Category Archives: In A Nutshell

Worth a Visit Life in ministry brings all sorts of responsibilities — one of the most important of which is visitation. Whether someone is housebound, hospitalized, in an assisted-living facility, grieving, or imprisoned, pastors are expected to visit, encourage, provide companionship, and lift up others through scripture and prayer. These types of visitation are oftenContinue reading “In A Nutshell | April 22, 2022”

Strangers in the Night One never knows who or what might be encountered in a church parking lot, especially after dark. Here at Oak Chapel United Methodist, which sits at the confluence of two busy roadways, we’ve had crows, cats, and all kinds of other critters, but we’ve also had visits from a wide rangeContinue reading “In A Nutshell | April15, 2022”

What Happens When Something Spills? We’ve all heard the old saying, “Don’t cry over spilled milk.” What it means essentially, is that there’s no reason to be upset about something that has already happened and cannot be changed. Ha! Easier said than done. There are countless examples in life when we spill something — literallyContinue reading “In A Nutshell | April 8, 2022”

Fool for Christ “Everybody plays the fool sometimes; there’s no exception to the rule.” So goes a line from a one-hit wonder from The Main Ingredient in 1972. Indeed, we’ve all found ourselves looking or sounding foolish at one time or another. No one wants to be in that situation, but it’s part of life.Continue reading “In A Nutshell | April 1, 2022”

Adjusting to our Blind Spots With the many enormous advances in automobile technology, why do we still have blind spots when we try to change lanes? Surely, our brilliant automotive engineers could have come up with something to overcome that. Some say that if the sideview mirrors are properly adjusted, there are no blind spots;Continue reading “In A Nutshell | March 25, 2022”

Faith Often Calls for Clear Thinking, Quick Action It was a rainy, foggy morning in March of 1974, just three months before our high school graduation. My friends and I were on our way to the bus stop, chatting about who knows what, when we came upon a frightening sight. One of our classmates laidContinue reading “In A Nutshell | March 18, 2022”

Opportunities to Re-Engage with the Word of God  Now that we are becoming a little more comfortable gathering together in small groups, I would like to make a pitch for Christian Education at Oak Chapel. We currently have two Sunday School classes and one Bible study, but we hope to expand our offerings in theContinue reading “In A Nutshell | March 11, 2022”

Reflect, Repent, Reconcile, and Reconnect This Lent The older I get, the more I regret. Thoughtless words, careless actions, and bad decisions over the course of my lifetime cause me to wonder  why I didn’t exercise better judgment and greater forethought. Thank God for the gift of His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ! Where wouldContinue reading “In A Nutshell | March 4, 2022”

Ashes to Ashes, Death to Life Our Lenten journey officially begins next week with the imposition of ashes on Ash Wednesday. I hope you will consider joining us for a brief, but meaningful service at7 p.m. that evening. This storied tradition of Ash Wednesday dates back centuries and reminds us that our life in thisContinue reading “In A Nutshell | February 25, 2022”

Making Our Way to the Cross You never know what you might see simply by gazing out the window. A few weeks ago, I watched a man walk toward the church on West Old Lincoln Way. It’s not really a safe roadway for pedestrians in ideal weather conditions, but with all the snow that hadContinue reading “In A Nutshell | February 18, 2022”