It is hard to believe that three years ago today the family of Billy Graham laid their father to rest with a funeral service that was attended by the President of the U.S.A. and many other dignitaries and watched by millions around the world. I was one of those millions. Dr. Graham had been a … Continue reading
Author Archives: pastorkemp
“Memories of Paul L. Walker, large cities are apples and small towns are oranges, and the best enchilada I’ve ever eaten.”
Lesson: “Memories of Paul L. Walker, large cities are apples and small towns are oranges, and the best enchilada I’ve ever eaten.” Occasion: Saturday Briefing to the ministers of the NCR. Date: February 27, 2021 ___________________________________ Memories of Paul L. Walker – We all need mentors to show us how to do life and ministry. … Continue reading
What really matters
What really matters is seldom the most immediate concern. For example… If there is really a Creator who created us and to whom we will give an account someday, then what really matters is being prepared for that encounter. But I wonder what the ratio is between people who consult the bible for daily direction … Continue reading
Going somewhere but taking no one with you.
You were not meant to go alone. Even in a perfect world when Adam had a perfect relationship with God and a perfect Garden (the original: “All that and a bag of chips.”), God said it was not good for Adam to be alone. But here’s the danger… Just because you’re going somewhere with someone … Continue reading
Going Forward…
One of the sad realities of life is that the opportunity of a life time does not last a lifetime. Like driving through a small town, you can blink and miss some opportunities forever. Not only that, opportunities can be taken from you. Abusive and manipulative people can rob you of your innocence and youth. … Continue reading
Why You Meet Matters…a lot!
Today is my first visit to “The Meeting Place” which is our newest church in the North Central Region. It was officially organized on March 22, 2020 just as the Covid-19 shelter in place was being implemented. The founding pastor, Mike Dana, still wanted to move forward and so we organized the church “virtually”. Since … Continue reading
Dying to Leave
“All flesh is as grass,And all the glory of man as the flower of the grass.The grass withers,And its flower falls away.” 1 Peter 1:24 (NKJV) __________________________ The wide open fields of the Dakotas and Montana are almost breath-takingly beautiful to me. It was said of my Grandmother Todd that she had a “green thumb”. … Continue reading
Losing to succeed and thoughts on ice cream
As grandparents, my wife and I have two entirely different tacks when it comes to playing games with our grandchildren. For me, I never win–they know they are going to win when they play against papa. My goal is to affirm them and let them experience winning. Sonja takes a little different approach…she doesn’t mind … Continue reading
Bring your best
And their father Israel said to them, “Take some of the best fruits of the land in your vessels and carry down a present for the man—a little balm and a little honey, spices and myrrh, pistachio nuts and almonds. (Genesis 43:11) You may be running on empty. But you’re still running… That means you’ve got to … Continue reading
Bring it up
The picture below was taken by one of my pastors in Lemmon, S.D. It is a prairie fire that burned miles of prairie in just a few moments. Left unchecked it would have done untold damage, but thanks to the heroic efforts of the local fire fighters and citizens of the surrounding area, the fire … Continue reading
