Hard Lessons In Death And Unforgiveness

by Kevin Burton     This bit of Burton family lore started small, sprung up unexpected.    We had a maid named Mrs. Long. This was before the basement at my father’s house in Yellow Springs, Ohio  was finished, when you could still practice hockey on roller skates and shoot a plastic puck into a 4-by-6 …

Beyond Rituals: The Privilege Of Prayer

by Dane Massey    The school of prayer is an apprenticeship, not a lecture. This apprenticeship requires sustained, close personal contact with the Master.    As I approach the subject of prayer I’m reminded of a quote by Samuel Chadwick, a master of prayer from long ago:   “Any teaching on prayer that does not …

Dear Christian, Here’s Your Attitude Check

by Kevin Burton    I shared this with my mom before I shared it with you. Hope you don’t mind.    It’s the latest message from Alistair Begg, speaker on the Truth For Life radio ministry. I thought Mom needed to hear it. I knew I needed to hear it and I think you will …

Lean, Pray, Trust, Love, Just A Little Bit More

by Kevin Burton    I needed this today and I thought some of you might need it too.    This message is written on a 4-by-7 sheet of paper, not attached to anything else. I have it because I have helped my mother move three times in the last seven or eight years. Mom downsized …

Aging, Decay And Death: Part Of God’s Plan

by Dane Massey    (Dane Massey is the former Pastor of Mulvane Christian Church. He is now in ministry in Houston, Texas.)         Growing old and the natural end of that, death, cannot be avoided. So how does one age properly?     What is the Lord trying to accomplish through this drawn-out process?  …

Your Final Triumph Is Sure As Present Trials

by Kevin Burton    If you have no trials, no hard times today, enjoy it in the moment, and more power to you!  But they are coming, book it.    Country singer Lynn Anderson said it this way: “I beg your pardon, I never promised you a rose garden!”    Now Anderson wasn’t necessarily a …

Putting Sharks And Problems In Their Place

by Kevin Burton     My good friend Tracy sends out riddles and brain-teasers that challenge the mind, thoughts that make me ponder.    This one made me laugh out loud.    It was a trick question, under the heading “Drowning”:    “Imagine you are in a sinking rowboat surrounded by sharks. How would you survive?” …

Truth From Bathroom Scales And God’s Scales

by Kevin Burton    My bathroom scale is a talking scale. Many a time, I‘ve wished it would just shut up.    It makes me want to flush the toilet and run the water faucet, maybe clear my throat once or twice to drown out the bad news. That way at least  maybe my wife …

For Salvation, Rely Completely On Christ

by Kevin Burton     My good intentions, my (not frequent enough) good works will never, never save me. My place in Heaven is all about Jesus.    One hundred percent.    A recent message from Alistair Begg, the Speaker on the Truth For Life ministry, reinforced this point and it sent my mind back to …

Honor God, The Creator And Designer Of Life

by Dane Massey     (Dane Massey is the former Pastor of Mulvane Christian Church. He is now in ministry in Houston, Texas.)       From my late teen years I have been involved in construction. Sometimes as a side job, sometimes as a means to meet and minister to people and sometimes as a means …