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Many of us need deadlines to get things done. They serve as a target, and some people describe them as freeing, because they know they have to get it done by a certain time, and when that time is over, there is a sense of finality. It feels good to meet a deadline and once you meet it, it’s done.But not all deadlines can be planned precisely. I used to tell my kids to make sure the kitchen was clean, “before mom gets home.” Sometimes, she’d get home and they would be busily i

We all have some things to work on, me included. Some of you are in church this weekend for the first time in a long time because you know you have some things to work on. Others here can think of so many things that you need to work on, that you’ve given up trying. There are just too many.But what is that ONE thing? What’s that one thing that is holding you back? What is that one thing, that if you got the victory, a lot of other things would change as well? It’s the thing t

I was at an event seated behind a young family with an infant. I couldn’t help but notice the interaction between a dad and little boy. This baby was just old enough to begin smiling, and you could tell he was new at it. He stared at his father’s face just waiting to make eye contact and every time his father looked down, the corners of the infant’s mouth curved up. Over and over I saw that baby go from smiling to staring to smiling and staring again. When his father was look

Linda and I were grocery shopping while on vacation. There were three different moms shopping with their children that we heard throughout our time in the store. There was a lot of yelling, swearing, and threats. Now I know, grocery shopping with small children can be a challenge. But it was breaking my heart to hear these children spoken to they way they were. I thought, “No child should be talked to this way."Then on our way to our truck in the parking lot, we heard another

Walking through Concourse D at Louis Armstrong Airport, I spotted a little boy, who appeared to be 7 or 8, in a wheelchair, escorted by a smiling gentleman in his mid 60s. I wondered to myself what their story was. Why the wheelchair for the boy and why a man his age with him? And I thought, “I wouldn’t mind sitting next to them in an airplane." I waited at gate D5 until my name was called by the agent for my seat assignment: 7F. Once again, I spotted the man and the boy. As

The first attempt to dig the Panama Canal across the Isthmus of Panama was made by a French company. Thousands of men and tons of machinery tackled the remote mountains and thick jungles. After millions of dollars had been spent, however, the project was abandoned, not because of the mountains but because of the mosquitoes. Yellow fever from mosquitoes killed thousands. It was not until American doctors found ways of protecting people against mosquitoes that the project was r

The twelve disciples of Jesus are a fascinating group of guys. In my reading of the Gospels, there is one thing that stands out about these guys. While they are quite the assortment of personalities and backgrounds, full of human weaknesses like the rest of us, there appears to be one characteristic that brought them all together. When Jesus called, they immediately responded. “Follow me,” Jesus said to each of them, and immediately they left their places, their liveliho

Linda and I have a seasonal campsite right on a river, about an hour’s drive from our home. Being right on the river, when there is a lot of rain and the river swells, our entire campsite (and half the campground) is sometimes flooded. So when flooding is predicted, we pull our camper out and store it until the water subsides. It doesn’t flood every year, but this year, It’s been flooding on and off with every heavy rain for the past month. Our camper is back in place now, bu

Everyone in my generation heard that. It was what our parents would tell us all summer long. They believed it was good for our creative minds to entertain ourselves outside. And they also didn’t want us in the way. :-)Some of you probably need to be told that as an adult. “Go outside and play!”I grew up fishing and hunting and hiking. I believe God created nature to be our habitat and the further we have removed ourselves from it, the more emotional and psychiatric problems w

If you know me, you know that I believe that the church has one mandate, and that is to proclaim the Gospel: Jesus died for us and rose again so that we can be reconciled to our Creator. That’s the message the church has been called by Jesus himself to share, because no matter where people are at in their political views, they all need God. While New Testament writers and the early church spoke about matters of morality and justice, they never told the Roman government what t

Poor Constantin. He can’t convince anyone that he’s really alive. Even by standing before them and saying, “See! I’m right here! I’m speaking to you. I’m alive!” But no, the Romanian government had declared him dead and what’s done is done. There’s no changing the matter.Mr. Reliu had travelled to Turkey for a job opportunity, and then remained there for 3 years. When he returned, he discovered that his wife was having an affair, so he went back to Turkey and stayed 18 years.

It’s that time of year…for syrupy graduation speeches, often filled with advice that I truly hope graduates do NOT take. I’m talking about “chase your dreams” and “follow your passions” kind of advice, along with the reminders that, “You are amazing” and “You can do anything.”Sorry, but you really can’t do anything, and those who say you can are doing you a disservice. Had I believed that I could do anything when I graduated from high school, I would have pursued a career in