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Thursday, January 22nd, 2026
Have you ever had an insatiable craving for something?
People jokingly talk about pregnant women who crave pickles, ice cream, or some random food. After drinking water all day for several days, I will admit to craving something different, usually a Dr. Pepper Zero Sugar. Others crave chocolate or salty chips, or something else. I’ve even heard of people who tire of, say, the car they are driving and get this insatiable urge to get another.
There is a craving much more important than all of those. It’s found in the words of Blaise Pascal who is credited with saying,
“There is an ‘infinite abyss’ inside us only an infinite God can fill.”
Perhaps you have heard it put this way: “There is a God-shaped vacuum in each one of us that only God can fill.”
Or consider what Augustine once wrote:
“You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it rests in you.”
King David put it this way: “As the deer longs for streams of water, so I long for you, O God. I thirst for God, the living God. When can I go and stand before Him?” (Ps.42:1-2 NLT) He also wrote, “O God, you are my God; I earnestly search for you. My soul thirsts for you; my whole body longs for you in this parched and weary land where there is no water.” (Ps.63:1 (NLT)
My greatest pursuit should be God and a deepening relationship with Him. “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness for they shall be filled.” (Mt. 5:6 CSB) I remember someone saying that. Oh yeah…Jesus. 🙂
Word to Bill: make it your passion to pursue Him. Today. Tomorrow. Many tomorrows.
Posted in InTheShadow | 6 Responses »
Tags: Craving, Desire, God, God's Word, Opinion, Prayer, Reflection, Scripture look, Seeking, Surrender
Wednesday, January 21st, 2026
Who shall dwell with God? Who can live under His roof?
Before you try to answer that, read Psalm 15 please.
To answer those questions: if you are like me, you have the desire to do them, but lack the holiness (or goodness if you prefer that idea) to pull it off. Psalm 15 appears to make it even clearer…and harder. Reading Psalm 15 and analyzing it:
- Lead blameless lives
- Do what is right
- Speak the truth (never lie)
- Refuse to gossip (never slander)
- Don’t harm your neighbor
- Don’t speak evil of a friend
- Fear the Lord
- Don’t charge interest (don’t defraud)
- Don’t offer or accept a bribe
Who can do that? Look right past or through me. That is certainly not me and is beyond me. Someone has suggested that this is like a different way of saying, “Love God with all your heart, soul, strength, and mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” Again…who can do that? Not me.
Lofty goal, for sure. But impossible to pull off. There is only ONE who can, does, and has. My failures and His perfection is obvious. But here is the mind-blowing truth: He is the Great High Priest and because of His sacrifice, He has made a way for me to be able to come into the presence of the Father…no matter the sin or shortcomings. It’s called GRACE.
Isn’t that amazing?
Posted in InTheShadow | 8 Responses »
Tags: Christian Living, Forgiveness, God's Plan, Grace, Jesus, Lifestyle, Love, Mercy, Ministry, Opinion, Reflection, Scripture look, Sin, Story
Tuesday, January 20th, 2026
“I’m a Christian.”
Those words used to mean something. They used to hold some respect and admiration and even some esteem with them. Not the prideful kind, but from others. My how times have changed!
The first recorded use of that term was in Acts 11:26 where it says, “They were first called Christians at Antioch.” It was a term of recognition, of distinction. Those who were called “Christians” were recognized as being different. Not weird different, but different from those around them. They stood out because they were filled with joy and shared an honest message of the love of Jesus.
Today it is different. The word “Christian” has come to be a generic term. “I’m a Christian because I grew up in church.” We hear talk about “Christian” America. I read a story recently of a porn star who posted about her re-baptism as a way to restate her commitment to Christ but sees absolutely nothing wrong with taking part in various forms of pornography. Seems like a disconnect there. (I do pray she sees the inconsistency of that outlook and follows other porn stars who made the break). Anyone today who is not Jewish, Muslim, or ________ is a “Christian.”
I”m not trying to be a crotchety old man, but I disagree. Being a “Christian” is far more than a cultural thing, a familial thing, or even a religious thing. Being a “Christian” is supposed to be a “following” thing. A commitment thing. That’s why today, as I have for the past 15-20 years, I no longer use the word “Christian” to describe someone choosing to follow Jesus. It’s use it too vague.
But being a follower, a disciple of Jesus? That’s a whole ‘nother ballgame. I want to be known as a Christ-follower.
Posted in InTheShadow | 6 Responses »
Tags: Christ-follower, Christian, God's Plan, Jesus, Ministry, Opinion, Reflection, Scripture look, Truth Telling
Monday, January 19th, 2026
Definition of college: where you can do things, hope your parents never find out, and then wonder in later years about your own sanity in doing those things. 🙂
I used this definition yesterday and told a personal story to illustrate it. Jo and I started college our freshman year (1970) at a small college in Grayson, KY. The college was near Carter Caves State Park in Carter County. CCSP offered something neither one of us had ever done before: go caving (spelunking is the $10 word). I grew up near Pittsburgh and unless it had a baseball or a basketball involved I didn’t take part. That includes hunting and fishing. And I can guarantee you that caving was not on the list of things to do. I would never have even considered it until college friends (although I just met them) said, “Hey, let’s go caving!” In all fairness, I did not know it was frowned upon, i.e. illegal. (At least the first time). Long story short, we spent multiple Saturday afternoons crawling through caves. Bat cave, (Yes with bats hanging from the ceiling), where neither Jo nor I gave any thought to what we were crawling through. Squeezing through holes that were so narrow I wonder how I ever got through (and guarantee that would not happen today). And dark? Black? Caves so dark and black that I couldn’t see my hand in front of my face. Once some of the guys found the light switch used for tours and turned them on and the cave lit up like a Christmas tree. But that was short-lived because we had to turn them back off. I was glad we had flashlights with fresh batteries.
I was reminded of our escapades as I studied yesterday’s sermon where Jesus said, “I AM the Light of the world.” There is no question we live in a dark world. The protest in a Minneapolis church yesterday (where the consistently irrelevant Don Lemon was involved) and where the pastor was misidentified as an ICE agent is proof. (I smell a lawsuit coming). Jesus is the only ONE who can bring light into the dark and change lives. If you know the Light, shine it. If you don’t, follow the beam to the true Light.
Posted in InTheShadow | 2 Responses »
Tags: Christian Living, Jesus, Light of the World, Ministry, Opinion, Reflection, Story, Truth Telling
Friday, January 16th, 2026
That’s where we are at in our series on the 7 “I AM” and the 7 miracles in the Gospel of John. The “I AM” statement is “I AM the Light of the World” and the miracle is found in John 9.
Have you ever been in a place where it is so dark that you can’t even see your hand in front of your face? When Jo and I were in college we did some cave exploring with other friends. The official name is spelunking, but I don’t know if what we did you could actually call it that. We took no gear. No ropes. No boots. Just a flashlight and old dirty clothes. We climbed through bat cave and I don’t even want to think what was on the floor that we crawled through. We squeezed through spaces that I KNOW neither of us would venture to do today, even if we were still the same size as then. (We aren’t). The words “We weren’t too bright” come to mind. 🙂
The miracle in John 9 lays the groundwork for my intro into the “I AM the Light of the World.” It is of the man born blind, to whom Jesus gave back his sight. A lot of interesting dialogue between the blind man, the religious leaders, his parents, the disciples, and Jesus. The people of that day were living in darkness. Not unlike our world today. And just as back then Jesus offered light to the blind, He offers light to the blind of our world.
Join us if you are able in person. We meet at 9 and 10:45. If you are unable to join us in person, we do have a live stream at the same time. Please join us online at YouTube (Owen Valley Christian Fellowship) or on our Facebook page (Owen Valley Christian Fellowship-Spencer, IN). Feel free to comment or ask questions.
Posted in InTheShadow | 2 Responses »
Tags: Jesus, Sermon Series
Thursday, January 15th, 2026
{Full disclosure: this will not be an easy one to read or accept}
“I’m going to wash your mouth out with soap.”
Man, could those words be used multiple times per day. Especially now. Vulgarity and profanity-from the top of the food chain to the bottom-is rampant. It’s not just the “innocent” ones like “d**n” or “h**l.” Oh no! One can’t hardly hear or read a conversation without having our ears polluted by the “f” word or “g*d***n” or “b***h” or other disgusting words. The crudeness and perversity behind the “f” word used to be relegated to private conversations and mostly used by men. Not any more! It’s out there being used multiple times in interviews and some of the biggest users are women. One word comes to mind when I hear it: disgusting. And another word: demeaning.
One of the classic scenes in A Christmas Story is when Ralphie is helping his dad change the tire and the hubcaps holding the lug nuts gets knocked out of his hand and they go flying. His first words were, “Oh f-u-u-u-dge” only that is not what he said. It is implied until the father tells the mother, she screams, and in the next scene we see Ralphie sitting with a bar of soap in his mouth. (I may or may not have that same scenario at some time in my past. 🙂 ). Well, there sure are plenty of people who need their potty mouths washed out with soap! I’m not a prude by any stretch. But C’MON PEOPLE!
I guess what really fries me are those who claim to be followers of Christ, make public declarations of that, but then sound no different and talk no different than their heathen counterparts. Somewhere there has to be a line of demarcation. Somewhere the speech of a follower of Christ needs to be different from one who doesn’t follow Him.
Proverbs 15 is filled with references to our lips/speech.
“The tongue of the wise makes knowledge appealing, but the mouth of a fool belches out foolishness.” (v.2)
“Gentle words are a tree of life; a deceitful tongue crushes the spirit.” (v.4)
“The lips of the wise give good advice; the heart of a fool has none to give.” (v.7)
“The heart of the godly thinks carefully before speaking; the mouth of the wicked overflows with evil words.” (v.28)
Let’s clean it up my friends.
Posted in InTheShadow | 6 Responses »
Tags: Christian Living, Lifestyle, Ministry, Opinion, Profanity, Reflection, Scripture look, Sin, Speech, Truth Telling, Vulgarity
Wednesday, January 14th, 2026
“A slave? Who me a slave? How dare you!”
In this day of wokeness and feelings worn on a sleeve, being called a slave is an extreme putdown. But, before you shut me down and accuse me of hatred and bigotry, please hear me out.
I have often made a statement when I preach, or even in private conversation:
Your failure to forgive someone does not hurt them. Generally, they could care less. However, what it does do is make you their slave.
There’s that word again. It has a bitter taste on our tongue, and an unsavory taste in our mouth. But here is the lowdown: It is true! When you or I refuse to forgive someone, that other person owns us. They are not hurt in the slightest (unless, of course, they have apologized and want to reconcile). If that’s not the case, “it’s no skin off their back” as the saying goes.
Here…let me explain it further:
A peaceful heart leads to a healthy body; jealousy is like cancer in the bones. (Pr. 14:30 NLT)
I’d say that Scripture is pretty relevant, wouldn’t you? (Just one more nail in the coffin of those who say the Bible is outdated or irrelevant. Just sayin’). Jealousy is compared to cancer and we have all been exposed to cancer’s devastation in some way. Picture jealousy doing the same thing to our soul. Eating away. Wasting away as hatred and hard feelings take hold. Energy expended to maintain that feeling.
No one wants to be a slave. NO ONE. Great! You may be a free man or woman living on this earth. But what about inwardly? Slave or free? I despised the song when it was so popular but take this advice: “Let it go.” Choose what you will do.
Posted in InTheShadow | 8 Responses »
Tags: Bitterness, Choices, Christian Living, Forgiveness, Grudge, Hatred, Opinion, Reflection, Story, Surrender
Tuesday, January 13th, 2026
JESUS IS LORD.
Down through the years, followers of Christ have used various acronyms or phrases to define their faith. For example:
- WWJD- What Would Jesus Do? Taken from a book called In His Steps by Charles Sheldon, it became a catchphrase for many (and a big money maker).
- The silly “God is good all the time; all the time God is good.” While it may be true, the sheer over-recitation of it rendered it almost useless.
There are others, but one has endured the test of time: JESUS IS LORD. Its meaning and impact never loses its power. It stood against the phrase of the day: “Caesar is lord.” It stood against the heresy and false teachings like Gnosticism in the days of Paul, Peter, John, and others who defended the faith. It was the foundation of Martin Luther’s “Here I stand” speech as he stood against the Roman Catholic hierarchy. Even today as followers of Jesus resist the pummeling and persecution of Communism and Islam; the so-called academic push of atheism; the anti-Christ tug of progressive “Christianity”; the pull of culture for acceptance of all lifestyles and perversion- JESUS IS LORD still stands.
What does it mean? To say “Jesus is Lord” is not just to call Christ Master and Savior, it is also affirming He is King of all, as well as He is fully and completely God. Those 3 words speak volumes, even in today’s deafness to truth. They are more than just t-shirt logo material. They are more than a sign at a football game. They are more than eye black worn during a ballgame. They are TRUTH. They are life. They are a confession, a bold statement of faith. For further reading check out Philippians 2: 9-11.
What does it mean to you? Where will you take your stand?
Posted in InTheShadow | 8 Responses »
Tags: Christian Living, Creed, Faith, Foundation, Jesus, Ministry, Opinion, Reflection, Story, Truth Telling
Monday, January 12th, 2026
SERVANT LEADERSHIP.
There used to be a lot of talk about that a few years ago. Books were written about it. Speakers used it as a topic for their speeches. Corporations encouraged their CEOs and others to practice it.
What is it? I’m going to “dumb it down” quite a bit by defining it as “the willingness to lift someone up and at the same time take a back seat.” Not lessen one’s responsibilities. Not pawn off tasks one dislikes. It is the willingness to encourage, to promote, to lift someone up. True leadership never looks out for #1. True leadership, good leadership, spot-on leadership seek the betterment of an individual or group above themselves. As a pastor, my #1 responsibility is not promote myself. #1 is to honor and glorify the Father. My #2 is to always ask what is best for this church. There is way too much, and there are way too many pastors who are promoting themselves and their agenda, their “likes,” and they are leaving behind God’s best. Pastors are often so focused, they can’t even hear what God is saying.
Jesus had something to say about this. In Mt. 20 He was asked by the mother of James and John to give them places of honor in His kingdom. He gave His answer but the others got wind of the request and complained. Jesus’ words are pointed: “Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must become your slave. For even the Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve others and to give His life as a ransom for many.” (Verses 26-28 NLT)
I believe Ronald Reagan is credited with saying,
There is no telling how far an organization can go or what it can do if no one cares who gets the credit.
I believe Jesus would agree. Promote someone else today. Encourage them.
Posted in InTheShadow | 4 Responses »
Tags: Christian Living, Church, Humility, Leadership, Ministry, Opinion, Reflection, Scripture look, Servant Leadership, Servant's Heart, Story
Friday, January 9th, 2026
Welcome to my once per week sermon update. My plan is to give a short description of my upcoming sermon for this coming Sunday. My 2026 theme is, as you can see, STILL THE ONE! Please take a moment and check out Revelation 5:13 to see the foundation for that theme.
This coming Sunday I’m starting a series I am calling SEVEN. My plan is take the 7 “I AM” statements and the 7 miracles recorded for us in John and to preach on each one through the rest of January and all of February. The first sermon is entitled Show, Then Tell. The “I AM” statement is “I AM the Bread of Life” (John 6:35-51) and the miracle is Jesus feeding the 5000 from John 6:1-15. After preaching on big chunks of Scripture last year as I covered the whole Bible, it requires a bit of a shift to zero in on specific passages, or in this case, chapter of the Bible. With the idea expressed supposedly by Augustine that “There is a God-shaped vacuum in each of us that only God can fill”, I hope to show that only Jesus as the Bread of Life can give us the satisfaction we long for.
Please join us this Sunday and 9:00 and 10:45. I would love to see you and even meet you if possible. If not, please join us online at YouTube (Owen Valley Christian Fellowship) or on our Facebook page (Owen Valley Christian Fellowship-Spencer, IN). Feel free to comment or ask questions.
Posted in InTheShadow | 4 Responses »
Tags: Reflection, Sermon Series
