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Borrowed Wisdom: One Last Cove Seminar in 2027

The Weekly Post The Billy Graham Training Center in Asheville, North Carolina, sponsors weekly worship services and Bible studies for believers who want to get away for needed rest and spiritual renewal. For the past twenty-five years, I have been honored to be one of their many guest speakers each fall. My wife and I have really enjoyed the comfortable accommodations, beautiful mountain setting, delicious meals and uplifting fellowship extended to us. The music at the four scheduled services is always inspiring and there are few places I enjoy preaching more than at “The Cove” where everyone is eager to study God’s Word and to be edified by it. But all good things must come to an end. I celebrated my 83rd birthday last week and must face reality. I recently watched a documentary of famous aging singers who were still trying to perform... October 11, 2026

Around the Table

The Weekly Post Have you ever noticed how often Jesus asked questions? Simple questions like: "Have you caught any fish?" Probing questions: "What were you arguing about as we walked along the way?" Easy questions: "Who do men say that I am?" Personal questions: "Who do you say that I am?" Difficult questions: "Why did you doubt?" Challenging questions: "Can you drink the cup that I am going to drink?" Liberating questions: "Woman, where are your accusers?" Conversation among Christians should edify, encourage, and "spur one another on toward love and good deeds." But we often spend an entire evening talking about sports, current events, children, restaurants, and movies but never go deeper, and we waste opportunities to fortify one another in the Christian life, and unfortunately we can miss opportunities to share the gospel. Throughout the Old Testament God encouraged the Israelites to remember... October 4, 2026

Does Clothing Matter to God?

The Weekly Post Three weeks ago a neighborhood Bible study asked me to model the garments of a High Priest. They were studying Exodus 28 which gives details of what the Jewish high priests were commanded to wear when performing their sacred duties. Moses was told, "Make sacred garments for your brother Aaron, to give him dignity and honor". (Exodus 28:2) The rest of the chapter details what the high priest was to wear when he led worship in the temple. One of the women in the Bible study had taken hours to sew precisely the elaborate apparel God prescribed for the designated mediator between God and man. That's me, in the photo, complete with a fake beard, wearing all the accessories of a high priest. Prior to the lesson I was reading in a side room and forgot to take off my "cheater"... September 20, 2026

When Crime Goes Unpunished

The Weekly Post In January 2023, Lindsay Clancy strangled her three young children—Cora (5), Dawson (3), and Callan (8 months)—in the basement of their Duxbury, Massachusetts home. This past week her trial ended in a mistrial. Her defense attorney said eleven of the twelve jurors were prepared to declare her not guilty on the grounds of insanity; the prosecutor disputed that reading of the jury's notes. While Lindsay Clancy admitted she murdered her children, her defenders argued that she was over-medicated and in the grip of postpartum psychosis—that perhaps the drugs she was taking, or the illness itself, caused her to lose her mind and commit such a horrific deed. Only one member of the twelve-member jury stood firm in opposition to that argument. As a result, the weeklong deliberation ended without a verdict and the judge declared a mistrial. Lindsay Clancy could be... September 7, 2026

There Be God

The Weekly Post There is an old sermon illustration I heard again recently that explains why dragons are pictured on some ancient maps. Terrifying experiences were thought to lie in wait at the far edge of the ocean, so cartographers would sometimes paint dragons or demons on their charts to mark the regions no one had ever explored. "Here be dragons" became the shorthand for unknown territory. But the famous explorer Sir John Franklin refused to be intimidated by the unknown. Franklin was a devoted Christian, a man of faith and prayer. His ability to suffer hardships with patience, courage and joy is well documented. Legend has it that Franklin took a copy of one of the "Here be dragons" maps, crossed out the ominous warning, and wrote, "Here be God!" He was determined to trust the Lord and continue to explore God's creation. He... August 30, 2026

One of the Most Difficult Jobs in the World – The Megachurch Pastor

Business guru Peter Drucker has been credited with saying two of the most difficult jobs in the world are to be president of the United States and to be a leader of a megachurch. Pastoring a church of over 2,000 weekly attendees – a megachurch – is exceptionally challenging because...
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Join Me At The Cove, September 26-28, 2023

 Join me September 26-28, 2023, at The Billy Graham Training Center at The Cove, in Asheville, North Carolina, where I will be teaching a Bible study entitled “More and More Like Jesus,” Our worship music will be provided by Niah and Allisha Merrill. The Bible study, uplifting music, and joyful fellowship...
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Leave a Legacy for a Thousand Generations

My wife Judy recently showed me an old photo she took nearly 50 years ago of my grandfather, John Pratt, and our two sons. Our youngest son Phil has only a few faint memories of his “Great-grandpa Pratt,” and Rusty, who was around nine years old in the picture, recently...
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America! May God Continue to Shed His Grace on Thee

“…with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence.”  Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776 Risking execution as traitors, the 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence courageously etched their names on the founding document of the United States, knowing the success of their new nation required “a firm...
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Who to Blame?

This past week the news media followed the gripping story of a submersible vessel that disappeared in the North Atlantic. Last Sunday night, “The Titan,” operated by OceanGate expeditions, lost contact with its surface ship about an hour and 45 minutes into its dive to explore the wreckage of the...
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