SOWING SEEDS
COLUMN — Dona nobis pacem
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace: where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is doubt, ...
Larry Davies, Author at Farmville
SOWING SEEDS
Goodbye to 2020
Here is an anonymous posting on social media — “Observations for 2020” 1. The dumbest thing I ever bought was a 2020 planner. 2. I ...
by Larry Davies, Friday, January 8, 2021 6:00 am
SOWING SEEDS
COLUMN — Experiencing clown communion on Christmas Eve
Christmas has passed. We lit our candles, opened our gifts and celebrated the birth of Jesus. Because of the threat of COVID-19, many of us ...
by Larry Davies, Thursday, December 31, 2020 6:00 am
SOWING SEEDS
Sending a message of peace from the moon
The year 1968 was difficult. The Vietnam war was raging. Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy were assassinated. Riots occurred at the Chicago Democratic ...
by Larry Davies, Thursday, December 24, 2020 6:00 am
SOWING SEEDS
Lessons on spiritual leadership
EDITOR’S NOTE: This column is continued from the article by Larry Davies in the Friday, Dec. 11 edition. Thanks to my less than inspired leadership, ...
by Larry Davies, Friday, December 18, 2020 6:00 am
SOWING SEEDS
Properly leading a choir is harder than it looks
Recently, during worship, I interrupted the director just as she was about to lead the choir. “Excuse me. I’m sorry to interrupt, but do you ...
by Larry Davies, Friday, December 11, 2020 6:00 am
SOWING SEEDS
‘I pray for snow and a hamster’
A few years ago, our children’s ministry set up a Christmas tree. Next to the tree, they provided markers and paper that could be folded ...
by Larry Davies, Friday, December 4, 2020 6:00 am
Columns
Lessons from Ed about giving thanks
I like Thanksgiving. It’s a time of food and family togetherness. People come together from all over to gather, eat, share family memories, watch football ...
by Larry Davies, Thursday, November 26, 2020 6:00 am
SOWING SEEDS
COLUMN — A bag of mulch and a message
I just wanted a bag of mulch at the discount store, but the cashier discovered a hole in the bag, so someone was sent to ...
by Larry Davies, Friday, November 20, 2020 6:00 am
SOWING SEEDS
God can turn failure into great success
“Failure should be our teacher, not our undertaker. Failure is delay, not defeat. It is a temporary detour, not a dead end. Failure is something ...
by Larry Davies, Friday, November 13, 2020 6:00 am
LIFESTYLES
The little church that could
While obsessed with a worldwide pandemic and Election Day worries, it’s helpful to remember that God is still in control and often provides the best ...
by Larry Davies, Friday, November 6, 2020 6:00 am
SOWING SEEDS
Confessions of a potato race cheater
A few years ago, I participated in a Halloween gathering at church to support our youth group. As a part of my participation, I was ...
by Larry Davies, Friday, October 30, 2020 6:00 am
SOWING SEEDS
God can work miracles through us
Drayton wrote about tense moments he experienced while waiting for his wife’s surgery. “It was 10 o’clock at night and Robin was outside looking at ...
by Larry Davies, Friday, October 23, 2020 6:00 am
SOWING SEEDS
The old-fashioned, fire-engine-red water pump
In my office, there is an old-fashioned, fire-engine-red hand water pump given to me by a dear friend. I have seldom used one, but there ...
by Larry Davies, Friday, October 16, 2020 6:00 am
SOWING SEEDS
Ministry also includes the sparrows
One morning following Easter during my quiet time with God, I was mentally rehashing all the wonderful things that happened. I was feeling good – ...
by Larry Davies, Friday, October 9, 2020 6:00 am
SOWING SEEDS
Some continued thoughts on prayer
Last week’s message about prayer raised more questions than answers. Is God listening? How do we recognize God’s answers? How do we block out stresses? ...
by Larry Davies, Friday, October 2, 2020 6:00 am
SOWING SEEDS
Prayer is a key to our relationship with God
“Does God answer prayer?” I asked. “Of course. Yes. Always,” people usually answer. “Then, why don’t we pray more frequently?” After a long silence, there ...
by Larry Davies, Friday, September 25, 2020 6:00 am
SOWING SEEDS
Make friends with problems
“Make friends with problems in your life. The best way to befriend your problems is to thank Me for them. This simple act opens your ...
by Larry Davies, Friday, September 18, 2020 6:00 am
SOWING SEEDS
Learning about trust in the dentist’s chair
If asked to name three scary movie scenes: • A flock of birds sitting, waiting, staring — ready to attack: Alfred Hitchcock’s “The Birds” • ...
by Larry Davies, Friday, September 11, 2020 6:00 am
SOWING SEEDS
Blessed are the peacemakers
The Republican and the Democratic parties recently completed their conventions nominating their candidate for president of the U.S. From the speeches you would think that ...
by Larry Davies, Friday, September 4, 2020 6:00 am
SOWING SEEDS
What will you do with your field?
Our leadership group discussed a devotion called, “The Field” written by Bishop Schnase. We were asked to imagine ourselves receiving the gift of a field ...
by Larry Davies, Friday, August 28, 2020 6:00 am
SOWING SEEDS
A bright cross and pruning
I was angry? Why angry? I was attending an evening class at a retreat center along with other church leaders. The speaker was teaching how ...
by Larry Davies, Friday, August 21, 2020 6:00 am
SOWING SEEDS
COLUMN — The English teacher and buried treasure
My 10th-grade English teacher, Ms. Comstock, lived and breathed literature, drama, and the theater. At one time she had been a successful actress. When we ...
by Larry Davies, Friday, August 14, 2020 6:00 am
SOWING SEEDS
We have the capacity for great courage
I was a young boy walking home from baseball practice and noticed a shortcut through a neighbor’s backyard. There was a chicken coop, but I ...
by Larry Davies, Friday, August 7, 2020 6:00 am
SOWING SEEDS
Psalm 23 from a shepherd’s viewpoint
Years ago, I took chaplain training at a nearby hospital. One of my first patients was a middle-aged woman who had been in the hospital ...
by Larry Davies, Friday, July 31, 2020 6:00 am
SOWING SEEDS
Christians are not perfect
I was looking for something that would help me come to grips with what has been going on in the year 2020. I came across ...
by Larry Davies, Friday, July 24, 2020 6:00 am
SOWING SEEDS
Can’t we hypocrites get along?
There was an article in The Washington Post about residents fighting at a retirement community in Orlando, Florida. It all started in 2016 when one resident ...