Submitted by Tim Perkins

Across the Preacher’s Desk: Be Generous with Butter

March 18, 2021 - If you come to our home and look in the refrigerator for the margarine, you won’t find any. You will, however, find real, sweet cream butter in both salted and unsalted varieties. We use butter at our house, lots of butter and I have the waistline to prove it! This morning, as I applied a generous amount of butter to my biscuits, I watched it turn into a beautiful golden liquid as it soaked into that dry biscuit. That beautiful golden liquid made me think of the words of Jesus in Matthew 7:12, you know, the passage we call the “golden rule.”

Across The Preacher's Desk: Dad's Fireplace

March 11, 2021 - One of the things I miss from my childhood is the fireplace we had in our home. I can remember many cold, dreary winter mornings laying in bed, pulling the covers up tight and hearing the sound of my father chopping kindling to get a fire going. It was still dark outside, there were coals in the fireplace from the fire during the night, but dad wanted to make sure there was a big fire going before my mom and I would get up in the mornings.

Across the Preacher’s Desk: The Eloquence of Silence

March 4, 2021 - Words are wonderful things. They have a beauty and eloquence all their own. Yet, there is often an eloquence without words. “Silence is golden” someone has said. Silence can also be eloquent. Jesus was the master at using the eloquence of silence. He used it many times.

Across the Preacher's Desk: Are We Thankful?

February 25, 2021 - When Paul wrote to Timothy in his second letter, he has this to say in chapter 3, “This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves… unthankful.” Does that description fit us in our own day and time? Lovers of self would indicate a certain degree of selfishness and along with that comes a lack of gratitude.

Across the Preacher’s Desk: Dealing with Life’s Cares

February 17, 2021 - Ruth Graham wrote a book titled In Every Pew Sits A Broken Heart. All of us need to remember that from time to time. There is also a familiar passage in I Peter chapter 5 and verse 7 we need to remember. Peter writes there, “Casting all your care upon Him, for He careth for you.”

You and I are in this verse! There is so much in our world that is impersonal. We live in an age of bigness and numbers. Everyone wants to know “the last four of your social” when you call wanting information.

Across the Preacher’s Desk: That I May Know Him!

February 11, 2021 - There is a little obscure sentence found in Philippians 3:10 that expressed the deepest longing and desire of the apostle Paul, where he writes, “That I may know Him.”

Across the Preacher’s Desk: What The World Needs

February 4, 2021 - The year was 1965. Hal David wrote the lyrics to a song and Burt Bacharach composed the music. The song was first recorded and made popular by Jackie DeShannon and the title was, “What the World Needs Now Is Love.” The first stanza reads like this:

“What the world needs now is love, sweet love
It’s the only thing that there’s just too little of
What the world needs now is love, sweet love,
No not just for some, but for everyone.”

Across the Preacher’s Desk: Jesus’ Transforming Power

January 28, 2021 - It was at a wedding feast, in Cana of Galilee, where Jesus performed his first miracle. They had run out of wine, a real social miscue in that day and time. So, Mary told Jesus the problem and then told the servants to do whatever Jesus told them to do. Well, you remember the story.

Across the Preacher’s Desk: The Warmth of God’s Love

January 21, 2021 - Among the many fables given to us by Aesop is the one of “The North Wind and The Sun.” It seems a dispute arose between the north wind and the sun, each claiming that he was stronger than the other. At last they agreed to try their powers upon a traveler, to see which could soonest strip him of his cloak. The north wind had the first try; and gathering up all his force for the attack, he came whirling furiously down upon the man, and caught up his cloak as though he would wrest it from him by one single effort.

Across the Preacher's Desk: I Know

January 14, 2021 - Paul’s second letter to Timothy is the last of his letters that has been preserved for us. In chapter 1 and verse 12 he writes, “I know whom I have believed.” Dr. Moffatt’s translation reads: “I know whom I have trusted.”

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