The other night I watched America’s Got Talent. On the show of Champions was a man from Europe who was a comedian. He was funny. I laughed. His stage name is “Lost Voice Guy”. He is a comedian who cannot talk. He has some type of disability that prevents him from speaking. He uses a...
Author: dougsmith
Value of Life
What is life? There has been a lot of coverage in the news lately of the two bills, one passed, and one defeated, about the expansion of abortion. In New York, they passed a bill that allows for abortion up to the point of delivery. This was celebrated in New York by turning the tower...
No Surprises
JANUARY 10, 2017 I am reading through the Bible again this year. I am using a chronological plan, something I have never done before. Nine days in and it is not much different than starting at the beginning and reading to the end, but I can look ahead and see the plan is going...
CULTURE WARS
The 4th of July is just around the corner and it causes me to consider how different our country is from the one I called home as a child. In 1967, Detroit burned because of conflict between whites and blacks. I remember my dad taking me to a baseball game in 1968 in downtown Detroit...
Summer Change
I have a quote in my office from Dave Jacobs, a pastor, teacher and coach. It says: “Your church is perfectly designed to get the results it’s currently getting. If you want something different, you’ll probably need to do something different.” I like that quote, not because it is about church, but because it is...
You’re Not Like Me
In my last post, we approached the subject, how am I supposed to worship when I am surrounded by so many who think differently than me? Here is the little secret that maybe all of you know, but few of us accept: everyone in the world is different than me. We all think differently and...
Why Can’t People Be More Like Me?
Since I have a set of rules that I use to govern my life and I like my rules and at times it bothers me when other people don’t follow my agenda; I must learn how to adjust my life to accept those who think and live differently than me. In my ministry life, I...
My Agenda
In my last post, we wondered how we got here as a church. Why it seems the focus of church has become more about me and less about us. I finished that post with a question: How did we get here? Here is my feeble attempt at an answer. Whether we like to admit it...
The Disappearing Church
I have been in church ministry now for nearly 30 years. I have heard, seen and experienced many difficult things during these years. Presently, I know of two local churches that are having a difficult time and it breaks my heart to see such trouble. I have had my own share of stress while leading...
Who Rules?
WHO RULES?On Sunday, April 30th I will be preaching on the role of government in our lives. As I scan my FB account, I am amazed at how people talk about our leaders. I certainly have my political bias, but I also understand a Biblical perspective that is far more significant than what I think...