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Continue reading →: They Want to be Nurtured
Earlier this week, a neighbor tied his goat in my yard (with my permission) since the grass had gotten a little high. I had no problem with this since goats do no damage to the property. He came to check on the goat Tuesday and said “oh! She made a…
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Continue reading →: When the Music EndsLast Friday night, the community where I live had a monthly celebration that ends in the early hours of the morning (1:00 AM). It’s common to see people drunkenly stumbling home around 6:00 in the morning. Last Saturday, I watched a man who obviously had too much to drink, trying…
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Continue reading →: A Shepherd Cares for His SheepYesterday morning I visited a friend who was struggling with a stomach bug, technically this was a hangover from the flu he recently had. The stomach issues had gone on for over a week when I met with him. The week before I’d offered to get him some medicine. But…
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Continue reading →: Being There in Desperate MomentsYesterday afternoon I got a phone call from a friend whose sister who got back from having surgery done on a broken ankle. She got back Friday, but her sutures were showing signs of infection. I immediately started getting ready to take her back to the hospital…. Saint Vincent doesn’t…
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Continue reading →: God’s Word Will Do it’s WorkIn May of 2023, I was passing out tracts in the community, when men at a local rum shop started asking questions. I don’t normally spend time at rum shops (stores that sell mostly rum) but those men were friends of mine, so we had a lengthy conversation about Scripture.…
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Continue reading →: Putting Our Eyes on GodA few weeks ago I started writing out a basic outline for Sunday messages. This was to help my sermons become more focused in subject, and have a better flow. There is nothing wrong with printed notes, or even preaching from a tablet (I used to do that). But my…
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Continue reading →: Remembering the ForgottenA few mornings ago, I was walking down the main road of town, and heard a familiar voice call out my name. Once I heard it….my heart sank. The voice was from a woman who is suffering from cancer. Though she feels strong, there’s nothing that can be done at…
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Continue reading →: Using Open DoorsYesterday afternoon I sat down with three eighth grade students, and finished reading “The Fire Cat” by Esther Averill. Yesterday I wrote about a young man who had wandered away from the Lord (you can read about him here). While his sin breaks my heart, the Lord has provided some…
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Continue reading →: Before Their Hearts become HardLast week I had a heart-breaking conversation with a friend about his teenage son. I’ve known this boy, and worked with him for many years. He was always obedient, and never gave me trouble…. Then he went into High School Within a few months, he had already changed. I wasn’t…
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Continue reading →: Just Show Up!This morning, I was sore from yesterday’s jog and workout. But I went out, and jogged again yesterday Because when you show up…. you win! We often think of “winning” as everything going perfectly and being on the mountaintop. Sometimes that is winning. But usually, it is doing the right…
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Continue reading →: Fruit Will ComeIn late April I shared a brief update about my teaching ministry going through a hard time since lots of kids were busy with other things. I described it as a “season of famine” since ministry has seasons of plenty, and seasons without fruit. The important thing is being faithful…
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Continue reading →: Your Making a DifferenceSunday morning around 9:00 I was getting things ready for church when a man came into the church on crutches. Seeing him made me smile….. Because it was God’s reminder I am making a difference. I met Anthony a few months ago when he moved to Barrouallie after having a…
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Continue reading →: Reaching Tender HeartsSaturday morning I heard two boys come on the porch calling my name. I came out to find them carrying a box in their hand. Inside the box was a very small kitten that looked ready to die They explained that one of them had found the kitten laying in…
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Continue reading →: Leaving the Daniels HouseLast week I got up early, checked my suitcases one last time, and loaded them up in the car. But this time it was different…. Because it was the last time leaving what I call “the Daniels house” This is the house that my dad was born and raised in.…
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Continue reading →: From Island Roads to HighwaysThere were a few culture shocks when I returned to the States for furlough, but no doubt about the biggest one. It was starting to drive on American Roads!!! I am used to driving on the roads of Saint Vincent which are lovingly called “island roads” . They are small,…
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Continue reading →: Missionary Memory: It’s Good to Be MissedToday’s missionary memory comes from August 30, 2021. That was the day I returned to Saint Vincent from a furlough in the States. There were lots of people excited to see me back that day, but none of them were more excited than my dog Vincy (short for Vincentian). It…
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Continue reading →: You Need Rest DaysYesterday morning I woke up feeling a little bit sick. As the day progressed, that feeling turned into nausea and an upset stomach. After medicine and a nap didn’t help, I knew what needed to be done. I had to take a rest day. A rest day is pretty much…
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Continue reading →: God Uses Boring DaysAfter the busyness of boxing up everything, visiting my sending church, and taking my boxes to the shipper in recent days….I had a much slower day yesterday. Actually, it could be described as boring! But that’s okay….. because the boring days are used by God. Yesterday was filled with errands,…
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Continue reading →: Special BoxesYesterday was the big day! I took all of the items collected for ministry in Saint Vincent to the Shipping Agent. It was a long day of traveling, but I’m SO THANKFUL for God’s goodness in sending so many ministry tools. I usually send things in a refrigerator box. This…
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Continue reading →: God’s NobodyYesterday morning I had the privilege of sharing my ministry at the church where my family moved when I was twelve years old. It was a joy seeing old friends…. But my mind was on a special spot. In my younger years I was incredibly shy and introverted. This eventually…
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Continue reading →: A Bad Thing at a Good Time
Wednesday morning I opened up my banking app and my heart sank. There was a transaction I didn’t make! Somehow someone got my debit card info (it never left my possession) and was using it to make purchases on Amazon. This was a very bad thing….that happened at a very…
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Continue reading →: Cold and HeatMonday morning, I struggled my way through a morning run, but since then I haven’t even attempted one. Not because I wasn’t strong enough to do it Not because I didn’t want to but because it was too cold!!! The weather in Daniels West Virginia was below 40 degrees Tuesday…
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Continue reading →: I Love Country ChurchesLast Sunday I had the sweetest service in my entire furlough. While all of the churches I visited have been an encouragement, the Lord gave me a special liberty to share my heart for SVG. Why was last Sunday such a blessing? Because they knew me. During furlough I attend…
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Continue reading →: God Has Something BetterLast month on a Sunday Evening I shared my ministry at a church that’s less than five-minutes from the house my family moved into when I was twelve. The Lord provided many wonderful memories in that house. A flood of them came into my mind as I drove by Most…
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Continue reading →: Lost and Found(memory from June 9, 2021) On June 26, 2021 I flew to the States for a two-month medical furlough because of two severe cataracts in my eyes. The one in my left eye was especially serious and left me with about 30% vision in it. With my eyesight this bad…
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Continue reading →: Very Special FlowersSitting on the kitchen table near my laptop for the last week has been a jug. And this jug had a bunch of flowers in it. The suprising thing is they were dead! Why would I have dead flowers sitting on my kitchen table? Because of who gave them to…
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Continue reading →: Simple Things Can be MeaningfulAbout two weeks ago, I was staying at the home of a family while taking part in their churches missions conference. It was a time of wonderful fellowship, and spending time with old friends as well as missionaries. While drinking my coffee the wife asked if I would like sausage…
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Continue reading →: A Place to RestA few weeks ago, I visited Fellowship Baptist Church in Eden NC, and Pastor Gene McDuffie with his wife. It was a wonderful time of fellowship with them and sharing during the morning service what God is doing in Saint Vincent. They graciously gave reading-glasses, and other gifts for me…
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Continue reading →: God Opens DoorsThe Lord has provided many opportunities for me to share the needs of SVG in churches during my three-month furlough. But there were a few Sundays in October that I really wanted to get filled. Those Sundays stayed open no matter how hard I tried to fill them Until last…
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Continue reading →: Walk Before You RunA little over a week ago I bought some Brooks Ghost running shoes. Surprisingly they made me a little bit nostalgic since I’ve run countless number of miles with Brooks shoes. I purchased them with a goal of running in them someday…. but first, I have to walk. The problem…
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Continue reading →: A Crazy ObedienceA few weeks ago I was home for a few days, and decided to go for a morning walk. Being on the road keeps me from exercising as much as I’d like, and of course that adds on the pounds! There is only one problem…. It was 42 degrees outside!…
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Continue reading →: Missions Teaches me to Preach ThemesOriginally written November 28, 2021 When I began teaching classes at a local Bible College, one statement that kept coming up was “we preach themes.” By this I meant we don’t preach beliefs that are founded on one or two Scripture passages. Instead we emphasise what Scripture emphasises. Along that…
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Continue reading →: A Better StoryIn early August I went on my first walk up and down the road below my parents house, and began listening to the Count of Monte Cristo (read by my favorite Narrator). This morning I finished it after my morning walk. That may not sound like a big deal… But…
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Continue reading →: We Study the News, Don’t Consume ItIn his excellent recent book “Its Not Like Being Black” Voddie Baucham tells the story about his daughter making fun of him in a good-natured way as he read law textbooks, and listened to classical music. Reading a law textbook may sound extreme till you find out why he did…
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Continue reading →: Leaders Have Courageous IntegrityThis morning I am starting a legnthy and exhaustive biography on the life of former president Ronald Reagan. The book was released this morning (September 10) to coincide with the movie about his life. I’m reading this book because I love to learn more about leaders. But especially because he…
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Continue reading →: You Can’t Live Off Junk FoodSaturday night I indulged in two of my favorite treats. Stuffed crust pizza, and Vanilla Coke! It was a well deserved treat after a busy week…. But it used to be a regular part of my diet!! During Bible College days a large pizza and a two-liter soft drink was…
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Continue reading →: It’s Okay to Not Be OkayThis week I have been reading “Emotionally Healthy Discipleship” by Peter Scazzero. It’s a very interesting and necessary book which emphasizes become strong emotionally as well as spiritually. I do take issue with his theology since he uses monks and stories instead of Scripture to back up his points. But…
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Continue reading →: Love Tames Wild HeartsMy mother has a love for all animals (something she has passed on to me). This love caused her to begin feeding a few stray cats at our home in West Virginia about three years ago. Today MANY CATS visit what we lovingly call “Judy’s diner” every day! While they…
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Continue reading →: Take Care of JohnThe picture that goes along with this post is my profile picture on EVERYTHING right now. It’s from a day I spent at the West Virginia State Fair with my parents. The day had wonderful memories, but that isn’t why I use the picture so much it’s because of the…
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Continue reading →: Missions is Rejecting DistractionsLast week I started a new habit that seems little…but it’s actually huge. If I keep repeating this habit with the the Lord’s help it will totally revolutionize my life What is that habit? It’s using notecards! The older I get, the more I believe distraction is one of the…
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Continue reading →: Missionary Memory: A Time of RestIn 2021 when I came to the States for a medical-furlough getting cataract surgery on both eyes (the left one was especially bad) I was in pretty bad shape. So before the physical healing took place, a time of emotional rest was necessary. For the week before my first eye…
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Continue reading →: Missions is Putting Out the FireAbout four years ago I witnessed a massive argument between a man and a woman that lasted for hours (with different people getting involved). The ridiculous thing was it started when the woman say his girlfriend needed to go to the hair-dresser. The sad thing was it went in for…
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Continue reading →: Missions is Giving Away Your ChocolateA lot of you know that one of my goals during furlough is to stay in shape. Missions is physically demanding work, so coming back ten to fifteen pounds overweight will damage my ministry! Honestly, I’m not doing too bad Until about 7:00 at night!!!!! For some reason I am…
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Continue reading →: From The Archives: Looking into the MirrorOriginally written January 2014 I have been slipping lately, but with the Lords help am focusing on my health again Around New Years day, I was visiting with some children. We were using my phone to take pictures of them with their Christmas presents, and one of them (without my knowing)…
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Continue reading →: It’s Okay to be SillyI enjoyed spending four days with my brother and his family this week. It gave me a chance to tell old stories, laugh at the same jokes, and be a silly uncle for my nieces and nephew. Much of my silly uncle time was spent with my youngest niece who…
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Continue reading →: Facing My ShadowLast night I finished reading “The Emotionally Healthy Leader” by Peter Scazerro. Though its theology isn’t great, I did enjoy the book since it proclaimed a truth that you rarely hear. Leaders must be emotionally healthy as well as spiritually healthy. Of course, it is important that leaders like Pastors…
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Continue reading →: It’s Worth itLast week (August 14) It had officially been nine years since the first time the Lord brought me to Saint Vincent. I spent that first morning sitting on the porch of my hotel room and enjoying the scenery If I could go back to August 14 2015 for one minute…
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Continue reading →: When Church is FamilyLast Sunday I visited a supporting church which has stood with me for almost twenty years. Walking in the door that morning I saw faces of dear friends who supported me not only financially, but with their prayers also. I kept saying the same thing Sunday…. it’s good to be…
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Continue reading →: The Problem Doesn’t Go AwayTabernacle Baptist Church is in a unique area. Just down the road from us is a shop where people drink rum all day, and across the street men are usually sitting on steps smoking marijuana. My heart breaks for them because of their addiction…. But the real burden comes because…
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Continue reading →: A Physical and Spiritual HealthA few weeks ago, I started to take my diet, and personal health very seriously. A big part of this is beginning to drink more water, and eat properly. The thing is I was doing well with this during January…. but fell apart in February!!! My mistake is actually a…





