New Subscription Rates Bulk to congregations: $7.00 Individual rates: 1 yr. $9.00 2 yrs. $17.00 3 yrs. $25.00 Foreign rates: 1 yr. $12.00 2 yrs. $23.00 3 yrs. $34.00 Change Of Address Pastor Peter E. Reim 620 E. 50th St. Loveland, CO 80538 (907) 663-3594 Pastor Wayne Eichstadt 4054 Corvette Lane North Port, FL 34287…  Read More

“He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God” (Ps. 40:2-3). We’ve heard the tune before. We heard it from…  Read More

“They . . . wove a crown of thorns and set it on Him” — Mark 15:17 “Ouch!” The “ouch” and frostbite of winter will soon be over! But cheer up! Soon we can experience the inevitable “ouch” of being pricked by various types of thorny weeds which, every year at this time, start to…  Read More

Does anyone remember Gale Sayers? Chicago Bears fans know the name well. Sayers was a speedy running back who played for their team during the 1960’s. For many, however, Gale Sayers is most remembered for the statement: “The Lord is first, my friends are second, and I am third!” I can’t remember off hand what…  Read More

Thanksgiving is the day when we wonder if we’ll have enough. We bought a 20 pound turkey. Will it be enough to feed everyone? We plan on mashing a dozen potatoes, but what if that’s not enough? We baked three pies. But that might not be enough if Uncle John shows up. — Yet how…  Read More

I have an old shepherd in my congregation. He and his wife spent their younger years tending sheep out on the rolling prairies of eastern Montana. When I stop in for visits they often speak of those days. I’m all ears. For not only are their insights and stories interesting in themselves. They often provide…  Read More

There it was, what used to be my good shovel! Left outdoors underneath a snowbank all winter, the spring thaw revealed a now badly rusted spade. With a packet of heavy duty sandpaper and lots of elbow grease I knew I could remove the rust and save it for useful work. The shovel would never…  Read More

And The Family Altar “How’s your car running?” That’s a question we often hear. We recognize the importance of keeping our vehicles in good operating order. But let me ask you another question: “How’s your Family Altar running?” “My family what?” you ask. “Your Family Altar! What kind of shape is it in? Is it…  Read More

“Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD” (Genesis 6:8). In what is one of the most fascinating accounts in all of Scripture, Noah and his family were the sole survivors of the great deluge. But even more amazing than their physical survival through the flood, is their spiritual survival before the flood. In…  Read More

It’s become a tradition in our family to go out hunting in the woods for our Christmas tree. In specified areas of the Black Hills the Forest Service will let you cut down an evergreen for a modest fee. Of course, the trees out in the wild don’t grow like they do on the farms…  Read More

We all have someone in our lives whom we would like to change. There are times when my wife would like to change me, and for good reason. But how to do that? In particular, how to get the Christian to do what God wants? How to get the church member to be more fully…  Read More

A GOOD START Ever notice if you don’t get the first button right, all the other ones end up wrong as well? Ever notice that if a child doesn’t have a good start in life, the rest of his life often goes bad? Without a good beginning to life, a child will often grow into…  Read More

PUDDLES OF TROUBLE Troubles, troubles, troubles. While walking down the sidewalk of life, we’re constantly stepping into puddles of trouble. Life can seem to be an on-going series of problems, and sorrows, and tragedies. Yes, even for the Christian, the troubles of life can at times appear to be overwhelming. After forty days and forty…  Read More

A report on the radio told of odds makers taking bets on what might happen in the year 2000. One can place a wager, for example, on whether the stock market will crash, a world war will flare up, or scientists will finally make contact with space aliens. But the most interesting wager is the…  Read More

The Mount of Transfiguration (You may first wish to read Matthew 17:1-9) We have a little fellow at our house who daily does his impersonation of the Eveready Bunny. Four years old and just a shade over three feet tall, he keeps going and going and going. After a long day of trying to keep…  Read More

In a bad dream everything is out of control. In a bad dream we are trapped in some strange world where bizarre and unexpected events come rushing at us, and we have no power to stop them. (My most often repeated bad dream goes something like this: It’s Sunday morning; church begins in thirty minutes;…  Read More

Proclaiming the Unsearchable Riches of Christ (See 3:8) Chapter 5:8-14 WALK AS CHILDREN OF LIGHT (Please open your Bible and read Ephesians 5:8-14.) The book of Ephesians is a letter of pure grace, focusing its readers on Christ as the only source of a sinner’s election (1:4), redemption (1:7), and conversion (2:1). “For by grace…  Read More

Life in this sinful world can get pretty rough. Almost every day there is some trouble to face. Not a month goes by without us feeling some sadness in our hearts. Christians are not immune to the hard knocks of life. We see this from the Bible. In its opening pages we read of murder…  Read More

Proclaiming the Unsearchable Riches of Christ (see 3:8) Chapter 6:1-9 Children and Parents (Please open your Bible and read Ephesians 6:1-4) “Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God”…  Read More

For Jesus, Maundy Thursday was a night of intense temptation and bitter betrayal–a night when He faced the horrible fact that He would soon be cut off from His Father. Yet with all this pressing on His heart, our beautiful Jesus made time to comfort and instruct His fearful little band. In the upper room…  Read More