God

Faith Seeking Understanding

/ mhowellw / Leave a comment

It was with a sad heart that I received the news this morning that a former pastor of mine had committed suicide after a long battle with depression. Although I have not attended that church in about 5 years, I still remember my former pastor as a loving individual and a strong leader. Like everyone, he had his flaws, and as with many pastors in my life, I only knew him from a Sunday morning distance. Still, he seemed to be a solid man of  God who tried to serve to the Lord with his life.

The hallmark of a good pastor, I believe, is that he leaves you thinking. Continue reading →

Before I Begin…

/ mhowellw / Leave a comment

…let’s get one thing straight.

I HATE camping.

The cramped quarters. The temperature drop that always seems to fall 20 degrees cooler than expected. The tent whose only purpose in life is to wreak havoc on the spatially challenged. The sudden loss of daylight that invariably occurs when trying to set up said tent. The constant infestation of dirt in everything from food to clothes to the inside of my sleeping bag. (Heck, even my toothbrush feels gritty.) And, of course, the backache that turns me into Quasimodo for three days after the camping trip is over. Yeah. That’s fun.
Continue reading →