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C.S. Lewis said, "Every one says forgiveness is a lovely idea, until they have something to forgive."Yup. We all believe in forgiveness. When we hear about the ills of resentment and the damage to self that bitterness causes, we nod in agreement. We know that the alternative to forgiveness is really bad.But most of us struggle to really forgive.Come on, be honest. Who have you not forgiven?Who do you have imaginary conversations with? You know, when you can manufacture in you

There’s been a lot said in Christian blogs and magazines recently about the drop in church attendance in America. There has a been a very slight drop in the percentage of people who attend on a regular basis. But the biggest drop nationally is in the frequency of attenders––25% less. In other words, people who would have attended every week a generation ago, attend three out of four weeks today. People who attended three out of four, attend half the time today. How often did

Well, we finally have some heat. My A/C at home worked so hard this last week that it started icing up. We are in that time of summer––the “Dog Days of Summer."The term is actually of ancient Greek origin. During this hottest and most humid time of summer, the star Sirius becomes prominent. Since that star is “Orion’s dog” in astronomy/astrology, this hot muggy season became known as the dog days of summer almost 3,000 years ago.But it is associated with some other things. In

I recently had a conversation with someone who was really pumped about something. A day later, the excitement had dissipated. He had shared his enthusiasm with another person, who with a few comments and questions took the wind out of his sail.When you open your mouth, why do you speak?The Apostle Paul told us that everything should glorify God and bless others. Every word we speak, even criticisms, should be gifts that uplift and encourage (Ephesians 4:29). Jesus’ half broth

I cut my foot a couple of months ago, and it would not heal. After weeks, it was still red, a little swollen, and painful. It was one of those injuries that wouldn’t go away.

Linda and I went to Zia’s in Chicago for our thirty-first anniversary last Tuesday. Our tradition is to talk through the past when we celebrate birthdays and anniversaries, and enjoy the memories. This year we focused on the things we would do differently if we could do it over again…not just in our marriage, but in our early life together. It was a fun conversation. For everything that we said we’d change, we then thought that maybe it would be best that it not be changed. I

When my kids were little, we had specific rules that were for our family. Our kids were not allowed to go to R rated movies. When my kids would ask if they could go to a movie we did not approve of, we would tell them, “No.” But we did not tell their friends that they could not go, and we did not pass judgement on those parents who let their kids go. Our rules were for our family. We could tell our kids what to do, but we did not tell the neighbor’s kids what to do.Whatever y

Linda and I took this week to head north and vacation in Wisconsin. We love the outdoors and have already slid down waterfalls, hiked the bluff over Devil’s Lake, and worn ourselves out with some vigorous biking.We prefer “glamping” to camping (I guess it means “glamor camping”). In other words, we have a camping trailer with a bathroom, shower, kitchen, and bed.But it’s important to level the camper when parked at a campsite. I normally use a small but reliable level that I

“The difficult we will do immediately; the impossible may take us a while longer!”That’s the slogan of the Seabees, that group of over 300,000 courageous, hard-working men first called up during World War II who followed combat units into newly conquered territory. From the island hopping of World War II, to the cold of Korea, to the jungles of Vietnam, to the mountains of Bosnia, and now to the desert of Afghanistan, the Seabees have built entire bases. They have bulldozed a

I know we are in a different day, but everyone in my generation has heard that. It was what our parents would tell us often in the summer months. Mom didn’t want us underfoot or wasting our time in front of the TV. Our parents back then believed it was good for our creative minds to entertain ourselves in the good old outdoors. And they also didn’t want us in the way. :-)Some of you probably need to be told that as an adult. "You need to go outside and play!"I’m a big believe

My youngest graduates from high school this weekend. I’m writing this while on my way to a friend’s funeral.Life happens fast.We prayed for Brock for years. By the time he came, we had given up on having a third. When he was born, he came about six weeks early and less than five pounds, but was full of energy and perfectly healthy. Now he is getting ready for college. On graduation weekend, you are flooded with memories.And then there is this funeral.Jeff was only sixty-one.

“I don’t like all that theology. I just want to hear practical preaching."

The first time I flew commercially I was twelve years old. It was exciting to me, but when we hit turbulence and the plane started bopping up and down, my excitement quickly morphed into fear. We had flown to my Grandpa’s funeral and when it was time to board again to go home, I wasn’t sure I wanted to. My dad reassured me by explaining how the turbulence was simply varying low and high pressure air pockets and that it was perfectly normal. He said that the plane was built to

If you are not familiar with Helen Keller’s story, I would encourage you to read her biography. You’ll find that the real hero in her life was Anne Sullivan, a forerunner of special education and a remarkable woman who gave life to Helen and inspiration to millions in her generation. Anne was the one teacher who was able to get through to Helen’s intellect and introduce to this deaf and blind woman the powerful concepts of words and language. Helen became a household name whe

I did a lot of fishing as a kid. My dad started me off at a very young age. I still remember how after my sister had caught a blue gill, I exclaimed, “Hey Dad, throw one in for me now!” I was only four and thought that dad must have had something to do with the fish getting on that hook.From my dad’s love of the outdoors and the water in particular, I began to pick up the hobby as my own. A friend and I used to get up before dark and ride our bikes to the river in early summe

A lot has already been said in the media about the mom in Baltimore who saw her son on TV throwing rocks at cops in Baltimore, and then went and removed him from the situation, smacking him along the way.While I applaud her for removing him from the situation, I have a different nominee for Mother of the Year.How about the mother of the boy above, who was photographed handing out cold water to police officers who were dressed in riot gear standing guard in the hot sun? The pi

A conference speaker asked a volunteer from the audience: “If I were to place an I-beam across the floor, would you walk across it for $20?”“Sure!” the volunteer replied eagerly.“What if that I-Beam were suspended between two tall buildings, forty stories in the air?” She shook her head, “No.”“Ok,” said the speaker, “Suppose the I-beam is forty stories in the air, but this time, you are on one building and I am on the other. If I were to be holding one of your kids, and thre

Self-denial. Delayed gratification.I know, not exactly the best thoughts to draw readers in.How’s this, then? Success! The way to prosperity!Trouble is, most people think the two concepts are diametrically opposed to one another: self-denial and success. And that’s why success is a fleeting prospect for so many people. In reality, the two are inseparable. There is no success without sacrifice….in any aspect of life! Many people never succeed in areas of life that matter to th

This post is a continuation from the earlier post, “Questions On Prayer.” Following our series, “Conversations”, we had a q & A in the last session and were not able to respond to many, many good questions. I’ve compiled them by subject, and hopefully between previous post, this post, and the next, we can cover most of the questions. What is an “answer” to prayer? Jesus did say, “Ask and it will be given to you, seek and you will find, knock and the door will be opened,” and

No doubt, this is the most important holiday in the Christian calendar.Maybe that’s why you’re in church today. Not so much because you believe it, but it is Easter. You’re supposed to go to church on Easter.And it’s a family thing. Mom or Dad wanted you to go. Maybe it’s Grandma and Grandpa all the way down to you and a bunch of cousins.So for you, church is a family or social thing. It’s Easter!But do you believe it? Do you believe that a crucified man came back from the de