September 5, 2019 At the entrance to our neighborhood, there are four lighted posts – two on each side of the street. In recent weeks, someone drove into one of them and knocked it down. When I drive past this broken lamppost on my way to the church campus each morning, the light is still […]
August 28, 2019 The Apostle Paul gives a seemingly impossible directive in Philippians 4:6 when he says, “Be anxious for nothing.” Our culture would define “anxious” as “anxiety” or “worry.” How can one eliminate all anxiety? He precedes the idea by telling us to “rejoice in the Lord” and display a patient attitude. Knowing the […]
August 21, 2019 As a kid, there was always the anticipation of what might be coming for a birthday or Christmas gift. I remember wondering what it would be like to know ahead of time what was in the package. Knowing how that would spoil the proper day, my parents never allowed it to happen. […]
August 14, 2019 August 14, 1965, is the pivot date around which all of life revolves for Carol and me. Every significant event before and since is connected with that date. Both of us are quick to point out our heritage of Godly parents, early-in-life trust in Jesus as Savior, abundance of opportunities to learn […]
August 7, 2019 I have been pondering the lesson to be gained from the story we know as “Jesus Feeds 5,000 People,” recorded in Matthew 14. It was late in the day and the large crowd was in a desolate place. The human solution offered by the disciples seems obvious: Send the people away to […]
July 31, 2019 I was encouraged a few days ago by an article in Our Daily Bread called “Plodding for God.” It referenced William Carey, who is known today as the father of modern missions. I doubt that people saw him as a visionary leader in his early years, but his accomplishments included learning Greek, […]
July 25, 2019 I have been pondering the relationship between Philippians 3:13-14 and the admonition of James 4:13-17. Apostle Paul connects past experience and future anticipation. James appears to be thinking about the present. What is the balance in all of this? There is value in remembering our past. The positive memories encourage us and […]
July 17, 2019 Consistent humans are hard to find. The problem started in the Garden of Eden when the first humans had everything good and chose to believe a lie that they were missing something. Human consistency was damaged. Our great country spends billions of dollars and individuals give their life to do good things. […]
July 11, 2019 Each time I read the Book of Job, I have mixed reactions. This time I decided to reflect on some of them and what might be helpful insights or applications. It amazes me that the story gives no indication that Job knew what was happening in the heavens with the discussion between […]
July 3, 2019 To say that freedom has boundaries sounds like a contradiction. Perhaps that helps explain why today’s society engages in so much discussion and debate about the subject. Creator God established the principle of “freedom boundaries” when He brought the world into existence and made the first humans. Nature appears to have the […]
June 26, 2019 The writer of Psalm 121 started by saying, “I will lift up my eyes to the hills.” It is a good practice to look up to the hills, because they make a statement of strength and protection. When we look down, we can lose the perspective that comes by looking up. The […]
June 19, 2019 The New Testament says that followers of Jesus “have the mind of Christ” (I Corinthians 2:16). Philippians 2:5 tells us to have Jesus’ “attitude” in us. Knowing that Jesus is God, and that He entered a human body to be our Savior from sin, it is amazing that we could think His […]
June 3, 2020 It was perhaps 18 years ago that a couple of people suggested I should write a weekly blog. I did not know what a “blog” was, but Ponder with Pastor Bill came out of that idea. It has been good for me to have this opportunity, and I hope it has been…
May 20, 2020 It feels strange, almost wrong, for me to ask this question: How could the Creator and Controller of the universe be held in captivity by it? I hope I am not dabbling in something inappropriate, but this has been on my mind. The confinement of lockdown is a familiar situation for all…
May 13, 2020 Creator God gives us a statement of beauty and hope when He puts a silver lining around a dark cloud in the sky. He reminds us that the darkness is temporary and there is something more powerful than the cloud. It feels like our lives, our community and our world have a…
Meditación con el pastor Bill 6 de mayo de 2020 Sentado en mi silla de tratamiento esta semana frente a una ventana que me daba una vista para el Monte St. Helens, cubierto de nieve sobre un fondo azul cielo. Era una escena magnífica, y tuve mucho tiempo para disfrutarla y reflexionar sobre el significado…
May 6, 2020 My treatment chair this week faced a window that provided a frame for Mount St. Helens, covered with snow against a sky-blue background. It was a magnificent scene, and I had plenty of time to enjoy it and ponder the significance of that mountain. Prior to 1980, I called it “Mount Chrome…