Category Archives: Christian Living

Celebrating God’s Goodness, a Gift, and Wisdom from the Mouth of Babes

I am grateful.  Many of you have joined me in prayer that God would help me through this recovery and that I would be able to return to my preaching ministry.  This past Sunday I preached my first post-surgery sermon.  … Continue reading

Posted in Christian Living, Homiletics/Preaching, Suffering, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Preaching, Paralysis, and Pounds: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

First the good news – I will be returning to my pulpit on November 19.  It will have been three months since I last preached and, based upon this post title’s alliteration, I might be a bit rusty!  I haven’t … Continue reading

Posted in Christian Living, Suffering | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Bald Spots, Pot Bellies, and Plugins

This has been quite a month.  At my two month follow-up with the neurosurgeon, I got a good report – things are healing nicely.  But he also said that my issues with speech and swallowing are going to take a … Continue reading

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Spitting, Whistling, And Drinking Soda from a Can

Have you ever felt that your prayer requests were too trivial?  That somehow God would be offended if you brought unimportant matters to his attention? Over the course of my ministry, I have met with a number of folks who … Continue reading

Posted in Christian Living, Prayer, Suffering | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

Lifesavers and Church

This past Thursday, September 14th, I met a man who reminded me of Helen Keller’s famous proverb: “I cried because I had no shoes until I met a man who had no feet.”  He had come to the practice field … Continue reading

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A Numb Skull and a Stiff Neck

I suspect that as my brothers read this blog post’s title, they are thinking, “Praise the Lord, he’s back to normal – recovery only took a month!” There may be a kernel of truth to that.  But one of the … Continue reading

Posted in Christian Living, Sanctification, Suffering, Uncategorized | Tagged , , | 5 Comments

French Toast, Letting Go, and Berger Cookies

Here at the California Bjerkaas house, we probably had the most laid-back Labor Day in the entire country.  Nothing but napping and soft foods all day long.  It was like a sneak preview of my retirement… Tuesday morning, after the … Continue reading

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“My Heart Will Sing and I Will Not Be Silent”

Tuesday, the 29th of August, in addition to being a day marked by authentic shish kabobs, was also the day I sat down to blog for the first time in almost a month.  That was thirteen days after the surgery, … Continue reading

Posted in Christian Living, Suffering | Tagged , | 4 Comments

The Tenderness of People and Heeding Al Jarreau: Get Your Boogie Down!

An old time preacher, Henry Moorhouse, once said, “It is a wonderful thing for a pastor to suffer, that he might learn how tender people can be.”  What was true in the mid-nineteenth century is still true today.  And it … Continue reading

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Let the Good Times Roll! A Large Fries and a Slow God

Finally, a really good day! Monday, August 28, was a day I was not looking forward to.  It was the day Kerrie and I would have to drive back down to Sunset to get my stitches removed. I had never … Continue reading

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