Church of Tollhouse Ministry Center

I’m going to take you back to one of my “bone-headed moments.” You’ll have to picture this little scenario in your head in order to see the humor in it. I still get a little bit of a chuckle when I think about it. Years back, a couple buddies and I were on our way to do something; I can’t even remember what it was.

His skin was bronzed and leathery…He looked like a cross between Jack Palance and the Marlboro man…Not sure what drew my gaze in his direction. Was it the chocolate brown lab at his side?  Or, maybe it was the piercing, pale, blue eyes that got my attention, even through a truck window across an intersection. He was a drifter,

“It is not really your decision to make. ”His words were a failed attempt to alleviate my anguish and guilt. I was experiencing a measure of torment that I had never been acquainted with. I was expressing to my boss why I needed a day off…I found myself in a no win situation and I needed to take care of it…Though,

A few weeks back, I came across a story about a young lady by the name of Wendy Stoker. Wendy was a tenaciously determined young lady, who had amassed a fairly impressive list of accomplishments before her 20th birthday. In High School, Wendy worked hard, putting in many hours each week. The fruit of her labor was placing third in the Iowa

Pastor Rob's blog entry for this week is his personal testimony. It is very powerful and will speak to many. As you can see, his life was not easy, but once he let Jesus be the Lord of his life, he started on his road to recovery and he was set free. "And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose." (Romans 8:28) Now the Lord is using all the struggles from Pastor Rob's past, to help him to minister to the masses.

I begin my study prayerfully and meditatively remembering that our very reason for living is to know God, and communication is the key to know a person. My purpose for studying the Bible is to know God. My secondary purpose is to introduce people to the God I know (Psalm 86:11). I examine my heart. I confess sin and repent of ungodly attitudes.

In The New Testament book of Acts we come across an interaction between a couple of Jesus’ disciples and a man who was seemingly stuck in a hopeless situation. It is a "crisis of the will" moment for the man. It is a moment, in which, God provides a transformative opportunity to step into a new way of living. In verses one through six we read-

One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer—at three in the afternoon. ² Now a man who was lame from birth was being carried to the temple gate called Beautiful, where he was put every day to beg from those going into the temple courts. ³ When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for money. ⁴ Peter looked straight at him, as did John. Then Peter said, “Look at us!” ⁵ So the man gave them his attention, expecting to get something from them. ⁶ Then Peter said, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.”

While he was playing, he was a bit of a throwback to a different era. A time when Major League baseball was a lot less of a business and a bit more of a game. A time when players weren’t nearly as entangled with the likes of agents, endorsements, dieticians and personal trainers. He may have fit in well with the likes of larger-than-life