in Acts 16 includes a story about […]
Turn The Other What? – Matthew 5:10-12,38-48
One of our members wrote, “If you have any devotional messages about turning the other cheek, I would really appreciate it. I’m praying for the strength and guidance not to sink to the level of the person whose actions are hurting me and not to take a wrong course in reaction. I realized how much […]
Small Decisions Become BIG – I Corinthians 16:13
Four guys decided to go fishing in the Gulf of Mexico off the west coast of Florida. One guy provided his boat. Someone chose the time to leave. Someone decided how far out to go. Someone decided to check the weather or not. Someone decided to stay a little longer when the wind came up. […]
Grief is Hard Work – I Thessalonians 4:13
That’s what I told my nephew-in-law at the graveside of his wife, my niece. And, I added that every person does this hard work a little differently. There are no shortcuts and it cannot be programmed to end at a specific time. He and his 14-yr-old daughter and all our family are mourning the death […]
Find a Better Bed! – James 1:14-16
Maybe you heard the story of Robert Baswell, 44, a homeless man who fell asleep in a trash bin in West Palm Beach on May 6, 2007. It provided escape from the rain and a pretty soft bed because it was filled with brush. But, imagine his rude awakening when he was tossed with the […]
Lying About Steroids or Anything Else – John 8:32,36,44
Marion Jones was arguably the greatest female athlete ever. She won 3 gold and 2 bronze medals at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. In the 100-meter race, she pulled away so quickly that her closest pursuer was nearly 3 full strides behind her. No doubt, she could have won great recognition without steroids, but she got […]
I Hope He Knows How I Turned Out – Ephesians 4:29
Bob Dotson, NBC News Correspondent, tells the unusual story of Fred Benson. Born in 1895 in Boston, he was abandoned by his parents at age 8 and was sent to live with Gurd Miliken and his family on Block Island. He died at age 101 and had served as police chief, fire chief, head of […]