CDM Archive

Discipleship Ministries of the PCA

Men

The First Demon

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By Josiah Bancroft. I could barely see the words of my pocket Bible by the yellow back porch light.But it didn’t matter much. I was too distracted, too cold, and still too sleepy after a middle-of-the-night phone call had gotten me dressed and outside in a cold winter rain.

“Josiah?” It was J.O. Hunter. “Sorry to call so late, but I need some help. Diana Roper just called and said Larry’s gone crazy. I was going over there to help. Could you go with rne? I’ll swing by and get you.” I must have said yes because I was dressed, outside and waiting for J.O.’s truck. The cold air outside made my breath show and my mind race. Larry, crazy? What kind of crazy? I’d only met Larry once. Dressed in Levis, farm-muddied work boots and a cap hawking “Roundup” herbicide, he looked like lots of folks where we lived. He’d smiled and shook my hand when we met.

Crazy? Maybe a “marital dispute” got rough after too much beer or dope. That was possible. That could make you act crazy alright. My next “maybe…” was interrupted by J.O.’s truck turning into the drive. I jogged toward the headlights to keep J.O. from blowing the horn and wak

The Runner

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By Miriam Gautier. When I first took up running, my desire was to speed up my metabolism and drop a few pounds. Once I met that challenge, the need for a new goal started nagging at me. Running was fast becoming my hobby. After talking to runners and reading running magazines, I was motivated to set a goal of running in a 10K (6.2 miles) race. My friends and family encouraged me and onward I plunged into the running world.

…the first race

It was an all-women’s 10K run. My faded blue shorts and cut-off Celtics sweatshirt with my race number pinned on too high shouted, “first race.” The starter gun went off and the race began. It was a hard run but crossing the finish line made it worthwhile. People on the sidelines cheered for me! I was hooked on the crowd applause and recognition.

…the goal

Just running in races wasn’t enough -now I wanted to win! I started reading more, training harder and setting my sights on placing among the top winners in my division. My whole life changed. I was consumed with running.

…the first trophy

It was a five-mile race and I was ready. I not only trained like a veteran runner but now I even dressed like one. The hard, diligent, disciplined work paid off and I finished the race placing second in my division. The trophy was mine but the satisfaction didn’t last very long and, like Alexan

New Ways for New Days

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From the pulpit, I scanned the faces of several hundred people who had come to worship. At least that is what I hoped. Several things struck me as I looked over the congregation. One of the most obvious was the diversity of ages.

Three distinct age groups were there; the traditionalists (over 55), the baby boomers (26-45) and the baby busters (under 25). There were couples, fami