Back twenty eight years ago Connie and I were dating. I finished my sophomore year at UK and prepared to spend the summer working at a church camp in Eastern Kentucky. On the day I was to leave I loaded all my belonging into my car “the Turd”. I drove a brown Corolla […]
Author Archives: paulrpurdue
Once upon a time a subsistence sharecropper was plowing a wealthy land owner’s field. Driven by need the sharecropper plowed past the established edges to increase his narrow margin. The sharecropper borrowed to pay for seed, did all of the work and took all of the risk. At the harvest he surrendered better than half […]
What does Memorial Day, July 4, or Easter mean? How,doe we mark time? Our secularized and commercialized culture has lost the root significance of our holidays. We have made our holidays about distraction, entertainment, consumption, feasting and personal satisfaction. We tend to celebrate nothing larger than ourselves. We have taken the “holy” out of our […]
How shall we now live? What will we do in seasons of loss, brokenness and disappointment? How do we tend our souls when we walk through a season of loss? We all feel loss differently. Facing loss we may grapple or go numb. Some narrow our eyes, grit our teeth and speak off handed […]
I loved to sit in the front seat of my dad’s car pretending to drive. My lips powered the engine’s throaty roar as I shifted through imaginary gears passing AJ Foyt to take the checkered flag and drink the victorious milk at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. As much as I enjoyed those rides- the car […]
A Mother’s Day Prayer God of our Mothers, We come offering our thanks for life, love and mothers. Through Eve, You give us the gift of life Through Sarah, You bless every nation Through prophets, preachers, and pastors: Huldah, Joanna, and Priscilla- You speak! Through Mary you gave us the Perfect Revelation of Your […]
We are in the midst of Holy Week. Why are the days from Palm Sunday to Easter called Holy? This is the week we remember God’s love lavished on us. At Christmas, God comes to us in the beauty and vulnerability of a child. In this Holy Week, we see Jesus taking up the cross […]
What is the nature of prayer? Is prayer always asking God to do something? Or, is prayer a way to align my living with God’s direction? Jesus tells us to ask, seek and knock. Matthew 7:7 promises we will receive, find and see doors open. Is prayer a tool to get God to […]
I arise today Through the strength of Christ’s birth and baptism, Through the strength of His crucifixion and burial, Through the strength of His resurrection and ascension, Through the strength of His return and judgment of doom. I arise today In the prayers of patriarchs, In the preaching of the apostles, In faith of matriarchs, […]
What does it mean to be a Christian? Is it a CROSS in your pocket or around your neck? Or is it a taking up your cross and following Jesus? Is it your name recorded in a church roll book? Or the role Christ plays in your life? Is it a decision you made years […]
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