Why should Aesop have all the fun?by John CraggThere was a hurt crow in my backyard. The fact that I took note of this is "Corona New". He hopped behind my shed as I walked out. As I neared the back of the yard, I noticed another crow was on my fence yelling at me. To [...]
by John Cragg Executive Director, Long Island Youth Mentoring I was 23. It was a beautiful Sunday afternoon. Not a cloud in the Spokane Washington skies. Kay and I were newlyweds with four months to our credit. We had been invited to a church picnic by my boss, so of course, we went. It was a [...]
The three hours of Thanksgiving aromas had gathered in the laughing clamor and produced a feast on a beautifully adorned table. I was carving the turkey, responding to my three children's requests for drum sticks, when I heard a noise in the back of the house. I handed the knife to my dad and went [...]
Thirty years ago I stood on the sidewalk and watched a home burn while waiting for the Firemen who had never been called. I did not know it then, but a five year-old girl was also waiting for rescue that came too late. Today 150 children wait for a Christian mentor to show them the way out of a toxic life. This time I am not waiting, and I hope you will join me.
Having fun together and building a relationship doesn’t have to cost a lot of money. The following activities have been divided into categories for your convenience but don’t limit yourselves...if it looks like fun to you then by all means give it a try! (The numbers in parenthesis after the activity is the suggested [...]
Because Having a Heart has Not Worked by John Cragg After 50 years and over 22 trillion dollars, we have settled into fighting the war on poverty without a thought to what our goal is. Is our goal to move the poor from dependence to self-sufficiency like President Johnson said when war was declared? [...]
It was 1930 when the following article was written. Way back then we identified the fact that there is an unmistakable connection between fatherlessness and crime. (Keep in mind that the fatherless rate was below 3% at this time.) With the establishment of juvenile courts in the United States around 1900 and the compilation of [...]
I am writing to ask you to invest in something that I strongly believe will continue to be a tool in God’s hand long after you and I see Him face to face. I will explain: Fourteen years ago, I was on my way to preach at a church that is now Shelter Rock Church [...]
“Ok, lets review. What is the name of Elizabeth and Zachariah’s son?” “Jesus!” said the 9 fourth and fifth graders in unison.” It is the Christian Jeopardy default for kids. I laughed. It reminded me of a story of a pastor who asks the following question during a children’s sermon. “What is gray, has a furry tail, collects nuts and hops?”
Jesus refers to God as ‘Abba’ Father over one hundred times in the Gospel of John alone. When asked by His disciples to teach them to pray, He started His lesson with ‘Our Father’. This name for God points to the level of intimacy that we are made to have with God. When He was [...]
