Author: John Willingham

 “So God created humankind in his image.” –Genesis 1:27 A number of years ago, I was part of an Interfaith Advisory Council for our local school district. During one meeting, we learned of character traits that the schools would strive to model and instill in all students. After hearing the plan, another clergyperson on the Read more

“‘If he had commanded you to do something difficult, would you not have done it?’” –2 Kings 5:13b One day during my seminary years, I went to see a movie called “Fanny and Alexander.”  Usually, I would check out a review or act on the recommendation of someone who had seen a film before going Read more

   “Each one helps the other, saying to one another, ‘Take courage!’” –Isaiah 41:6 As part of a recent trip, Lori and I arrived one Sunday morning in Copenhagen.  We took a train from the airport and upon arriving at the city’s Central Station, began to walk the few blocks to our hotel. It soon became Read more

“When your children ask you in time to come, ‘What do these stones mean to you?’ then you shall tell them..” –Joshua 4:6b-7a As a high school student, I studied French all four years. There was more than one teacher of that foreign language at Hardaway High, but Mr. Robinson was always my instructor. Thus, Read more

   “He was a devout man who feared God …gave alms generously          …and prayed constantly to God.”     –Acts 10:2 The words above refer to a man named Cornelius. Luke tells us that he was a centurion, an officer in the Roman army.  By implication it also meant he was a Gentile, a term that Read more

“As a mother comforts her child, so I will comfort you.” –Isaiah 66:13 In May of 1986, I traveled to Phoenix, Arizona for the summer. That isn’t the time of year most people choose to visit since temperatures regularly top 110 degrees. I was in town to take part in a unit of Clinical Pastoral Read more

“Then one said, ‘I will surely return to you in due season, and your wife Sarah shall have a son.’” –Genesis 18:10  I firmly believe that God is always at work. The Bible makes clear that such activity can happen in dramatic ways, but I suspect it occurred then and now far more often in Read more

“Return to your home, and declare how much God has done for you.” –Luke 8:38a The verse above comes from a day when Jesus healed a man described as having many demons. That transformation was so dramatic that neighbors who had known the man for years asked Jesus to leave. They didn’t understand what had occurred Read more

“For I handed on to you as of first importance what I in turn had received.” –1 Corinthians 15:3a Year ago, a friend of mine met a young woman whom he liked immediately.  It was one of those times when two people were instantly comfortable with each other and soon they began to spend every Read more

“We want each of you to show the same diligence so as to realize the full assurance of hope to the very end.” –Hebrews 6:11 Without even counting two full-time vocational chapters, my working life has been quite diverse. During the summers between school years I bagged groceries and mowed grass, worked as a lifeguard Read more