Gary BlackMar 23, 20193 min"No Thanks, I'm a Teetotaler."When I was growing up, we had a lot of alcoholism in our family. My grandfather, a successful Louisville businessman, began drinking when...
Gary BlackMar 7, 20193 minWhat Is Character?Character is something that increases as we draw closer to God in our lives. Take God out of the equation and anyone's moral compass is a...
Gary BlackFeb 13, 20192 minThe Death of a DreamI once heard a pastor give a talk entitled, "The Death of a Dream." He suggested that sometimes God has to shatter our dreams so that He ...
Gary BlackFeb 7, 20191 minSomeday, But Not NowSo my 3 1/2 year old grandson says to me a few days ago, "G-pa, I want to drive your car. Can I?" I replied, "Little buddy, you need a li...
Gary BlackJan 27, 20194 minI Had My Life All Planned OutWhen I was in elementary school, my 6th grade teacher asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. That was an easy question for me becau...
Gary BlackJan 26, 20192 minCRITICISMCan't remember if I posted this before, but these are notes I ran across today from a team meeting I had some time ago about criticism. H...
Gary BlackJan 8, 20193 minWhen We're Proud of our HumilitySomeone asked me recently to give a definition of humility. To be brutally honest, my first thought was, "Just be like me!" My guess is t...
Gary BlackJan 1, 20193 minThe Blessed Life“I’m so blessed.” We hear those words a lot, don’t we. Usually they follow some sort of good news we were hoping and praying for...mayb...
Gary BlackDec 9, 20183 minThe Most Important ThingIn Galatians 5, Paul lists nine fruit of the Spirit. The one in the middle, (the fifth one) in my view, is often the most ignored and ove...
Gary BlackDec 7, 20184 minUnanswered PrayersI don’t believe that God always answers prayer. Before you object, let me explain. I’ve often heard it said that an unanswered prayer “...
Gary BlackNov 9, 20181 minThe Election Is OverThe 2018 mid-term election is over. Life isn't. Go to work. Cherish relationships. Pray hard. Listen well. Stay hopeful. Learn all you ca...
Gary BlackOct 4, 20183 minIt's How We Get FreeLewis Smedes, in his book, Forgive and Forget tells about a self-righteous man named Fouke whose wife betrays him. Superficially, he forg...
Gary BlackJul 24, 20181 minFAKE NEWSA lot of people these days are talking about "fake news." I've got some fake news to share: -God is powerless -The Cross is pointless -...
Gary BlackJul 14, 20181 minHow To Learn Self-ControlSomeone recently asked me for some advice on ways to learn self-control. Here are twenty things that came to mind. What would you add? 1....
Gary BlackJul 12, 20182 minThe Run That Matters MostLast week, along with about 2,000 others, I ran the Blue Grass 10,000, a 6.2 mile "race" in downtown Lexington. I wasn't running to win; ...
Gary BlackJul 9, 20182 minHave You Been Lavished?Has anyone ever lavished you with love? If you have trouble answering that, always think of the Cross. Nowhere was love poured out with s...
Gary BlackJul 8, 20181 minHappiness and JoyMost people confuse happiness with joy. They’re not the same. Happiness usually depends on circumstances, but joy is something deep and h...
Gary BlackJul 1, 20182 minWhen God Moves SuddenlyJesus' disciples had expected a leisurely dinner cruise on the eight-mile journey across the sea of Galilee that night… but “suddenly a f...
Gary BlackJun 4, 20182 min"Turn or Burn!"One of the things I'm most ashamed of in life is that the title of this post was also the title of my first sermon. I was 16 and thought ...
Gary BlackMay 26, 20181 minWe Will Not Forget, EverRecently I listened to the conversation of two men sitting in a booth behind me at McDonald's. They weren't speaking softly and I found t...