May 1, 2020 @ 8:00 AM

As we enter the month of May, we continue under the stay-at-home directives of the governor because of the COVID19 pandemic. As I write, restaurants and numerous businesses are still closed, social distancing is still in effect, and online education has been extended for the rest of the 2020-2021 school year. Graduations and weddings have been cancelled, postponed, or will be conducted online. Valiant efforts are being made to restart the economy, but it will take time. Health and safety issues are the ultimate priority. Suddenly certain priorities come to the forefront and others fade. Many things have become harder and more challenging, but others have become clearer and less complicated.

If I think about what was normal last Spring, or ...

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May 1, 2020 @ 8:00 AM

If you’re like me you want to know what those four phrases are so you can begin using them. If they’re that important you need to know them, right? As you might suspect, they are four phrases which come from the pages of the Bible. God uses them with us and wants us to use them with others. All four phrases are found in the first 11 verses of Paul’s letter to the Philippians. Here they are:
 
1. “I Greet You”—Philippians 1:1, 2
Paul and his disciple, Timothy, greet the saints in the church at Philippi. Instead of “I greet you” we might say, “Hello!” or “Hi there!” Why is greeting others so important? Because everyone, regardless of age, race, or ...

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May 1, 2020 @ 8:00 AM

Israel, under General Joshua, had just returned from a stunning victory over Jericho, the first of their military campaigns to conquer the Promised Land of Canaan. The next city to attack, Ai, was a small city which hardly seemed like much of an obstacle. Based on his intel, instead of the whole army, Joshua only sent about 3,000 men to attack the city. The 3,000 were roundly defeated and 36 of them died in the conflict. Upon hearing the news of the defeat, Joshua is beside himself. “How could this happen? Lord, the inhabitants of the land will hear of it and will no longer fear us. We will be wiped out!” The Lord reveals to Joshua and the leaders that there is “sin in the camp.” Someone took spoil from Jericho which...

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May 1, 2020 @ 8:00 AM

It was the day that changed everything. December 7, 1941 was the day America was catapulted into World War II when the Japanese Imperial Army bombed the American Naval Base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. In two hours on December 7th, the Japanese warplanes sank 18 American battleships, destroyed 164 aircraft, and killed 2400 American military and civilian personnel. The following day, December 8, 1941, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt declared war against Japan and ultimately against Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy. American newspapers across the country declared in the largest print size possible, “War!”

What did that mean? It meant that America would begin mobilizing its entire armed forces to fight on two fronts, the Asian-...

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