EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD: God's central message is of reconciliation

"Alleluia! Christ is risen! He is risen, indeed!"

EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD: Sharing light of Christ benefits missionaries, too

One of the great blessings we have in our congregation is the opportunity to take short-term mission trips, both in the U.S. and abroad in foreign countries.

EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD: Cleaning for Christmas, Christmas as cleansing

They were standing there waiting for me. The troubled look of concern was all over both of their faces. My wife and my oldest daughter were talking quietly to each other. I knew it wasn’t good. Then they turned to me and said, “Lady got sick last night, and it’s all over the basement!”

EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD: Be patient, stay hydrated for life's race

On two successive Sunday mornings in early August, as I was preparing to head off for worship, I watched a segment of the Olympics men’s and women’s marathon. It is a stunning to see top runners from all over the world compete in an endurance race of that magnitude. I sat and marveled at the…

EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD: Easter is crowning achievement of all history

Every day I get a confident little voice in the back of my head that says, "It's going to be all right!" It's a voice I believe God put there because of Easter. For Christians, Easter is the crowning achievement of all history. It has a powerful impact for every day of our life.

EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD: Unborn children require our protection

I am troubled by the lack of care in our country shown to the unborn children, that is, those children who are growing inside of their mother's body.

EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD: Christmas is such a fulfilling holiday

It's finally here! The day we have been waiting for! Christmas Day is here, and hopefully you can breathe a deep fulfilling breath. Today is a day where we should be able to sit back and relax. The hard work is over for us — I hope!

EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD: I commend lifelong, one man, one woman, marriage

Do you ever have time to think about life and the blessings you have been given?

EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD: How to cope in times of despair

Next Sunday will be the 10-year anniversary of the tragic day we have come to know simply as 9/11. It is a day forever etched in our minds.

EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD: Reread Genesis for a new start, a new perspective

Have you ever noticed how two people looking at the same scenery can come away with drastically different viewpoints? One person sees the beauty of the scenery, while the other sees only the flaws. It seems that in our society, the ones who see the flaws are far more common, and the ones who…

EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD: Easter shows God can overcome all problems

Today is the day Christians all over the world celebrate that Jesus Christ rose from the dead. Although Christmas is often the most popular holiday of the year, Easter ranks first in importance among all of the other holidays of the Christian church year. It is the celebration of God making …

EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD: Positively positive about the future

This past political campaign was the most negative one in my memory. The words sent back and forth across the airwaves were brutal. Often, if one would listen to the music in the background, he might think the opposing candidate was the lead character in a horror film.

EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD: Straight talk can be a very valuable tool

Last week, I took my youngest daughter, Caroline, to see the dentist. She did not want to go. She resisted with every ounce of her body. But it was necessary for her to go. She needed to get her teeth cleaned, and she needed to hear from someone, other than her parents, that it was necessary…

EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD: Faith helps with coping, not prevention

Life has a funny way of waking us up every now and then to what truly matters.

EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD: Jesus was born during hard times like these

Some time ago, I was driving in my car thinking about what Christmas was like for me as a young boy. As I thought about it, I began to think that those times were sure some of the best of my life. Christmas meant the smell of cookies being prepared, the warmth of home, Mom and Dad being busy…

PAUL APPOLD: Love grows more, year after year

Every now and then I have a new insight into the goodness of God. Sometimes it deals with something I have already known to be true, but it might hit me in a new and more profound way. This came true for me recently, as we celebrated my mother and father's 60th wedding anniversary.

Become men of action to inspire, be happy

Today I'm proud to be a man. Don't get me wrong, I don't mean it in a bragging kind of way. It's just that I'm happy to be a man today. So, let's hear it for all the men out there! As Tim Allen from "Home Improvement" would say, "Rooh, rooh, rooh!"

Jesus means what he says in the Bible

In recent months, both Time and Newsweek magazines have run articles on the positive relationship between faith and healing. In both cases, it seemed as if the authors were astonished with the examples of increased healing for people of faith. Today, I ask, "Why is this so shocking?"

Life is too short for us to spend it by ourselves

As I am writing this, I have just come out of the deep freeze days of Jan. 14-16. They were some bitterly cold days, reminiscent of some of my childhood days in Michigan. That kind of weather has a way of isolating us, forcing us inside, battling against the cold and trying to stay warm. Now…

Easter is a celebration of victory, hope

The winter of 2007-08 will likely go down as one of the coldest, bleakest, and most snow-filled winters of recent memories.

Home should be safe harbor from cruel world

Last month, my wife and I went on a "Grace Place" retreat through our church. This wonderful conference has great implications for the future. It was designed to strengthen marriage and the family around the theme of grace.

Give thanks for your work, and enjoy it

This weekend is a time set aside to depart from our regular work and take time for leisure. It is set aside to give thanks for the American worker and for the labor unions. It is a time to not think about work -- only leisure.

To all fathers, I say today, 'You're the man!'

Happy Father's Day, to all of you fathers sitting back and reading your newspaper today.

Guatemala trip offers Easter lesson in hope

Two years ago, about 10 members of our church and I went on a mission trip to Guatemala. We were going to strengthen the work of Servant's Heart Ministries, a ministry dedicated to helping the poorest of the poor in Guatemala. Part of our job for those 10 days was to go from house to house t…