Articles by Mike Mazzalongo

One day you pick up a box or a book and “snap”, you join the legions of back pain sufferers.I experienced the usual therapy and advice from my doctor who said, “use your meds to manage the pain as best you can”. This experience is not without its good side however, since it has taught me several lessons:1.Pain is a Fact of Life. We try so hard to avoid any type of discomfort that when it comes, we...

INTRO:As Christians, we are our brother’s keeper whether we realize it or not.  How we care for each other in society, family or the church is a true measure of our moral health.  Of course there is a higher expectation for us in the church because how we care for each other is not only a measure of our spiritual health but a way of witnessing the sincerity of our faith.  Our concer...

I've often been uncomfortable in leading a prayer with the words "I love you, Lord." After all, who am I to say these words to such a one as God?Think of it. God, the Perfect One; the Almighty; the being who created me and everything else in this universe; The God of mercy who saved me from destruction and forgave me all my sins. How would I be worthy to be in a loving relationship with Him? ...

Decisions, DecisionsAccording to various studies people make about 612 decisions each day. Some are involuntary where the brain sends messages to your body to follow through on and others are voluntary because you have to make a conscious choice.When making these voluntary decisions the basic question most people use to decide is, “What will benefit me the most?” Of course this is the correct ques...

I had home renovations to be done recently and asked one of our members, Calvin Vernon, if he would contract the job. He said that he only worked for people he loved. I answered that I only hired workmen that I trusted so we got off on the right foot.After weeks of dust & debris, not to mention thousands of dollars, Lise and I now have a remodeled home that is wonderful to live in. The entire expe...

When people compliment you on your friends, you know your friend is special. Such was the case when many people noted the kindness and generosity of our friends, Allen and Barbara Arnold, from Oklahoma.They and their family organized and carried out our move Oklahoma City to San Diego, California. From loading a twenty-six foot truck and driving it while towing our other car in a three vehicle con...

The story is told of three junior devils coming before Satan as they prepared to visit earth in order to destroy men’s souls. The first one said that he’d try to trick men by telling that there is “no heaven”. Satan replied that people have a natural hope and that this lie would not work very well.The next one stepped up and said that he would try to convince people that there is “no hell”. The de...

The tornado missed my house by several miles. Storm chasers described its wicked course while reporters chronicled the  destruction and death in real-time images that mesmerized viewers huddled around their T.V.’s, unable to look away. A familiar spring ritual in Oklahoma.Politicians made speeches and promises while first responders scrambled to organize a rescue of those trapped in the debri...

In Exodus 21:2 we read the instructions that God gave the Israelites concerning the treatment of slaves. Although the Jews were involved in the universal practice of slavery at the time, the treatment of their slaves was governed by God’s restrictions and laws— a code that usually encouraged fair treatment and eventual liberation.The point to note here is that every area of the...

Christians never quit God in a single day. Oh, some give up the faith suddenly at times because of a great tragedy in their lives but these are the exceptions. No, the way that most Christians lose their faith is through "drifting".Drifting is a slow removal of ourselves from the influence of God and His people. It is slow because drifting away from God does not usually set off...

I hated the Toronto Maple Leafs. Back in the fifties and sixties they were the arch rivals of the Montreal Canadiens when hockey in Canada only had six teams. My dislike of the Leafs stemmed less from hometown prejudice than their style of play. You see, Toronto was notorious for “sitting on the puck.” In hockey language of the day, this term described a team that would immedia...

Last minute Christmas sales and talk of the “fiscal cliff” were brutally replaced by headlines reporting that twenty children and six adults were murdered in a Connecticut elementary school last week. The President wept as he noted that, “We have been through this too many times…” and editorialists recharged their arguments for or against gun control.There was the anguished search for re...

There’s a “For Rent” sign in front of a house near my home. It’s for rent because the young mother who lived there with her husband and two young children com- mitted suicide recently. Her family has moved out and put the house up for rent. I think of her every time I drive by on my way to and from work and see that sad little sign. Here I am not one hundred yards from her front door, a two minute...

You know you’re a senior when the kid at the box office doesn’t want to see proof of age when you ask for the senior discount at the movies.  This scene along with the other signs of age have gotten me thinking about the future and what I want and don’t want as I go from being a senior to just being old.1. I Don’t Want Fake IndependenceI do not want to force my children to main...

A recurring theme in all “Preacher Jokes” is the idea that they exaggerate the numbers that attend services. I know one minister of a 250 member church who routinely answers the common question, “How big is your congregation?”, with the answer, “Somewhere under 3,000 members…” Some may dismiss this interest in numbers as irrelevant when it comes to spiritual matters but a quick look at the record ...

The recent trend in education and politics to remove any mention of God or the Bi-ble is really a subtle attack on individual rights and freedoms. Eliminating faith from public life weakens the nation’s understanding that man’s individual rights and free-doms are created and given by God, not the “State”. I believe that the endgame of removing the Bible from education and politics is to return us ...

Watching people die is always a growth experience. I don’t say this lightly because the trauma for family and friends is real and painful. But if you’re in the medical profession or serve as a hospice worker or minister, the constant passing of people from this life to the next occurs repeatedly in your everyday work and serves more to teach than frighten or depress. It seems the more I help peopl...

In several weeks we will be celebrating the graduation of our high school & college seniors. As a congregation we are proud of their achievement and share their joy in reaching this important milestone.As in every success story, there are usually many individuals who have contributed to the final outcome and graduation is no exception. One person that probably figures most in these young persons’ ...

Senior “moments” usually refer to bouts of forgetfulness that seem to overtake all of us as we grow older. However, these moments can also refer to insights and lessons that come if you have been around for a while. I will be 65 in a few weeks and have had my own moments when the brain synapses were not all firing but along with these were a few moments of clarity about life that only age can reve...

As a preacher I’ve long ago discovered that home is where you’re preaching at the moment. My wife and I often talk about the disconnect we feel because of a ministry that leads us to move an average of every seven years or so.In my prayers I’ve asked God to help me feel “at home” wherever I happen to be working and He’s accommodated me in a peculiar way. I always feel the same familiar comfort whe...