Stopping to Think

Note: Below is is the Eulogy I gave at my grandfather's memorial service. I wanted to share it here 1) to pay tribute to a great man, 2) as a way of one more time expressing thanks to God for him, 3) I want you to read the whole thing, because the last 25% or so is vitally important for all of us. Eulogy for Joe Blackburn Before I begin, I want to thank you on behalf of the family for being here. Joe Blackburn had a unique ability to leave an impression on people. One of the things he impressed on me at an early age, both in words and actions, was this: the way you spend your time both shapes and communicates your values. Or as he might put it, if you care about something you make time for it. So the fact that you planned and followed through on being here today speaks volumes.   Some figures in life loom so large that it’s almost impossible to understand who you are apart from their presence. “How did Pak shape my life?” was a hard question for me to grapple with. Perhaps a b...

Here is a link to a LeMars Bible Church blog post I wrote on death: https://www.lemarsbiblechurch.org/shepherds-online/are-you-afraid-to-die?

Throwback Thursday is a series of posts, wherein I will on (some) Thursdays post a piece of writing from back in the day. Generally not from this blog. I will edit lightly for readability, but my intention is to allow each piece to stand basically as written. Over the years my mind has shifted on many things, as my knowledge of life, the Scriptures, and myself has grown. I'm not in the business of hiding this fact, so these will probably (at least on occasion) contain some things which even I think are crazy. Originally posted on Facebook as, "Saturday notes...Part 2" April 8, 2008 at 1:36am Public Friends of Friends Friends Friends except Acquaintances Only Me Custom Good feed South Lake Youth Ministries See all lists... Le Mars, Iowa Area Plummer, Idaho Area Family US Postal Service Acquaintances Go Back Well, here's the rest of the verses I had on Saturday night, most of which I didn't get to. *Ecclesiastes 3:1-"To ever thing there is a sea...

I have taught through Ecclesiastes a couple of times over the past few years. This book stuns me over and over with its devastating appraisal of the human condition. So, I thought I might go back through some of my notes and share them with you here. I can't promise how frequently I'll have them up for you, but hopefully someday I'll have the whole book finished. My hope is that you will be as encouraged, convicted, and challenged by this book as I have been. Ecclesiastes 1:1-11 The words of  the Preacher,  the son of David,  king in Jerusalem. 2  Vanity  of vanities, says  the Preacher, vanity of vanities!  All is vanity. 3  What  does man gain by all the toil at which he toils under the sun? 4  A generation goes, and a generation comes, but  the earth remains forever. 5  The sun rises, and the sun goes down, and hastens  to the place where it rises. 6  The wind blows to the s...