Some of you know that I come from a farming background, and I grew up about 18 miles north of Chico, CA in the Sacramento Valley. Both sides of my family were farmers for a number of generations.  My ...  Read More

Samuel has got to be one of my favorite characters in the Bible. The story of his birth and Hannah’s desire to dedicate him to the service of the Lord is inspiring (1 Sam 1:1–28).  As a young boy, he ...  Read More

June 2, 2013—ten years ago this month—marks a significant date in my own spiritual history. At the seasoned age of twelve years old, I was given the opportunity to teach my middle school group on Sund...  Read More

On July 3rd, 1776, John Adams wrote a letter to his wife Abigail with the following quote, “The Second Day of July 1776, will be the most memorable Epocha, in the History of America. I am apt to belie...  Read More

As our girls were growing up, I enjoyed pretending to be the “king of my castle.” I would sit on my throne (i.e., my easy chair) and bark orders to my “subjects.” One day I shouted to my pre-teen daug...  Read More

Our seminary days were a real financial strain. While he studied full-time to seminary, I worked full-time. Besides living expenses, the tuition for seminary put our budget to the test. Jim worked bet...  Read More