Many wise lawyers have begun addresses to a presiding judge using this familiar phrase: “If it please the court”.  In a few words, they are recognizing the authority of the judge and the entity that has given the judge their authority. The lawyers are making a respectful argument by emphasizing their humble role in the system. They are appealing to a higher power. It seems

In 2020 COVID has demonstrated just how tentative and fragile life can be. We have all witnessed how quickly governments can take liberties, and how quickly people give them up when their health and safety are at stake. The social unrest in our nation has also demonstrated how volatile our society can become and how much hurt lies beneath the surface. The uncertainty can

It happened at the Supreme Headquarters of the Allied Expeditionary Forces in Versailles, France on December 15, 1944. Gen. Omar Bradley who commanded U.S. land forces in the West was desperate for replacements. The U.S. army had crossed the German border and was making its way through Hürtgen Forest. They were dealing with an average of 2,000 casualties a day and there were more than

I saw the Garden of Gethsemane over 25 years ago. Just not in person. My father-in-law, who was also my pastor, was able to take the trip he had long dreamed of to see The Holy Land. Since the church he led funded his trip, we arranged for him to call us during a Sunday Service. We heard him describe the place he was