Philip Dampier's Blog

necessary use words,” (Francis of Assisi). One of the things that hurt the spread of the gospel the most was the ‘invention’ of the preacher. The advent of ‘clergy’ and lay, placed a great responsibility of preaching on a select few and excused the rest of Christendom to the role…

also inhabits the valleys” (Woodrow Kroll). Our life is composed of ups and downs. When we soar to the top of the mountain it is easy to feel the presence of God. Things are going great, confidence is high and so is our faith. Its like we can almost see…

The state of Kentucky has a problem with drug abuse that is concerning the state’s legislature. 1,200 people lost their lives in the state last year from drug overdose. That is a tragic number to be sure. The state law making body is calling it a crisis and are focusing…

others through you; it is not always about you,” (D. A. McBride).  So when I count my blessings I’m really counting my opportunities to help someone else. My good health allows me to do things for others. My monetary gains are really to be shared with one who did not…

becomes an idol” (Sara Young). What is an idol anyway?  I like the third definition given by Webster’s New World Collegiate Dictionary. “Any object of ardent or excessive devotion or admiration.” It also says that an idol is “any object used as an instrument of worship as a God.” Makes…

even when you don’t see the whole staircase” (Martin Luther King, Jr.). What a beautiful description of faith. Faith is in a sense, a step into the unknown. Some times we refer to it as a leap. But, is faith really blind? Suppose we reasoned that while we can’t see the…

The Holy Spirit was sent by Jesus to take his place among his disciples. He is the promised in-dweller for all who make Jesus their own. The Spirit is with the Christian. Is the Christian with the Spirit? The indwelling is powerful but the Spirit is also our leader. He…

“God bless,” is a common greeting but it really is full of wonderful truth. There are two kinds of blessings really. One, is the kind that all the world benefits from. We all enjoy the beauty of the earth and the glory of the heavens. Every human is blessed with…

This encouraging word is connected to the previous part, “Make friends of God’s children;”. However, I don’t think we can limit the role of God’s people to just helping fellow believers. No doubt, that is a good place to start. Most congregations will find there are weak members in their…

The song recognizes the need for close contact with fellow Christians. Think of how it works. People who love football like to find friends who like football. Those who knit or sew, love to meet with others who do. We understand the principle of choosing friends who think like we…