Van's Blog

Back in the early 1970's, millions of soft, juvenile brains were permanently etched while watching Saturday morning cartoons. Strung in among Bugs Bunny, the Road Runner, and Tweety Bird were secret, lyrical and educational formulas known as ...

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Life affords us many emotional peaks, but surely one of the Top 10 must involve opening a can of Play-Doh. Karen gave me a can this week from her Mommy's Time Out stash, and Oh the memories one whiff can release!

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It's early in the final week, the most significant week in the history of the world. The props and players for Friday's drama are in position.

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The following was transcribed from a recent strategy session Satan held with his demons. Read it so you will be aware of their scheme.

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I haven't worked out the details yet, but it may be time to move beyond this idea of "Church."

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We are publishing an abbreviated newsletter today in anticipation of the bigger, better, brighter newsletter that will begin...

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My writing room is different. Some would call it an office; for me, it's a writing room.

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Let's say you start working out at the gym in order to satisfy a New Year's resolution about getting in shape. You request a personal trainer to help and you are assigned Rolf.

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so far nobody's bothered to ask me the big question, but if they do, I'm ready with an answer. Like, maybe I'll get on Jeopardy, and when Alex Trebek is making a few seconds of small talk he'll find out that I am a pastor, and so he will ask me:.............

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As the year draws to an end, it is inevitable that someone is going to ask us all to stop and reflect. We will be asked to look back upon the year that has passed, followed by such clichs as "take stock," "balance the books," and "put one's house in order."

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To say Grandpa Jacob wasn't exactly full of the Christmas spirit was an understatement. He wasn't in the mood to celebrate anything - not even with a new baby in the family.

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The ghost of Christmas future lurks within just about every Christmas present that you give or receive. But this is not the Spirit with the unseen face who lurks within a shroud and depresses poor Scrooge in "A Christmas Carol."

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It is officially time to put up the Christmas tree. But first, a nap.

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Thanksgiving has been around since Abraham Lincoln encouraged the nation to set aside "a day of thanksgiving and praise to our beneficent Father," but it achieved greatness as an American holiday thanks to two key events during World War II.

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I have never had to return a Thanksgiving gift. Of course not, you say, there are no Thanksgiving gifts. Exactly. That's just one reason the coming holiday of thanks-giving is so much easier than its neighbor just down the calendar. Don't get me wrong. I love Christmas - the promise of redemption and salvation embodied in the Incarnation. God came near! I just can't stand what we've done to Christmas. The chaos. The pressures. The expectations.

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There is a two-letter word that perhaps has more meaning than any other two-letter word, and that is "UP." It's easy to understand UP, meaning toward the sky or at the top of the list, but we use UP in some not-so-easy-to-understand ways.

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This upcoming Sunday we will take a one week break from The Story and welcome Pastor Vincent Victours to share his miraculous testimony at each of our three morning services. God is using him in a mighty way, but it is his testimony of his conversion experience from Islam that will stir your heart.

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The Late Show Top Ten List is a regular segment of the late night television program hosted by David Letterman. The lists are usually given humorous topics such as Top Ten Signs Your Kid Had a Bad First Day at School, or Top Ten Rejected James Bond Gadgets, or the list may be based on current events.

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The British Broadcasting Corporation recently answered the "101 greatest questions of all time." What did they include? Well, questions like "What is OK short for?"

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I am writing these words on a Saturday afternoon while sitting in a lawn chair, and it so happens that this is my subject - not the cool breeze or the brilliant golden leaf that just landed in my lap. My subject is that I am sitting with a pen in my hand, writing in longhand, on a legal pad. A pen, always a pen: What seems a novelty these days is essential to my mode of composition.

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Imagine living your life with a false identity. That's what happened to Francisco Madariaga Quintela. In 1977, his mother Sylvia was kidnapped by Argentine security forces. Her husband Abel last saw his pregnant wife being pushed into a Ford Falcon by army officers dressed as civilians as she walked to catch a train.

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"Come in," God said. "So, you would like to interview Me?" "If you have time," I said. God smiled and said, "My time is eternity and is enough to do everything; I have all the time you need. Ask Me anything." "Well, Lord," I asked. "What surprises you most about mankind?

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They aren't exactly what you'd call a list of "Who's who in Purity and Sainthood." In fact, some of their antics and attitudes would make you think of the Jerry Springer crowd. What few halos there are among this befuddled bunch could probably use a bit of straightening and polish. Yet, strange as it may seem, it is this very humanness that makes these people refreshing. They are so refreshing that should you ever need a reminder of God's tolerance and grace and mercy, you'd find it in these people.

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Mom was right: Go outside. Humans are quickly becoming an indoor species. In part, this is a byproduct of our urbanization, as we have moved decidedly away from an agrarian society. Our increasing reliance on technology is also the driving trend, with a recent study concluding that Americans currently spend hours a day interacting with technology. As a result, there's no longer time for nature.

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Many of us were familiar with the film critic duo Siskel and Ebert. Gene Siskel died in 1999. Then in 2006, Robert Ebert lost his lower jaw and voice to complications from cancer. He has since relied on sticky notes and various automated voices to communicate. He types in words on his laptop and then pushes a button that translates his written words into spoken words that can be heard through the computer's speakers.

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When Teddy Roosevelt was a small child, he developed a special fear of going to church. His mother Mittie had found that the future President of the United States was so afraid of the Madison Square Presbyterian Church that he refused to set foot inside it alone.

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While I don't know many Christians who admit to gambling, if most of us are honest, some moments in life feel like a day in Vegas. It's not just that fortunes can turn with a new shuffle, another role, or a second spin; it's that life really can turn on a dime.

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Virginia Dean Whalen Farless died last week at the age of 80. I never knew her, but I wish I had. Here are just a few of the lines from her obituary, published in the Daily News Journal of Murfreesboro, TN. It's first sentence declares that Mrs. Farless "got the last laugh Tuesday evening, August 7, 2012."

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It's Friday afternoon, and I'm watching it rain. In fact, I'm outside dancing in it - at least in my mind. Remember Gene Kelly's classic ballad: I'm singing in the rain, just singing in the rain. What a glorious feeling; I'm happy again. I'm laughing at clouds, so dark up above. The sun's in my heart. Well, you get the picture.

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The headline story from the past month was the murder of 12 patrons at a Colorado movie theater. During the same period, but relegated to the bottom of the front page, have been the Penn State University child abuse scandal and the ongoing global financial crisis.

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In the early formation of our nation, George Washington had the opportunity to become king of America. But given the young nation's experience with England and because he had a robust prayer life, he knew there was only one King, so he declined the offer.

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Verizon Wireless created one of the most memorable marketing campaigns of 2005. In their commercials, a so-called "test man," accompanied by a crowd of network engineers, travels the country asking the simple question, "Can you hear me now?" in an ongoing exercise to determine the reliability of the mobile phone carrier's network.

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When the Soviets began installing missiles in Cuba, just 90 miles off U.S. soil, advisors to President John Kennedy disagreed on what action should be taken.

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Tuesday, when I heard the news of Andy Griffiths passing, I felt like some relative or neighbor from back home had died. It cast a pall on the entire day.

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Heres something that might bring back some memories. Think back to Christmases of your childhood. What was the symbol of all your Christmas wishes?

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When Pope John Paul died, a man named Roger Cadenhead quickly registered the web address www.BenedictXVI.com, thinking this might be the name chosen by the new pope.

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At the beginning of the Bible story, the first thing God does for humanity is present us with a menu: The Lord God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there He put the man whom He had formed. And out of the ground the Lord God made to spring up every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food (Gen. 2:8-9). God likes doing the catering. He thinks food is a good thing.

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There was more bad news for the television industry last week when the Dish Network announced that it was offering subscribers a DVR (digital video recorder) feature that allows them to avoid ads during prime-time shows

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I had the privilege and pleasure of performing my son Garretts wedding ceremony Saturday evening in Bolivar, Tennessee. Brittney is a beautiful young lady, inside and out, and I am so excited to have another daughter.

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While at Vanderbilt Childrens Hospital last week I was introduced to a Christian dad whose son was in the intensive care unit suffering from seizures.

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Ah, but what if we could see ourselves as God sees us?

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After Captain Chesley Sullenberger landed his commercial jet safely in the Hudson River a few years ago, he was interviewed on all the morning television shows. Robin Roberts on Good Morning America asked, When you realized you were going down, did you pray?

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One day in Capernaum, Jesus started teaching inside an open-doored house, and people barged right on in. Soon the tiny house was packed like sardines.

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It. Some churches have it. Some dont. Most churches want it. Few have it. When a church has it, everyone can tell. And when one doesnt...everyone can tell.

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When someone keeps telling you to "be strong and courageous," you might suspect you are up against something big. And the Israelites were facing something big.

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Every parent has been there. The trip ahead is long. The travel schedule is tight. You hit the road with a full tank, confident the plan you have crafted beats anything AAA could muster. But 30 minutes down the highway ...

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Easter coincides with the greening of the earth. Sap rises in dormant trees, spring peepers start their peeping, and trumpet lilies spill their sweet smell on the air. Christ is risen, and the whole world comes to life.

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My name is Mary. I'm from Magdala, a village on the shore of the Sea of Galilee. I loved the man Jesus from the first day I saw Him, but I couldn't imagine actually talking to Him, for my sins seemed beyond pardon. So ...

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It was perhaps the greatest opportunity ever: God tells Moses that He wants to come to His people and dwell right in the middle of their camp. Not on the outskirts. Not in the suburbs. But right in the middle of where they live.

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There's a wall in front of you. Behind you is a past you are running from. Beyond the wall awaits the promise of a new life. But you're not moving because there is this "wall." You feel trapped. No way out. But God does some of His finest ...

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People nearing mid-life often crash into some startling and unexpected observations. For instance, we all dream big dreams when we are young. But as we move at a breakneck pace through our 20s, 30s, and 40s, we eventually slam head on into ...

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I admit it. I would be the first to line up with Abraham as one of those guilty of buying things from the Do-It-Yourself Depot of life. Something's broken? Here, let me see if I can fix it. Someone's hurting? I think I can solve that ...

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Some movies start at warp speed. Case in point: "Star Trek." From the opening scene to the end, it barely lets you breathe. If you slipped out for popcorn you were sure to miss something important.

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Parm and Rosemary Ferris are in love. It's evident as the couple talk, hold hands, and exchange smiles. Parm likes to tell about how he "fell" in love and how Rosemary's wedding dress saved his life.

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Unbeknownst to her husband or congregation, Trudy Smith has been avoiding church for two years, sending a look-alike in her place.

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I haven't worked out the detailsyet, but it may be time to move beyond this idea of "church." You have a clear picture in your mind of "church," I assume.

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