February - 2018

Tempus Fugit

They say that time flies when you're having fun -- our version of the Latin tempus fugit. I'll certainly agree it flies when you're having fun, but I'm increasingly convinced it flies regardless. Tomorrow is March 1st; didn't we just have New Year's parties? Wasn't the Super Bowl last week? I'm pretty sure we still have Christmas ornaments hanging around somewhere from the Hanging of the Greens. How on earth are we already two months into 2018? As life gets more and more fran

Fair Haven of Rest

If one word seems to describes us all right now, it's "tired." Yesterday it seemed like most of us (the preacher included) were dragging a bit more than normal. We had a rough week as a church family. Family members passed away. Friends were diagnosed with cancer. The nation continues to reel after yet another shooting. And the list goes on. At this point, we're all worn out, and there's never enough sleep. In the midst of this, I remembered the chorus of a gospel song: How b

Rev. Billy Graham, 1918-2018

The first news I heard when I woke up this morning was the passing of Billy Graham at age 99. There aren't enough words to say what an incredible man he was, and I have no doubt his loss will be felt around the globe. He was listed in the Top Ten Most Trusted People for 57 years. One poll asking "Who has done the most for religion in the world?" placed him second -- beaten only by God. He personally met and prayed with every American president from Truman to Trump. By the sta

For God & Country

Today is Presidents' Day. The holiday was created in 1968 to act as a way to honor all presidents of the United States, but it is especially for George Washington and Abraham Lincoln -- hence the date falls between their two birthdays. Presidents' Day was fixed as the third Monday in February in 1971, but even before then, Washington's birthday had been celebrated as a day of remembrance for our first president; in fact, Washington's Birthday became a federal holiday in 1879

Ashes

Today is Valentine's Day, which is great and all, but even more importantly, it's Ash Wednesday. Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent, the forty-day season of the church year leading up to Easter. Lent is a period of prayer and fasting, inviting us to remember and reflect upon Christ's forty days of fasting and temptation in the wilderness before he began his public ministry. In many ways, the road to cross begins today. Ash Wednesday itself is a rather unique day. Churc

On Science

Christians today, especially evangelical Christians living in the Bible Belt, fight what I truly consider an unnecessary war: a war against science. You all know my background: I come from a family of scientists and engineers and started my own college career along that path. So maybe I'm biased, but I just don't see how truth, actual truth, can pose a threat to our faith. It's time for us to stop fighting science and join together as allies. Science truly offers us the best

Spares

I try to keep a week's worth of blogs written at a time. The key word there is "try"; I haven't managed it yet this year. Still, I prefer to stay ahead of the game and keep "spare" posts at the ready in case I don't have time to write something that day. I try to keep spares for a lot of things in life, a habit I come by honestly: my grandfather kept everything from backup VCR's to extra commodes. The Peterses do not like to need something in an emergency and not have one on

Anniversary

I may have started at RSCC on Superbowl Sunday in 2016, but today marks my official two-year anniversary at Russell Springs Christian Church. The past two years have given me some of the greatest joys and deepest sorrows of my life, but I wouldn't have it any other way. I fully believe that God brought me to our church at just the right time for all of us. You needed me, and I needed you. I may have had a bit of a rocky start -- I'm not sure any of us were completely without

Praying for Snow

I've seen it online as the sign for many churches. The churches themselves look buried in snow, and it seems the sign person had enough: "WHOEVER IS PRAYING FOR SNOW, PLEASE STOP." It's a funny sign, and it makes me chuckle every time. But there's also a belief behind the message: prayer works. Someone (or multiple someones) has been praying for snow, and that prayer was answered -- in spades. How do you stop the snow, then? Stop praying for it! Jesus tells us in Matthew 21:2

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